CRISPY ROSEMARY FOCACCIA WITH GOAT CHEESE AND SWEET & SPICY PEPPER JELLY
Lauren Ariza
Posted on October 8, 2014
This isn’t as much of a recipe as it is just plain good advice. Let me set up the story a little. I was recently asked to help a friend cater an event in LA and if you’ve ever been to a catered event (or a good one at least) you usually don’t see the chef/s or preppers and you certainly should’ve only been served the good looking cuts of food. What I mean is that you don’t see the mess in the kitchen. WELL, this was definitely true in our case, but what may come as a surprise is that we may have been the luckiest folks at the party.
My friend that I was helping do this event with (shout out to Heather Harold!) and I made and assembled tons of delicious, fun bites to send out to the guests, one of which was a Rosemary Focaccia topped with tons of olives and caramelized onions. Once the focaccia had come out of the oven and cooled, I was on deck to slice and plate them. As I had mentioned before, only the pretty pieces make it out to the guests, so all the crispy bare crusts that I had cut off stayed back with us. Now, I can’t remember which one of us tried it first, but somehow we got the brilliant idea to dip the crispy, salty, end piece into what was left of a jar of sweet & spicy pepper jelly (that was used on a cheese platter). LET ME TELL YOU WHAT. I’m pretty sure the Heavens above opened up and shone down upon us as we nibbled. WHEW. SO GOOD. It may sound like a simple combination to you, but guess what? You’re 100% wrong pal. We were kind of blown away by the whole experience.
SO, if you know me even a little, then you KNOW I had to recreate this experience at home. The only thing I decided to add to mine was some goat cheese… Guys, you have to try this.
You will need:
1 package of pizza dough (or focaccia dough)
a few sprigs of rosemary (chopped)
Olive oil
Coarse salt
goat cheese
Sweet & Spicy pepper jelly (I get mine from Trader Joe’s)
Preheat your oven according to your dough’s package instructions. Place your dough onto an oiled baking sheet and stretch until you get to about 1/2 inch thickness on the dough. Cover with olive oil and use your fingers to press holes all over the dough (oil should settle in these holes). Sprinkle with salt and rosemary and bake until golden brown and extra crispy. Let sit until its cool enough to handle and slice. Spread a little goat cheese and jelly on your slice and eat. Welcome to the most awesome club on earth.