Smoked Tomato and Grape Focaccia
My mentality lately has been, can it be smoked? Will this taste good in the smoker? And I’ve discovered that most times, it is a 'yes'. I like to go beyond the realm of usual bbq fare and try out ingredients that you wouldn’t normally think to make in the smoker. That led me to thinking about what vegetable and/or fruit you don’t usually think to make on the bbq or pop in a smoker. Smoked tomatoes have quickly become a favorite of mine, but a less conventional one is grapes. Roasted grapes can be great, so I thought, why wouldn’t smoked ones be? And I was right. All I have to say is, move over avocado toast, because these smoked grape and tomato focaccia toasts will be taking over your usual recipe rotation. The less conventional recipe is the toasted focaccia bread topped with a sweet and savoury ricotta made with honey and balsamic vinegar and smoked grapes, the other option is smoked baby heirloom tomatoes with creamy burrata on focaccia. Make one, make both, it's up to you. These are a great option for an appetizer when you’re entertaining, or you can reduce the recipe and make them for yourself for an easy lunch or snack. If you want to find out how to make my Smoked Tomato and Grape Focaccia, keep reading or jump to the full recipe.
Set smoker to 375F. Add the grapes, off the vine, into a small cast iron pan. Drizzle with 1 tsp balsamic vinegar, 2 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper.
In another small cast iron pan, add the baby tomatoes, 2 tbsp olive oil, chopped garlic, juice from a 1/2 of a lemon and salt.
Place both pans in the smoker for 30-35 minutes, or until the tomatoes and grapes are softened.
Add the ricotta to a bowl, add 1 tbsp olive oil, honey and mix. Drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tsp balsamic vinegar, add salt and mix. Set aside.
Cut the focaccia into to pieces, then slice open. Place face down on the plancha to toast. Drizzle with olive oil and toast to desired doneness, flipping to toast both sides.
To plate, place the focaccia, open-faced on a cutting board. On two pieces, spread the ricotta. Once the grapes are done in the smoker, spoon onto the ricotta, season with salt and pepper.
On the other two pieces of focaccia, break the ball of burrata and spread.
Spoon the smoked tomatoes on top of the burrata and focaccia. Season with salt and pepper.
Cut all of the focaccia into pieces. Place the pieces of focaccia onto a large platter and drizzle with olive oil and balsamic. Garnish with fresh parsley or basil and season with salt.
And now for the full recipe...
Smoked Tomato and Grape Focaccia
Serves 3-4 people
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 35 minutes
Total time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
1 cup red grapes
4 tbsp + 1 tsp olive oil
2 tsp, divided balsamic vinegar
Pinch of Salt
Pinch of pepper
3 tbsp honey
½ cup ricotta
1 cup Heirloom baby tomatoes
2 tbsp + 1 tsp olive oil
5 cloves garlic
Juice from 1/2 a lemon
Salt
Pepper
1 ball Burrata
1 loaf focaccia bread
Italian Parsley or basil for garnish
How to make Smoked Tomato and Grape Focaccia
Set smoker to 375F.
Add the grapes, off the vine, into a small cast iron pan. Drizzle with 1 tsp balsamic vinegar, 2 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper.
In another small cast iron pan, add the baby tomatoes, 2 tbsp olive oil, chopped garlic, juice from a 1/2 of a lemon and salt.
Place both pans in the smoker for 30-35 minutes, or until the tomatoes and grapes are softened.
Add the ricotta to a bowl, add 1 tbsp olive oil, honey and mix. Drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tsp balsamic vinegar, add salt and mix. Set aside.
Cut the focaccia into to pieces, then slice open. Place face down on the plancha to toast. Drizzle with olive oil and toast to desired doneness, flipping to toast both sides.
To plate, place the focaccia, open-faced on a cutting board. On two pieces, spread the ricotta. Once the grapes are done in the smoker, spoon onto the ricotta, season with salt and pepper. On the other two pieces of focaccia, break the ball of burrata and spread. Spoon the smoked tomatoes on top. Season with salt and pepper. Cut all of the focaccia into pieces.
Place the pieces of focaccia onto a large platter and drizzle with olive oil and balsamic. Garnish with fresh parsley or basil. Season with salt and enjoy.
