Black Olive And Goat Cheese Croustade Recipes

TOMATO & GOAT CHEESE CROSTATA

Steps:

• For the pastry, place the flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and pulse to combine. Add the diced butter and toss carefully with your fingers to coat each piece of butter with flour. Pulse 12 to 15 times, until the butter is the size of peas. While pulsing, add the ice water all at once through the feed tube. Pulse to combine, stopping just before the dough forms a ball. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured board and form it into a disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for one hour.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450˚ F. Heat the 4 tablespoons butter in a large (12-inch) sauté pan over medium to medium-high heat. Add the leeks, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and sauté for 8 minutes, until the leeks are tender and starting to brown. Set aside. Place the tomatoes on a plate, sprinkle them with salt and pepper and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Set aside.
• On a floured board, roll the dough into an 11-inch circle, then place it on a sheet of parchment paper. Turn a sheet pan upside down and transfer the paper to the inverted pan. Spread the leeks on the pastry, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border. Crumble the goat cheese evenly on top. Arrange the tomatoes over the goat cheese, overlapping the slices because they will shrink. Turn the edges of the pastry up and over the tomatoes, crimping so they lie flat. Brush the pastry with the egg wash. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the pastry is nicely browned. Allow to cool on the pan for 5 minutes, sprinkle lightly with the fresh herbs and salt, cut in wedges and serve warm.

BLACK OLIVE AND GOAT CHEESE SANDWICHES

Steps:

• 1. Lay the tortillas in front of you. Spread 1/4 cup of the goat cheese over the center portion of each tortilla. Spread 1 generous tablespoon of the tapenade over the goat cheese.
• 2. Cut each pepper half into 6 strips and lay 3 strips along the center of each tortilla. Top the pepper with some frisée.
• 3. Fold two sides of the tortilla over the frisée, then roll up the tortilla. Cut each wrap crosswise into 4 pieces and serve from a platter.

CROUSTADES OF RED PEPPERS WITH GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Heat the broiler and broil the peppers on a baking sheet until black and blistery, turning them to cook evenly. Once they're blackened on all sides, fasten them in a plastic bag so they steam and the skin is loosened. Leave the broiler alight. When the peppers are cool, slip off their charred skins with your fingers. Don't worry about leaving a few flecks of black - it adds flavor. Cut the peppers in half and then in strips, discarding the cores and seeds.
• Heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the onions with the thyme, salt, and pepper until soft and starting to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until golden. Add the tomatoes and capers and cook, stirring often until the tomatoes are cooked and thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the peppers and continue cooking until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
• Oil a baking sheet and set it aside. Toast the bread and arrange the pepper mixture on top. Slice the cheese and put the slices on the peppers. Broil the croustades on the baking sheet until the cheese is lightly browned and the edges are melted, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve warm.

GOAT CHEESE CROSTINI WITH BLACK-OLIVE PASTE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place the slices of bread on a baking sheet and bake them until lightly brown (about 10 minutes). The slices may be toasted under a broiler or over a grill instead.
• Spread the slices with olive paste, then with goat cheese and tomatoes.
• Preheat broiler. Broil crostini for about five minutes (just to melt the cheese). Arrange on a serving platter and sprinkle with chives, parsley or basil.