Tomato Basil And Eggplant Flatbread With Blue Cheese Recipes

EGGPLANT FLATBREAD PIZZAS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat; saute eggplant and onion with salt and pepper until eggplant begins to soften, 4-5 minutes. Stir in garlic; remove from heat., Place naan on a baking sheet. Spread with ricotta cheese; sprinkle with oregano. Spread with tomato sauce. Top with eggplant mixture and whole basil leaves. Sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses; drizzle with remaining oil., Bake until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted, 12-15 minutes. If desired, top with sliced basil.

BASIL, TOMATO & MOZZARELLA CHEESE

Steps:

• Whisk together dressing ingredients.
• Set aside.
• Layer on a platter the tomatoes,cheese, and basil.
• Pour dressing over the salad and serve.

GRILLED EGGPLANT, TOMATO AND GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat grill for medium heat.
• In a large bowl, coat eggplant with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.
• Arrange half of the eggplant slices on a tray. Place a slice of tomato and a slice of goat cheese on each slice of eggplant. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper on the tomatoes and cheese. Top with remaining slices of eggplant, and secure each bundle with a toothpick.
• Lightly oil the grill grate. Remove toothpicks, and arrange bundles on grate. Cook about 7 to 8 minutes, then carefully flip. Continue cooking for 6 to 7 minutes.

TOMATO, BASIL AND EGGPLANT FLATBREAD WITH BLUE CHEESE

Steps:

• FOR THE FLATBREAD DOUGH: In a measuring cup, combine the water, sugar and yeast. Set aside until yeast is bubbly, about 5 minutes. Stir in olive oil. In a medium bowl, combine the all-purpose and whole- wheat flours, salt and pepper. Make a well in the center and pour in the yeast mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon to combine.
• Dump the mixture onto a lightly floured board or other work surface. With lightly floured hands, knead the dough for 8 to 10 minutes, adding more flour just when the dough sticks to your hands or work surface. until the dough is smooth.
• Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let set in a warm, draft-free place until it's doubled in size, 1 to 2 hours.
• Once the dough has doubled, punch it down and then divide it into 4 equal pieces. Knead each dough piece on a lightly floured work surface for 1 minute into a tight ball. Set dough balls on an oiled tray and refrigerate, covered, for 20 minutes or longer. (Dough can be made up to 1 day in advance. Wrap each ball in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator.)
• FOR THE ROASTED EGGPLANT SLICES: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Soak the eggplant slices in cold water for 5 minutes. Drain and pat dry with paper towels. Spritz 2 baking sheets with olive oil. Arrange slices in a single layer on the sheets and then spritz them with more oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast for 10 minutes until lightly browned. Cool and reserve for use.
• TO ASSEMBLE THE FLATBREADS: Place a pizza stone on the lowest rack of the oven and preheat oven to 500 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, press a ball of Flatbread Dough into a disc, then roll it in a thin circle about 1/8 inch thick.
• Transfer the dough to a lightly floured wooden pizza paddle. Spritz the dough with extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle with some cooked minced garlic (or roasted garlic paste). Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese. Add 3 to 4 eggplant slices, then 6 or 7 torn fresh basil leaves. Add 2 to 3 tomato slices. Top with 2 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese and a few twists of black pepper.
• Spritz with a little more olive oil, then gently slide the dough off the wooden paddle and onto the pizza stone. Bake 4 to 6 minutes, until the crust is crisp and golden brown. Remove flatbread with the paddle onto a cutting surface and slice.
• Repeat the process with the remaining three flatbread discs.
• TIP 1: If you prepare the dough and eggplant in advance and arrange all your other ingredients before starting, you can assemble each of these flatbreads in about 2 minutes, plus 4 to 6 minutes baking time.
• TIP 2: When it comes to toppings, less is more --- don't lay them on too thick. And get yourself a pizza stone and a wooden pizza paddle in order to handle and cook the thin crust properly.

CRISPY TOMATO BASIL PESTO FLATBREAD PIZZAS

Steps:

• Set oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
• Spread tomato slices out on baking sheet. Drizzle some olive oil over slices.
• Broil in the preheated oven until tender, about 6 minutes. Remove from oven and cool until easily handled, about 5 minutes. Peel skin off slices; discard.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line another baking sheet with aluminum foil.
• Brush both sides of each tortilla with olive oil and arrange on baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until lightly browned and crispy, about 8 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool, about 5 minutes.
• Spread 2 to 3 tablespoons of pesto in a thin layer over each tortilla. Top with mozzarella cheese slices, 8 basil leaves, and some roasted tomato slices.
• Bake in the preheated oven until mozzarella cheese is melted, 6 to 8 minutes. Cool slightly, about 2 minutes, before slicing with a pizza cutter.

EGGPLANT SALAD WITH TOMATO AND GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Brush both sides of eggplant with 2 tablespoons oil. Sprinkle with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper., Broil eggplant 3-4 inches from heat or grill, covered, over medium heat, until tender, 4-5 minutes per side., Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine tomatoes, onion, basil, parsley, vinegar, 1 tablespoon oil and remaining salt and pepper. Toss arugula with remaining oil and divide among 8 plates. Top each with eggplant, tomato mixture and goat cheese.

EGGPLANT, TOMATO AND BASIL ROLL-UPS

Steps:

• Trim the ends from the eggplant and slice lengthwise 1/8-inch thick.
• Place each eggplant slice on a lightly sprayed saute pan over medium low heat to slightly toast. The eggplant should be moist and pliable. Keep the saute pan warm.
• Slice the tomatoes 1/8-inch thick.
• Lay the eggplant slices flat and lay a tomato slice at the bottom and place a basil leaf on top of the tomato. Grind some fresh pepper over the basil/tomato. Combine the cheeses and sprinkle a teaspoon of the cheeses and a pinch of the chile on top of the basil leaf.
• Roll-up the eggplant/tomato lengthwise and place seam side down in the warmed saute pan. Repeat until all the eggplant are rolled up. Bring the heat up to medium and slightly sear the roll-ups. Turn to brown all sides.

ROASTED EGGPLANT TOMATO TART, WITH BASIL AND GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, stir together the flours, sugar and salt. Scatter the butter pieces over the flour, and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles sand with lots of pea-sized butter chunks. Stir together the buttermilk and ice water. Drizzle this mixture over the flour mixture, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with a rubber spatula, until the dough will hold together when you give it a squeeze, adding more ice water by the teaspoon directly to the dry bits as needed.
• Dump the dough out onto a counter, divide it roughly into 8 portions, and fraisage by dragging a portion of dough across the counter using the heel of your hand. Scrape up the dough (a metal bench scraper works well here), gently press it into a ball and flatten into a disc. Slip it into a plastic bag, and chill for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 days.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll the chilled dough out into a rough square that is about 1/4" thick. Fold it in thirds like you're folding a letter, then roll up from a skinny end into a loose spiral. Gently press to flatten it slightly, and chill for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
• Remove the dough from the fridge, unwrap, and place on a lightly floured surface. Roll out the dough into a 12" circle, dusting the dough lightly with flour as needed, rotating and flipping it to prevent it from sticking. Ease the dough into a 9 or 10" tart pan (or a 9" glass pie plate), fit it into the corners, and trim it to a 1" overhang. Fold the overhang into the pan, pressing to adhere so that the sides are double-thickness. Trim away any excess dough, and prick the crust all over with a fork. Save the scraps to patch any post-par-baking holes, and/or to make a future franken-crust.
• Chill the crust for 20 minutes, then freeze it for at least 20 minutes, until solid.
• Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 450ºToss the eggplant slices with the garlic and olive oil, and spread on a lightly oiled sheet pan. Bake until the eggplant begins to brown, 10-15 minutes, flipping the slices if they are browning on the bottom but not the top. Remove and let cool.
• Position a rack in the bottom third of the oven, and reduce the oven temperature to 400ºPlace the frozen crust on a rimmed baking sheet. Line the crust with a piece of parchment paper or foil, and fill with pie weights, dry beans, or clean pennies, pressing the weights into the sides and corners of the crust.
• Bake the crust for 15-20 minutes, until the dough will hold its shape when you lift off the parchment, then remove the weights and parchment and bake until the bottom is dry and lightly golden, about 5 minutes longer. (If there are any holes in the crust, patch them with a tiny piece of dough scrap.) Reduce the oven temperature to 350ºF.
• Cover the bottom of the par-baked crust with the parmesan, then crumble the goat cheese over, and top with an even layer of slivered basil. Layer the eggplant and tomato slices-alternating between eggplant and tomato-in concentric circles, beginning with the outside and working inward. Use small pieces to fill in any gaps, so that the crust is completely covered.
• In a measuring cup, whisk the eggs to break up the yolks, then whisk in the cream, salt, and a good grinding of black pepper. Pour the custard over the vegetables.
• Carefully transfer the tart to the oven and bake until the custard is set, firm to the touch, and doesn't jiggle when you give it a shake, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool to warm on a wire rack. Garnish with basil leaves.
• Serve the tart warm. Leftovers will keep well for up to 3 days-re-heat before serving.