I love cooking with fresh local ingredients, and there is no better time of year than the summer to do this.
Many restaurants will also switch up their menus to celebrate local harvests. One of my favourite new menu selections (when we do go out) is the prawn brie flatbread at my local White Spot Restaurant here in British Columbia.
I have contacted them, and they were honoured to share the recipe with me from their Celebrate B.C. summer menu, and today I pass this on to you. I hope you enjoy it!
Wherever you live, I encourage you to visit neighbourhood restaurants that embrace the local produce and ingredients from your area.
Prawn and Little Qualicum Brie Flatbread
Recipe courtesy of White Spot executive chef, Danny Markowicz, modified for you to be able to enjoy at home. Makes four flatbreads.
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp garlic, finely chopped 1 tsp chili flakes
6 slices bacon, 1/4 inch pieces
8 pieces baby zucchini, trimmed and cut in half lengthwise
1/2 tsp white balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp olive oil
Pinch of salt and freshly cracked black pepper
16 prawns, cut in half lengthwise
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp olive oil
Pinch of freshly cracked black pepper
4 flatbreads (naan bread works great, or your favourite pizza crust)
16 slices brie, thinly sliced (we use Little Qualicum Cheeseworks from Parksville)
1/2 cup mozzarella, shredded
6 heirloom tomatoes, cut in half
1. Heat 1/2 cup light olive oil over medium heat and add 1 tsp chopped garlic and chili flakes.
When garlic is just starting to turn golden, remove from the heat and allow to cool. Set this chili oil aside.
2. Add the bacon pieces to a pan and slowly cook over medium heat. Stir occasionally to ensure it doesn’t clump together. When the bacon is crispy around the edges, remove from heat, cool and drain excess fat. Set these bacon bits aside.
3. Dress the zucchini with the white balsamic vinegar and 1/2 tsp olive oil, and a pinch of salt and fresh cracked black pepper. Barbecue over high heat, placing them flat side down. This will give nice charred marks and will look and taste great on your flatbread. Set aside this as well.
4. Season the prawns with a touch of oil, lemon juice and fresh cracked black pepper. Set aside.
To assemble, lay the flatbread bases out on a clean countertop, and add 1 tbsp. of reserved chili oil to each one, spreading the oil out right to the edges. Add the sliced brie and mozzarella cheese, followed by the reserved bacon bits, trying to spread the ingredients out evenly.
Arrange the reserved grilled zucchini overtop, showing off the nice grill marks.
Add the reserved seasoned/raw prawns, but don’t overlap them so they cook evenly. Finally, cut some small beautiful local heirloom tomatoes in half and place them attractively over the top. If you like, a little salt and pepper on the tomatoes makes them sing.
Bake at 400F for six to eight minutes until the flatbread base is crisp, the prawns are fully cooked and the cheese is melted.
Chef Dez is a food columnist, culinary instructor and cookbook author. Visit his website at www.chefdez.com.
