Stacked Tomato Salad With Black Olive Tapenade And Sweet Basil Dressing Recipes

Steps:

• In a food processor, combine all the ingredients, except the olive oil and crostini. Using the pulse button, process until coarsely chopped and well blended. Continue to process, slowly adding the olive oil. Refrigerate in a covered container. Spread on homemade crostini.
• Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.
• In a pot of boiling water, blanch tomatoes. Drain and refresh in ice water. Drain. Peel, core, cut into quarters, and remove seeds.
• Line a baking tray with parchment paper and arrange the tomato quarters on the tray, cut side down. Drizzle generously with olive oil. Sprinkle with thyme and garlic. In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper and sugar, and sprinkle evenly over the tomatoes.
• Bake until the tomatoes begin to shrivel, about 1 hour. When the tomatoes are cool enough to handle, transfer to a container. Pour olive oil over and cover the container. Refrigerate and use as needed.
• Arrange the bread slices in a baking tray. Brush with olive oil and bake in a preheated 350 degree F. oven for 6 to 8 minutes. Allow to cool, then rub with garlic clove. For each of the crostini, spread 1 tablespoon Herbed Goat Cheese and top with 1 teaspoon Black and Green Olive Tapenade.
• Herbed Goat Cheese: 2 teaspoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves 2 teaspoons chopped fresh chives 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 (7 or 8-ounce) log goat cheese.
• Combine the parsley, chives, thyme, and pepper and place on a flat surface. Roll the log of cheese in the mixture, coating all sides and retaining the shape of the log. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed.

Steps:

• Place a tomato slice on a plate and spread with generous tblsp of tapenade. Top with cheese round. Repeat layering. Top each stack with a third tomato slice. Chop remaining tomato slices; place in bowl and toss with 2 tblsp of dressing. Drizzle the Sweet Basil Dressing over the tomato stack and around the plate. Garnish with chop tomatoes and a sprig of fresh basil. **For Jamie's shower I did-- tomato + tapenade + cheese, repeat. Over the tops of the cheese I spooned the chopped tomato mixture. They looked and tasted great!

Steps:

• Blend tapenade in processor. cover and chill. make dressing. season with salt and pepper. can be made 8 hrs ahead. let stand at toom temp. for salad: on one tomato slice, spread generous tablespoon tapenade. top with cheese round. repeat layering. top each stack with third tomato slice. chop remaining tomato slices; place in bowl and toss with 2 TBLSP dressing. Spoon some dressing over each stack.