NYE Appetizer: Rosemary Flatbread with Herbed Goat Cheese

Jay and me at the Chef's Gallery, December 29, 2009



Anne and me at the Chef's Gallery, December 29, 2009


For Christmas Jay's sister gifted us a cooking class at The Chef's Gallery. We went to the special New Years Eve Appetizer Party one and enjoyed ourselves very much. Today I am planning to make a rosemary flatbread and goat cheese spread for a party tonight (from the class). I'd like to share this recipe with all people who might be interested in giving it a shot, if not tonight, another fine evening :)

Rosemary Flatbread

18 oz. (3 cups) Semolina flour
13-1/2 ounces (3 cups) flour)
2 tsp. kosher salt
3 Tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary
1-2/3 cups water
1/2 cup olive oil
All-purpose flour for kneading. Parchment paper for kneading. Extra virgin olive oil for brushing baked flatbread. Course sea salt or kosher salt for sprinkling baked flatbread

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients, then whisk in the rosemary. Form a well in the center of the dry ingredients and then add the water and oil. Pull the dry ingredients into the oil and water until the mixture forms a mass. Mix by hand to form a smooth dough. Turn the dough onto a floured work surface. Knead about 2 minutes, being careful not to over mix. Wrap in plastic and let rest at least 1 hour. Place a baking stone in the oven and preheat to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Divide the dough into egg-sized portions, weighing about 2 ounces each. Very lightly flour a work surface and roll each dough portion out as thin as possible. Using a very large spatula or pizza wheel, transfer the rolled dough directly from the cutting board to the preheated baking stone. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until crisp, light, and golden. Remove from oven and brush with olice oil and sprinkle with salt.

Herbed Goat Cheese

6 ounces goat cheese at room temperature
3 ounces cream cheese at room temp
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 TBSP finely chopped soft-leaved herbs such as Parsley, Italitan Parsley, or Basil
2 scallions thinly sliced for garnish

1. Place cheeses and the cream in a glass mixing bowl. With a hand-held blender, blend the cheese and the cream just until light and smooth. Do not over mix.

2. With a rubber spatula, fold in the chopped soft-leaved herbs and spoon mixture into pastry bag fitted with the Ateco tip.

3. Pipe about 1 TBSP of the cheese mixture directly on the crisps, or pipe the cheese onto individual plates and place 1 or 2 crisps into the cheese vertically. Garnish with sliced scallions. Note: the cheese spread is great with vegetable crudites or any type of cracker or bread.



The finished product!

ENJOY!