481. MUSTARD GREENS and BACON CROUSTADE

Makes about 48 pieces


Dough:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 pkg. (2 tsps.) rapid-rise or regular active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup warm water (105°F to 115°F)
1 tablespoon olive oil
or store-bought dough can be substituted

Filling:
2 10-oz. pkgs. mustard or other frozen chopped greens, or 2 lbs. fresh young greens
1/2 lb. bacon
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
3 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon. freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
salt if needed
2 tablespoons yellow cornmeal

To make the dough, mix the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Combine water and oil and pour through feed tube with motor running. Process until a ball of dough forms, then continue to process about 45 seconds to "knead" dough. Place in an oiled mixing bowl and turn dough to oil top. Cover lightly and let rise until doubled (30 to 45 minutes with quick-rise yeast and about 1 hour for regular yeast).

Meanwhile, make the filling. Cook the frozen greens according to package directions, then drain well and squeeze to press out moisture. Trim and cook fresh greens in boiling salted water for 5 to 10 minutes until just tender. Drain well, squeeze to press out moisture, then chop. In a large skillet, cook the bacon until golden brown and crisp. Remove, drain, and crumble coarsely, and reserve. Pour off all but 4 tbsps. drippings in skillet. Add onion and saute' over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes, until softened. Add garlic and saute' 1 minute. Stir in greens, cream, pepper, and cheese. Taste and add salt if needed. Let mixture cool. (Can be made 1 day ahead and refrigerated. Return to room temperature to use.)

Preheat oven to 500° F. Sprinkle two 10 x 15-inch jelly roll pans or baking sheets with the cornmeal. Punch dough down and divide in half. Roll or stretch each piece to a rough rectangle approximately 9 x 14 inches and place one on each cornmeal-dusted pan. Divide filling over each rectangle, spreading to within 1/4 inch of the sides. Sprinkle each croustade with the reserved crumbled bacon. Bake 12 to 14 minutes, alternating the position of the pans halfway through baking time, until edges are rich golden brown and crisp.

Use a large spatula to remove each croustade from its pan in a single piece. If serving immediately, place on a large wooden board, then use a pizza cutter to cut into about 24 pieces. (If planning to serve later, underbake the croustade by about 3 minutes, remove it from the baking sheet, and place on a rack to cool completely. Replace in the baking pan, cover with foil, and let stand at room temperature up to 4 hours or freeze up to 2 weeks. When ready to serve, reheat in a 400 degrees F oven for about 5 minutes, placing croustade directly on the oven rack.)


courtesy of: Parties! by Melanie Barnard and Brooke Dojny. HarperCollins Publishers, 1992