Cookaholics Bulletin Board

For a large holiday party (that time of the year again!), I'm picking up several foccaccia from a local bakery. The foccaccia is great but they don't really have much in the way of toppings. As I recall, the foccaccia are baked with carmelized onions, EVOO, and salt. I think there might be some herbs in there as well...

Last year, I added some toppings to the foccaccia, heated them up when guests were here, and served them. Since the toppings were all prepped ahead of time, it was very easy. Last years toppings included: 1) figjam, proscuitto, and blue cheese, and 2) roasted plum tomatoes, gruyere, and thyme.

I was hoping to do different toppings this year. On hand, I have mozzerella (block form) and a delicous batch of oven roasted plum tomatoes. It would be nice to use these ingredients but I'm not commited. In any event, I'd like to make 2 different toppings again. There's a strong preference for ingredients that can be prepped way in advance. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks so much!
Gerard

Gerard,

There was a focaccia thread last year. It's really super easy to make, and it opens up a lot more options. One of the favorites mentioned in this thread was lemon, rosemary and parm which many of us have made (Mary used store bought pizza dough, I made it from scratch) and really loved.

Regardless of which direction you go, you should make an herb oil to brush on the focaccia.

Many toppings, e.g., nuts, marinated sun-dried tomatoes, fresh herbs, onions, roasted garlic, etc. are best topped pre-proof, as it encourages them to "marry into" the dough, so aren't as ideal once the focaccia is already baked.

I'll have to try the fig, prosciutto and blue cheese combo. Three of my favorite flavors!

Amy

I recently had pizza with bacon and green olives on it. I really liked the combination. And I love Brie and a good balsamic combination.

Otherwise, how about doing a sundried tomato tapenade? I really like this pasta salad (http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/ ... ves-103773) from Epicurious and the dressing would be great smeared on the focaccia. Maybe even split the bread, slather on the mixture therby making a big sandwich which you can slice and serve.

The one thing I find about store bought foccaccia is that it can be a bit dry so I'm always a bit nervous about reheating.

Bon Appétit had a recipe for a tart with thin slices of butternut squash, fried sage, and parm. The whole thing was drizzled with olive oil and chili-infused honey. I'd think that would also make an interesting focaccia topping.

Link to the recipe.

Gerard, I don't know how you're going to top the fig jam thing It sounds delicious.

fitzie

Did someone say fig jam?

Oh Phil, Mr. Mickelson....

Arugula, pear, balsamic reduction and Parmesan shards? Or a variation with fresh figs and prosciutto?

Mary

You could also try some semisoft italian cheeses, and melt them on top. For example, my local cheesemonger has a "young asiago" which is a terrific melting cheese. Piave vecchio or Pecorino Sardo are also good for this. You could also slice the focaccia thin, toast the slices, and offer it with sliced burrata. OK, I seem to be fixated on cheese.

Oven-roasted tomatoes with garlic olive oil also make a really nice after-baking topping, either for whole focaccia or for slices.

That aside, I personally speak Italian and I can never remember where the double-cc goes in focaccia. I end up doing a spellcheck on it every time.

Thanks so much for all of the suggestions. Since the "figjam" toppings were so well endorsed (and well received last year), I'm thinking of doing that one again. I'll keep you posted.

Gerard