Recipes Thick Shakes with Strawberry-Mascarpone Panini Be the first to rate & review! Chef Rob Evans creates exalted food at Hugo's in Portland, Maine (where he was named an F&W Best New Chef 2004), but he's also a sandwich savant. At his sandwich shop, Duckfat, he makes a splendid dessert panino with brioche, strawberry jam and mascarpone, a delicate spreadable cow's–milk cheese. Evans pairs the panino with a superthick milk shake that blends ice cream with custardy crème anglaise sauce. He usually pairs these panini with vanilla shakes, but strawberry is equally delicious. By Rob Evans Updated on June 2, 2017 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: © Dana Gallagher Active Time: 30 mins Total Time: 2 hrs Yield: 4 Ingredients 6 large egg yolks 1/2 cup sugar 2 cups milk 1 cup heavy cream 2 vanilla beans, split, seeds scraped 1 pound strawberries (2 pints), sliced 1/2 cup fresh orange juice 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar Salt and freshly ground pepper 8 slices brioche (1/2 inch thick) 1/2 cup mascarpone 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened 2 pints strawberry ice cream Directions Fill a large metal bowl with ice water and set another large metal bowl in it. Set a strainer in the bowl. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks with 1/4 cup of the sugar until slightly pale. In a medium saucepan, heat the milk with the cream and vanilla beans and seeds until small bubbles appear around the edge. Add the hot milk to the egg mixture in a thin stream, whisking constantly. Return the vanilla mixture to the saucepan and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Strain the vanilla sauce into the bowl in the ice bath and let cool completely, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine the strawberries, orange juice, zest, vinegar and the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar; season very lightly with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and cook over moderately high heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture has become jammy, about 10 minutes. Transfer the jam to a bowl and let cool. Heat a panini press or griddle over low heat. Spread the mascarpone on 4 of the brioche slices. Spoon 3 tablespoons of the jam on each of the other 4 slices and close the sandwiches. Brush the sandwiches with the butter and grill or press until golden, about 5 minutes. Transfer the panini to a cutting board and dust with confectioners' sugar. Halve each sandwich. Put 1 pint of ice cream and half of the vanilla sauce in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into 2 large glasses. Repeat with the remaining ice cream and vanilla sauce to make 2 more shakes. Serve the milk shakes right away, with the panini. Make Ahead The vanilla sauce and jam can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. Rate it Print