Fig, Date, and Goat Cheese Flatbread with arugula and balsamic reduction
To celebrate Easter, we have crafted a menu that emulates the kind of food that Jesus and his disciples may have eaten in his day. Balsamic may not have been on the menu then, but, other vinegars would. Fig, date, and goat cheese flat bread would certainly be a possible food at the time, though. Of course if you don’t like goat cheese, you can substitute something else. Feta would work.But, a lot of people really do love goat cheese. Choose your camp.
This could be an appetizer or main dish any time of year. We are serving it as an appetizer here since Easter is a celebration. The flat bread dough recipe here can be used for any kind of pizza as well. If you want a chewier crust, you can mix bread flour with the type 00 flour used here. Type 00 gets its name from the fineness of the grind of the flour. It is not the easiest type of flour to find, but it does make for a better pizza. You can substitute AP or bread flour if you can’t find it. Just know it will come out different. It won’t be as crisp.
Table of Contents
Fig, Date, and Goat Cheese Flatbread:
To make the dish:
- Make the fig date relish
- Make the pizza dough
- Grille the pizza dough. We recommend pulling the dough by hand and forming into rectangles to make it easier to cut smaller pieces and serve as an appetizer
- Brush the dough with olive oil, then spread a generous amount of the relish on top.
- Sprinkle crumbled goat cheese on top evenly spread out. Leave some spaces without cheese
- Bake in a preheated 550 degree oven until the goat cheese is slightly browned
- Remove from oven, sprinkle arugula over the top, cut and plate. Drizzle a little balsamic reduction or glaze over the top and serve.
Balsamic reduction can be made by heating balsamic and sugar over medium heat until it becomes thick. Or, you can buy it in specialty stores or Amazon (We will have some here, once we get our commerce department rolling). Some aged balsamics are thicker naturally. Use them if possible.
Fig and Date Relish
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup diced sweet onion
- 1 Tbsp chopped fresh ginger
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup chopped dried dates
- 1 cup chopped dried fig
- 1 cup red wine
- salt and pepper to taste
- olive oil for cooking
Instructions
- heat olive oil in a saute pan over high heat. Add in the onions and ginger. Stir around and turn heat down to medium.
- Continue stirring the onions occasionally until the become translucent and begin to caramelize.
- Add in the sugar and continue stirring. Allow the mixture to reach a golden caramel color.
- Add in the figs and dates and mix well.
- Add the wine and reduce until the wine becomes a glaze. Remove from heat and coll down until time to use.
Classic Mediterranean flatbread pizza dough
Ingredients
- 1.5 Lb Type OO flour
- 1 Tbsp Kosher salt
- 1 Tbsp Active dry yeast
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 1 to 2 Tbsp Olive oil
- 1 pint warm water (around 100 degrees)
Instructions
- Dissolve yeast in warm water with sugar in the bowl of a mixer. Allow to bloom for about 10 minutes.
- Mix salt and flour in a separate bowl
- Add 1 Tbsp oil to the yeast and water in a mixer with a dough hook attachment. Add in flour in 3 to 4 batches so it incorporates evenly and doesn't fly all over. Run the mixer at a slower speed until all the flour is in. Then speed up. Mix until a relatively dry, firm dough occurs. Add more olive oil if it is too dry. It should have some spring to it.
- When done, lightly flour the dough ball so it won't stick and allow to rise for about 1/2 hour.
- Cut dough into smaller balls or leave whole.
- Roll out with a rolling pin or by hand. (I prefer by hand, it has a better mouth feel).
- Either grille the dough then top and finish in a 550 degree preheated oven or top and bake on a piza stone in the same oven.