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Heirloom Caprese Flatbread

The high temps in Dallas have kept me out of my kitchen the past several weeks. I have been a lazy cook – creating nothing but quick and easy salads. I came across some beautiful heirloom tomatoes at the Dallas farmers market and decided a twist on an old classic – Caprese Salad – would be an honorable fate for these orange beauties. The warm oozing fresh mozzarella with the cool tomatoes is absolutely delicious… and the balsamic makes it all sing.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 wheat pita or flatbread
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon olive oil
  • 2 ounces fresh mozzarella
  • 1 medium tomato
  • 3 large basil leaves, torn into pieces
  • 1 teaspoon aged balsamic vinegar
  • Salt

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Tear mozzarella into small quarter size pieces and spread over the flatbread crust. Top with minced garlic, olive oil and salt(to taste). Bake for 15 minutes until flat bread is crispy and cheese is melted. Remove from oven and top with sliced tomatoes and basil. Season the tomatoes with a little more salt and drizzle with balsamic vinegar. Devour.

Vegetable and Hummus Pizza with Greek Vinaigrette

The one thing I always have in the refrigerator: hummus. I love it with pretzels and it’s usually a snack that can be devoured quickly. As much as I love it I do get tired of it after several days of walk by dipping. I was at my favorite Mediterranean market in Dallas, World Foods, buying my stock of olives and feta and checking out the baked goods swimming in honey. I noticed a big pile of fresh whole wheat Naan* and this pizza was born.

I have to say it was everything I thought it would be. Don’t skip the vinaigrette drizzle over top and on the veggies. The acid from the vinegar is a perfect compliment to the creamy hummus.

*Naan is an Indian flatbread and is thinner than most pita. Pita would also work fine in this recipe – use what you can find!

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 Indian Naan or pita
  • 2 tablespoons hummus (any flavor)
  • 6 Kalamata olives, pitted and cut into large chunks
  • 1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/4 slices lengthwise
  • 1/2 small red bell pepper, cut into medium squares
  • 1 ounce Feta, crumbled
  • 1 teaspoon toasted pine nuts

For the vinaigrette:

  • 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon finely minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon finely minced shallot
  • 1/2 teaspoon Greek oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

DIRECTIONS

For the vinaigrette: Combine all ingredients in a container with a tight-fitting lid, then add the oil and shake to mix well. Add 2-3 tablespoons to a medium bowl to toss the veggies in.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place Naan or Pita directly on rack and bake for 5-10 minutes until bread is crispy. It will not be baked again, so make sure to get the crunch you desire. I like mine crispy so I bake it closer to 10 minutes.

Heat medium skillet and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Season zucchini with salt and pepper and cook for 1-2-minutes on each side, until al dente. Remove and add to bowl with dressing.

Add bell peppers to the same pan and cook until slightly charred. Toss in the same bowl with the dressing and zucchini.

To assemble pizza: Spread hummus on to cooled crust. Layer zucchini in a single layer over the hummus. Sprinkle bell peppers, olives and feta over zucchini. Top with toasted pine nuts and a drizzle of the vinaigrette.

Pear Bruschetta with Goat Cheese, Honey & Almonds

Bolsa in Oak Cliff is hands down my favorite place to eat, drink and be merry. The atmosphere is laid back and you can’t help but feel at home. 1/2 price wine on Tuesday nights makes me feel even more at home. The food is fresh, local, fun and not over the top. The menu does change on a daily basis but there are a few mainstays I indulge in on every visit. The bruschetta flight is a delightful array of 4 variations on this ever popular appetizer. Tomatoes, Proscuitto, Salmon and my personal favorite: Fuji Apple with Honey & Almonds.

I made a few tweaks with the addition of the goat cheese and chose a juicy Bosc pear at the market. I am making this again today with a Honeycrisp apple – which I imagine will be the nuts! You can use any crusty bread you like. I think slices of kaiser buns will also be perfect for this simple bruschetta recipe.

INGREDIENTS

  • 8 slices crusty bread of your choice, toasted lightly
  • 2 ounces Goat Cheese
  • 1 Pear or Apple, sliced
  • 1-2 tablespoons Honey
  • 2 tablespoons sliced Almonds, toasted

DIRECTIONS

Lightly toast slices of bread in 350 degree oven for 5-6 minutes.

Spread each piece of bread with a thin layer of goat cheese. Fan 4-5 slices of pear over the goat cheese and drizzle with honey. Sprinkle the top of each with the sliced almonds.

The Spotted Pig Deviled Eggs

The Spotted Pig is my favorite place to eat in New York City and when I am in the city I will always wait to get a table. The place is small. The lighting is dim but the small votive candles give the loveliest of glows to the BEST DEVILED EGGS I’ve ever put in my mouth.

On my last trip to the city in February with my beautiful sister, Suzanne, we of course ended up at The Spotted Pig our first night in town. We just couldn’t wait any longer for an Old Speckled Hen on tap. We were shown to the third floor bar (didn’t even know it existed) to wait for our table and ordered a few killer starters… bring on the deviled eggs! It was my lucky night as the sweet lady tending to us gave me a few secrets to these devilish treats:

  1. They DO use mayonnaise in the egg mixture. BUT…. It’s homemade from some of the finest olive oil in the world. Tip: Don’t ask for mayo on the side of that blue cheese burger – you’re not getting any. April Bloomfield says so.
  2. Now on that olive oil. The award winning olive oil from Chile – Olave Organic Olive Oil – is the oil of choice for all of the food in the restaurant (drizzling, dressings, mayos, etc). I’ve since ordered 2 bottles for the sister and myself.

I can tell you these were a hit when I made them a few weeks ago for a family dinner. They were buttery, smooth and thick with a nice zing of vinegar. I did go to the trouble to make the homemade mayonnaise (recipe link below) and it does make a difference!

INGREDIENTS

  • 12 large eggs
  • 1 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 3 teaspoons champagne vinegar
  • Maldon sea salt
  • Aleppo pepper flakes
  • 3 tablespoons thinly sliced chives
  • Olive Oil for drizzling

DIRECTIONS

Fill a large sauce pot with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Place cold eggs in single layer in the saucepan and bring back to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 13 minutes. Drain eggs and run cold water in the pan. When water is slightly cooler, add ice to the pot and let eggs sit in ice water for 15 minutes.  Crack each egg on a hard surface and roll lightly to break the membrane seal. Eggs should peel very easily. With a thin knife carefully slice eggs in half and place yolks in a bowl.

Break up the yolks with a whisk until they are fine. Add olive oil, mayonnaise, mustard, and vinegars and whisk briskly until smooth puree forms, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary.

Transfer mixture to plastic zipper-lock bag. Cit corner off the bag and pipe filling into the egg white halves.

Sprinkle eggs with Maldon salt, Aleppo pepper and chives. Drizzle with olive oil, and serve.

Cherry Tomato and Feta Tart

Recently I borrowed a friends State Fair of Texas cookbook full of winning recipes… one of which belongs to her husband. He is a proud blue ribbon winner for the best lasagna I’ve had in my entire life. This recipe book is full of innovative recipes and a tomato pie that called for bouillon caught my eye. What a strange ingredient! I can’t say it wouldn’t be just as delicious without the bouillon… but I believe it won her the blue ribbon.

It appears some things are just meant to be. I had cherry tomatoes that weren’t going to make it another week, basil that was developing brown spots, a disc of pie dough in the freezer and a nice hunk of feta leftover from last weeks Pistachio Crusted Chicken. It was delicious and would be perfect alongside Baked Shrimp Scampi for a simple and impressive make ahead dinner party menu!

INGREDIENTS

For the crust:

  • 1 1/2 sticks cold butter, cut into pea size pieces
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
  • Pinch kosher salt
  • 3 to 4 tablespoons ice water

For the inside:

  • 1 pound cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 3 green onions, finely sliced
  • 5 large basil leaves, cut into long, thin strips
  • 1 Star garlic and herb bouillon cube, or chicken bouillon*
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 pie crust recipe above or a store bought pie dough
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 cup Feta Cheese, crumbled
  • 2 cups Mozzarella, shredded

DIRECTIONS

For the crust: In the bowl of a food processor combine the butter, flour and salt. Pulse, pulse, pulse until the mixture looks like finely grated cheese. Add half of the ice water and pulse again. The mixture should start to come together to form a rough ball; if it still seems dry add the remaining water and pulse until it has formed a rough ball. Remove the mixture from the food processor to a clean work surface and form it into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. This can be done a few days in advance.

Toss tomatoes, basil & green onions with the bouillon and olive oil. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight. Remove from refrigerator and drain off any liquid that has developed from the tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Remove dough from the refrigerator 20 to 30 minutes before using to allow it to soften up a bit. Dust the dough and a work surface with flour. Roll out dough into a 10-inch tart shell and prick the bottom with a fork.

Spread 1/2 of the tomatoes into the bottom of the pie shell and top with 1/2 of the cheese. Repeat. Drizzle the top with a small amount of olive oil.

Bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes on the middle oven rack.

*The STAR herb & garlic bouillon can be found at Jimmy’s Food Store for less than $2. I keep it on hand and use it when cooking rice and pasta. Chicken bouillon can also be used in this recipe.

Goat Cheese, Pesto & Sun-Dried Tomato Terrine

This is a staple at most of my shindigs. You can make it a day ahead and it is such a beautiful presentation. If you aren’t a fan of goat cheese then just use cream cheese. When processing the sun-dried tomatoes it is much easier to cut them up before adding to the food processor.

Serve with crostini and crackers.

Photo source: finecooking.com

INGREDIENTS

  • 16 oz. cream cheese
  • 4 oz. goat cheese
  • 1/4 to 1/2 cup milk or half & half
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • ½ cup basil pesto (homemade or store-bought)
  • ½ cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained & chopped in food processor (or store-bought)
  • 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
  • Extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling

DIRECTIONS

Bring cream cheese and goat cheese to room temperature. With a mixer beat the cheeses and milk until smooth and spreadable. Add more milk if needed to loosen the mixture. Add lemon zest, 1 glove minced garlic and season with 1/4 tsp. salt and a few grinds of pepper. Mix well and set aside.

Line the inside of a 3-cup sharply sloping bowl with plastic; let the ends extend over the sides a few inches.

Spoon about one-third of the cheese into the lined bowl and pack it into an even layer. Spread the pesto almost completely to the sides of the first layer of cheese. Top with another third of the cheese, the sun-dried tomatoes, and all but 1/2 Tbs. of the pine nuts. Top with the remaining cheese. Pack down, fold the plastic over, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Half an hour before serving, take the bowl out of the refrigerator. Pull on the edges of the plastic to loosen the terrine from the bowl. Invert the terrine onto a plate, drizzle with a little olive oil, and let sit for 1/2 hour to warm up. Sprinkle with the remaining pine nuts, season liberally with pepper, and serve.

 

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