Herb-Marinated Goat Cheese with Crisp Rosemary Flatbread

Makes 2 lunch servings, or 4-6 appetizer servings

If you grow herbs, this is a delicious way to use snippings from your plants. In our garden, we grow basil, oregano, lemon basil, chives, parsley, and rosemary — this appetizer was created when I finely minced handfuls of each and combined them with a log of goat cheese, some lemon zest, and a few glugs of good olive oil. Stick it in the fridge for an hour, two hours, eight hours, whatever — the flavors will just meld and get better and better. The rosemary flatbread, adapted from Gourmet magazine, makes a delicious accompaniment!

ingredients

For the Herb-Marinated Goat Cheese:

1 4-oz. log goat cheese (chèvre)
2 tablespoons finely minced mixed herbs — such as basil, thyme, parsley, chives, oregano, and rosemary
zest of 1 lemon
coarse salt and pepper
good extra virgin olive oil

For the Crisp Rosemary Flatbread:

adapted from Gourmet, July 2008
1 3/4 cups white whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon chopped rosemary plus 2 (6-inch) sprigs
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup olive oil plus more for brushing
Flaky sea salt

directions

For the Herb-Marinated Goat Cheese:

Using plastic wrap as an aid, mold the goat cheese into a disk about 1 inch high and 3-4 inches across. Place in a wide bowl or on a plate. Season with coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper, then press the mixed herbs into the surface of the goat cheese. Shower the lemon zest over the goat cheese, then drizzle some olive oil over the entire surface and around it on the plate. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or until you’re ready to serve it.

For the Crisp Rosemary Flatbread:

1
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees, with either an heavy baking sheet or a baking stone inside.
2
Stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, and chopped rosemary in a bowl. Make a well in the center and pour the water and olive oil into the well. Use a wooden spoon to gradually incorporate the flour into the liquid, stirring until it comes together into a dough. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and knead it 4 or 5 times.
3
Divide the dough into 3 pieces. Take one piece and roll it out on a piece of parchment paper until it’s a thin round, about 10 inches in diameter. The shape doesn’t have to be perfect - you’re going for rustic here. Keep the remaining pieces of dough covered with a dishtowel.
4
Right before you’re ready to bake the first round, brush it with additional olive oil and sprinkle it with some of the rosemary sprigs and sea salt. Transfer the entire piece of parchment with the dough on it into the oven (onto the baking sheet or baking stone; I used a pizza peel to do this but you wouldn’t have to.) Bake for 8-10 minutes, until browned around the edges and crispy. Transfer to a rack to cool (discard the parchment), and repeat with the remaining 2 pieces of dough (don’t oil or salt them until just before baking.)
5
Break into pieces before serving.