Anyone who loves to cook knows what a pleasure it is to have good kitchen company. Much has been written on how important and meaningful it is to gather around the table and share meals, but I think there’s an even deeper satisfaction and nourishment that comes from sharing the kitchen. The chopping, stirring, washing, tasting – when shared, the small gestures that sustain the creative order of the kitchen also sustain some of our best friendships.
Crostinis waiting for a lashing of your best olive oil, and perhaps some pepper.
This recipe comes from our friends Linda and John, with whom we’ve had the pleasure of sharing many kitchens on many occasions. We take all evening to make dinner, and once finally seated at the table, are hungry only to know when and what we’ll be cooking next, and in whose kitchen?
This simple appetizer is typical of what Linda and John are likely to cook for you. Their food has a relaxed sophistication about it. It’s refined, but generous. Meticulous, but unfussy, and grounded, like the earthy Burgundies they’ve taught us to love.
Because it’s so simple, this is now a favourite thing to make when cooking in other friends’ kitchens. It’s in that perfect grey zone between cook’s treat and appetizer – something to savour as the party reluctantly moves from kitchen to table.
“Boule de Quercy” (a fresh goat cheese) from Yannick fromagerie, an exquisite little cheese shop specializing in raw milk cheeses. 1218 Bernard, Montréal
Chèvre and roasted tomato crostini
NOTES: For the cheese, Linda recommends Tournevent, which is widely available in Québec. If you can’t find Tournevent, look for a fresh (unripened) goat cheese with a slightly crumbly, but velvety texture. Some fresh cheese is very creamy – you want something fine-grained. Good bread and good cheese will taste even more delicious with any good wine, but goat cheese with Sauvignon Blanc is one of the most impressive pairings you can make.
Cherry tomatoes
Fleur de sel
Thyme or basil
Olive oil
Slices of baguette
Fresh goat cheese
Halve the tomatoes and toss them with a little olive oil and some fleur de sel. Roast them in a 250° oven for 60 – 90 minutes, depending on the size of the tomatoes. You want them quite shriveled and a little crisp, but not burnt. (The ones in our photo are overcooked, but still very delicious.) You can go hotter and faster if you’re short on time, but low and slow is best. Add whole thyme leaves or basil leaves cut into chiffonade for the last 20 minutes of cooking.
Brush one side of the bread slices with olive oil, and toast under the broiler until medium golden brown.
Top each slice of bread with a piece of cheese and a tomato half. Heat in the oven for a few moments, until the cheese is barely warmed through, and just slightly softened. Finish with a few drops of olive oil and a grinding of black pepper.
Relaxed sophistication. Ah, what I might hope to achieve when I become that culinarily confident one day… This recipe is simple and amazing. Thanks
Wei-Wei
Always a pleasure. Thanks for the support.
Absolutely agree for the mix Sauvignon Blanc and chèvre…
Yes. It’s a marriage made in heaven.
yes–that pleasure of a long, un-rushed evening of kitchen collaboration, with lots of wine–I love that, and your articulation of those moments. as a teacher, the summer tends to hold more of these in store than the “school year”–will be adding this to my arsenal of treats.
Nishta, I’m so glad this stuck a chord. Enjoy your extra time this summer!
Simple and bold. The perfect transition from kitchen to table. I would eat these greedily.