I deeply appreciate the outpouring of sympathy and the wonderful thoughts and heartwarming words that you have all left us. Mr. Hubby read your words and was deeply moved as was our family. Thank You.
The events that rocked our world this fortnight brought home a singular point - as a people we are so largely influenced by all the persons who come and go through our lives.
Though it is often hard to attribute a certain thought or an idea to one single person, sometimes, even though we've moved on, one can actually remember quite such moments with crystal clarity.
The friendship that gave me my first taste of goat cheese with balsamic soaked red peppers on a perfectly crusty french bread, has long gone. The memory and the perfect medley of flavors, hasn't.
So when a quick perusal of my refrigerator revealed some fresh goat cheese, red peppers and a loaf of crusty sourdough bread, I knew this moment was as good as any to ponder a good friendship that was and a bite that always will be.
Mind you, I have no idea what the original recipe is so I rely on my good old taste buds and am confident that we stand an excellent chance of pulling this off.
The main ingredients for this are - perfectly crusty french or sour dough bread, fresh red peppers, good quality Balsamic vinegar, fresh garlic cloves, chives, sugar, salt & pepper.
I have on a lazy day, given this a go with jarred red peppers but I do not recommend it. It turns out just way to salty!
Prepare the ingredients -
Preheat the oven to 500 deg F
Red Bell Peppers - Wash, remove the top, halves and discard all membranes and seeds. Place skin side up on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Spray the foil with non-stick cooking spray before placing the peppers.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the skin is black & blistered. Remove from the oven. Immediately place in a zip lock bag for approx 10 minutes till the peppers have cooled and shriveled up.
Remove the skin. Slice the peppers into thin slices and set aside in a bowl retaining all the juices.
Garlic - Peel, discard skin and finely chop.
Chives - Finely chop and set aside.
In a separate bowl, combine the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic & sugar. Whisk vigorously till thoroughly blended. Taste and adjust the seasonings especially the sugar & salt.
Add the chopped red peppers. Soak the peppers in the dressing for at least a couple of refrigerator so all the flavors are absorbed by the peppers.
30 minutes before you are ready to serve - Preheat the oven to 400 deg F
15 minutes before you are ready to serve -
Slice the bread into no greater than 1/4" thick slices. I used half a mini loaf of sour dough bread for to serve 4 persons.
Place a bread slices not touching each other on a parchment lined baking tray.
With a pastry brush generously apply olive oil to the top surface of the cut bread slices. There is no need to apply the oil on both sides.
Bake in a hot oven for about 12-15 minutes or until the bread is toasted to a golden brown.
There is no need to turn over the bread slice on the other side. As you can see in the pic both sides are perfectly toasted without turning over.
Assembly -
Remove the red pepper from the refrigerator.
In a bowl break up the goat cheese so it is easy to spread.
Place the toasted bread on a platter. Using a butter knife or dinner table knife spread the goat cheese in a uniform layer over the bread. Continue till all the crostinis are been covered with goat cheese.
Using a slotted spoon, spoon the drained red peppers uniformly over the bread slices. Continue till all the crostinis are been covered with the red peppers.
Cook's Note - Be sure to drain away any excess balsamic dressing away as you spoon on the bread. You do not want dripping bread slices.
Sprinkle the chopped chives over the crostinis.
Serve immediately.
What great flavors & this certainly makes a stellar presentation!
The flavors of the goat cheese, the balsamic dressing with the red peppers, the garlic and the chives are absolutely wonderful together on perfectly toasted bread.
The key to a simple dish such as this is the quality of the ingredients. I would definitely stay away from the cheap stuff on this one! Because the flavors depend so heavily on the flavors of the ingredients invest in good quality bakery bread & goat cheese.
This would be perfect for a light supper or as an appetizer when company is over. I have even made these for lazy weekend lunches.
Recipe for
Sourdough Crostini with Balsamic Roasted Red Peppers and Goat Cheese
Preparation time - 30 minutes
Chilling time - Approx 2 hours
Baking time - 15 minutes
Assembly - 15 minutes
Serves 4
Shopping list
Sourdough bread loaf
3 large red bell peppers
2 cloves garlic
8 oz fresh, good quality goat cheese
3 tbs balsamic vinegar
5 tbs olive oil
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black ground pepper
fresh chives to yield 1-1/2 tbs chopped
Preparation -
Preheat the oven to 500 deg F
Red Bell Peppers - Wash, remove the top, halves and discard all membranes and seeds. Place skin side up on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Spray the foil with non-stick cooking spray before placing the peppers.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the skin is black & blistered. Remove from the oven. Immediately place in a zip lock bag for approx 10 minutes till the peppers have cooled and shriveled up.
Remove the skin. Slice the peppers into thin slices and set aside in a bowl retaining all the juices.
Garlic - Peel, discard skin and finely chop.
Chives - Finely chop and set aside.
In a separate bowl, combine the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic & sugar. Whisk vigorously till thoroughly blended. Taste and adjust the seasonings especially the sugar & salt.
Add the chopped red peppers. Soak the peppers in the dressing for at least a couple of refrigerator so all the flavors are absorbed by the peppers.
30 minutes before you are ready to serve - Preheat the oven to 400 deg F
15 minutes before you are ready to serve -
Slice the bread into no greater than 1/4" thick slices. I used half a mini loaf of sour dough bread for to serve 4 persons.
Place a bread slices not touching each other on a parchment lined baking tray.
With a pastry brush generously apply olive oil to the top surface of the cut bread slices. There is no need to apply the oil on both sides.
Bake in a hot oven for about 12-15 minutes or until the bread is toasted to a golden brown.
There is no need to turn over the bread slice on the other side. As you can see in the pic both sides are perfectly toasted without turning over.
Assembly -
Remove the red pepper from the refrigerator.
In a bowl break up the goat cheese so it is easy to spread.
Place the toasted bread on a platter. Using a butter knife or dinner table knife spread the goat cheese in a uniform layer over the bread. Continue till all the crostinis are been covered with goat cheese.
Using a slotted spoon, spoon the drained red peppers uniformly over the bread slices. Continue till all the crostinis are been covered with the red peppers.
Cook's Note - Be sure to drain away any excess balsamic dressing away as you spoon on the bread. You do not want dripping bread slices.
Sprinkle the chopped chives over the crostinis.
Serve immediately.
Enjoy!
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