About the Recipe
I stumbled on this recipe (and dish!) by staring into my fridge for a good ten minutes and knowing I had sparse ingredients. I needed a glass of wine but my stomach needed something to nibble on. Voila, I scrambled about for 25 minutes and crafted this delish snack that is perfect with some wine. Add a charcuterie board and multiply the quantities and you're ready to use this for your hosting menus too!
Ingredients
Baguette - 4-5 slices
Tomatoes - 2 (or
Mozzarella Cheese - 1 cup
Basil - few sprigs
Pepper corns - 2 to 3
Olive oil - 1 tablespoon
Chilli flakes - 2 pinches
Pears - 1
Palm sugar / jaggery - 1 teaspoon
Instant coffee - 1 teaspoon
Preparation
Mozzarella Toast
Cut the baguette into 1/2 inch slices or as preferred. Slightly thicker the better so as to hold the toppings
Toast the slices over medium heat on a pan / tava without any butter or oil
On the side, make a puree of pre-blanched tomatoes or opt for a storebought tomato puree
Add to the puree - chilli flakes, olive oil, crushed peppercorns, chopped basil, and mild salt
Spread the puree onto the toasted bread, top with grated mozzarella cheese
Place back onto pan, reduce heat to minimum, and cover with a glass lid
Remove after 5 minutes, check for the perfect cheese melt over the toast
Garnish with more olive oil, and a spring of basil
Caramelized Coffee Pears
Slice the pear lengthwise into long wedges and place onto paper napkin to remove excess moisture
Into a heated pan / skillet, spread out the cut pears. Make sure one of the sides is evenly touching the pan
Sprinkle palm sugar / jaggery over the pieces. Flip in a minute and repeat.
Make sure to adjust the heat according to the char, a light golden char will do
Lay onto a plate and dust with instant coffee using a sieve / tea strainer
Plate up with the intention of getting comfy and enjoy with a glass (or two) of red! Re-dust the pears with more coffee as preferred as the pears will tend to absorb the coffee dust. For an Indian twist to the same pears recipe, add a bit of cumin powder.