Appetizers, Cheese, Recipes, Side Dishes

Roasted Feta with Honey

December 5, 2022

This may be one of the easiest and most delicious appetizers I have made. It is a gorgeous dish to bring to the table. I served it with yogurt flatbread made into smaller rounds for this appetizer, and roasted tomatoes which added a pop of color and a sweet-tart flavor that was perfect tucked into the flatbread with the cheese. You can keep it simple by serving the feta with slices of good sourdough bread or warmed pita bread.

The roasted tomatoes go into the oven about 45-60 minutes before the feta is roasted. I love the Sugar Bomb tomatoes sold at Safeway. They make a striking presentation.

Mt. Vikos is one of the best feta cheese blocks I know of. Here on Maui you can find it at most of the markets including Hawaiian Moons, Times Kihei, Foodland, and Whole Foods. I placed the cheese and olive oil in a foil-lined baking dish so that it would be easy to remove to a plate for serving with the roasted tomatoes. If you are not using roasted tomatoes, you can skip the foil. Remember to use a baking dish that can withstand the high heat of the broiler.

This is one of those dishes that really doesn’t require a recipe because of its simplicity. Place feta block in baking dish, drizzle with olive oil, add fresh thyme sprigs if you want to, then roast until warm. Drizzle honey over the feta, broil until beautifully bronzed on the edges, season with freshly ground black pepper, and a sprinkling of Maldon sea salt, serve.

Roast the feta just before you want to serve it. The cheese should be warm and creamy, the perfect foil for pillowy flatbread or good sourdough bread.

Roasted Feta with Honey

Recipe by Kiyo

Servings

2-4

servings

Adapted from NYT Cooking

Ingredients

1 7-ounce block Mt. Vikos Feta (or your favorite feta block)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 small fresh thyme sprigs, optional
1 tablespoon honey
Freshly ground black pepper
Maldon sea salt, optional
Red pepper flakes, optional
Roasted tomatoes, optional
Yogurt flatbread, sourdough, or pita bread for serving

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place feta in a small foil-lined baking dish for easy transfer to a plate if serving with roasted tomatoes (one that can withstand broiler oven temperature). Otherwise skip the foil and place feta directly into a broiler safe baking dish. Drizzle olive oil over the feta and place a few sprigs of thyme on top if using. Bake until the cheese is soft and springy to the touch but not melted, about 7-8 minutes.
Preheat the broiler. Heat the honey in the microwave for just a few seconds until it is fluid enough to be spread with a pastry brush and then paint the surface of the feta with it. Broil until the top of the cheese browns and just starts to bubble, about 2 1/2 minutes (I used my countertop Breville Smart Oven). Keep an eye on the broiling time so the cheese does not burn. Season with pepper, a sprinkling of Maldon sea salt (optional) and a pinch of red pepper flakes (optional).
Serve with warmed flatbread or crusty sourdough bread and roasted tomatoes.

Notes

If serving with roasted mini tomatoes, place them in a baking dish, drizzle the tomatoes with a bit of olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Bake uncovered at 400 degrees for 45-60 minutes. Yogurt flatbread can be made weeks in advance and frozen. Warm before serving.

Appetizers, Dinner, French, Fruit, Gardening, Recipes, Side Dishes, Veggies

Tomato Galette

October 11, 2020

One of the delights of a galette is its free-form crust. The dough doesn’t require any trimming after being rolled out. In fact, the ragged edges of the crust are what gives a galette its beautiful, rustic appearance. Whether you are making a savory or sweet filling, a galette is a gorgeous dish to bring to the table.

This year we grew Katana beefsteak tomatoes (Kitazawa Seed Co.) which turned out to be our new favorite. They are meaty, juicy, and so flavorful with a gorgeous deep red color. They are the perfect tomato for this galette and on a side note, they make for an exceptional BLT sandwich.

A sprinkling of sharp cheddar cheese is all you’ll need. The small amount of cheese is just enough to add a bit of richness allowing the tomatoes to really shine.

Choose tomatoes that are meaty and hold up well to slicing. I prefer to peel the tomatoes (except for the mini ones) because the skin has a different texture than the tomato flesh and it is especially noticeable once tomatoes have been cooked.

Fresh thyme and tomatoes are a perfect match. I included a handful of colorful sweet cherry tomatoes that added a nice contrast with the red beefsteaks.

The edges of the dough are folded over the tomatoes to make a rustic crust that will bake up beautifully.

Tomato Tart

Save Print

Galette dough adapted from Dorie Greenspan's recipe

Author: Kiyo Miller

Serves: 4

Ingredients

For the dough:
1½ cups (204g) all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon kosher salt (1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt if using unsalted butter)
1 Earth Balance Buttery Stick (8 tablespoons, 4 ounces, 113g), frozen for 30 minutes, then cut into small cubes
¼ cup ice water
1 tablespoon milk or cream for brushing the crust (optional)
For the tomato galette:
1 cup coarsely grated sharp cheddar cheese, not packed
1 pound meaty ripe tomatoes, peeled and sliced into ⅓-inch rounds
handful of assorted cherry tomatoes sliced (optional)
olive oil for brushing
Maldon sea salt or other flaky salt
freshly ground black pepper
a few fresh thyme sprigs
julienned basil (optional)

Preparation

Place flour, sugar and salt in a food processor. Pulse a few times to blend. Add cubes of cold Buttery Sticks and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add some of the ice water and pulse. Continue to add more water, pulsing each time (about 3 additions). Use longer pulses until dough holds together when you pinch it (dough will not be formed into a ball). Transfer dough to a clean work surface and use the heel of your hand to smear small pieces of dough, which will help to incorporate the Buttery Sticks. Gather the dough and form into a flat disk. Place between 2 sheets of parchment paper. Roll out dough into a 12-inch circle. Place dough with parchment papers onto a sheet pan. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Keep refrigerated until you have all other ingredients ready to go.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees ½ hour before you bake the galette. Meanwhile, place sliced tomatoes on paper towels if very juicy. This will help to avoid a soggy crust. Strip thyme leaves from stems and set aside.
Remove galette dough from the refrigerator. Discard top layer of parchment paper. Sprinkle cheese over the dough leaving a 1½-inch border. Place tomatoes over the cheese in a single layer. Brush tomatoes with olive oil. Sprinkle Maldon or other flaky salt over the tomatoes along with a few grinds of black pepper. Sprinkle fresh thyme leaves over the top. Gently fold the pastry over the tomatoes, making pleats as you go. Brush edges with cream or milk (optional). Bake galette for about 35 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Let galette cool for a few minutes before cutting into wedges. It is best served just warm or at room temperature. Sprinkle with julienned basil if using. The galette makes for a terrific meal served with a crispy green salad.

Fresh Thyme

Roasted Feta with Honey