Fontina and Herb Flatbread
I’m going to go ahead and say it – this is one of the best things I have ever made. Mike and I were in Pennsylvania for Mother’s Day a few weekends ago, and this fontina and herb flatbread was on the menu for our Mother’s Day lunch. I found the recipe in a cookbook I got out of the library – Martha Stewart’s Dinner At Home (loving it so far!), and it did not disappoint. The flatbread smelled absolutely amazing as it came out of the oven, golden and bubbling. My dad was hovering around the kitchen waiting to try some, and after his first bite, I could tell by his reaction that it was a success. The second clue was when he said “This is more of an appetizer than part of the meal, don’t you think?” and grabbed another piece. Everyone else loved it as well, and at the rate we devoured it, I’m lucky I had a chance to snap some pictures! Thankfully we made two because the first one was gone before dinner even started.
You really can never go wrong with bread, cheese and herbs, but there’s something about the combination of the fontina cheese and sweet shallots that is just wonderful on this bread. I could have eaten this as my whole meal – and in fact, I’m planning to make it again next week served alongside a big salad. Now that will be a wonderful dinner. Try this bread, please. You won’t regret it.
Fontina and Herb Flatbread
Ingredients:
4 oz pizza dough, thawed if frozen (I used approximately 1/4 of this recipe, but you can use whatever recipe you want, and I’ve even heard that many stores sell packaged pizza dough in the freezer section)
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp coarsely chopped fresh herbs (such as marjoram, oregano, or thyme) OR ~2 tsp dried Italian seasoning
4 oz Fontina cheese, shredded
1 shallot, thinly sliced into rings
salt and pepper
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400. Allow dough to come to room temperature, about 30 minutes. On a lightly floured work surface, roll dough to an 8x16 inch oblong. Transfer to a lightly floured baking sheet. Brush the top with oil and sprinkle evenly with herbs and cheese. Scatter shallot rings over the cheese and season liberally with salt and pepper.
Bake, rotating sheet halfway through, until golden and crisp, 15-17 minutes. Remove from oven; let cool 5 minutes before cutting into wedges and serving.