Mushroom Galette with caramelized onion, tomato and mozzarella

The cool thing about blogging is that it exposes you to so many different cuisines and styles of cooking. This is one dish that I'd heard so much about but never had a chance to either taste it or make it. With my love for baking this dish always had my fancy. It is a classic French dish which is more like a savory tart, somewhere between a pizza and a pie. After reading up about it and googling several recipes, I was able to come up with a version that fit my taste. With its free-form crust that makes for perfect main course and can also be served as an appetizer at a potluck or large party... it is relatively easy to make,  rustic, delicious, fun, and doesn't need as much expertise as pie and nor does it need lots of eggs to set as a quiche! A bite into a slice hits you with the creaminess and earthiness of the mushroom with a nice bite, followed by the crunchy crust which feels in between a pizza crust and puffed pastry and finishes off with the sweetness of caremelized onions. Not to brag but I was definitely very pleased with the results :)

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French bread pizza

rench bread pizzas are super fast and really easy to make and extremely versatile. You can make them with whatever ingredients/leftovers you have at hand..(have made them using aloo gobhi and baingan bharta :-) It is also a good use for any leftover bread that you may have.

My hubs in his bachelor days used to often eat the frozen ones from the supermarket. He showed me once while we were in the local grocery and I went "huh! that should be easy to make".. tried it and liked it. I make it on weeknights sometimes when we crave for pizza and am not in a mood to make everything from scratch or order a take out. It can also be served as a snack for small get togethers, just cut them into smaller pieces, stick a toothpick in and enjoy the compliments.

Here's how i make it..

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Cheesy pesto Panini with tomato

Panini is one of my most favorite sandwiches. It is basically a delicious Italian grilled cheese sandwich, fast, fun, easy and elegant. Good for a last minute dinner, lunch, weekend brunch and anytime in between. I had my first panini at our local Italian restaurant a few years back and it was love at first bite :) There is something just so comforting about grilled cheese with crispy bread... no one can resist these.
It's very versatile as far as ingredients you can use. Can be made with different cheeses, bread and vegetables and meats. I have tried making different versions at home and they have always been a big hit. Here I am giving my version of tomato and mozzarella panini with basil walnut pesto. Giada makes this often on her food network show, that is where this dish is inspired from with my own little twists.

Traditionally they are made in a panini maker/press, but I make them in a cast iron grill pan on stove top and they turn out just as good. But if you have a panini maker, go ahead and use that. Here's how I make this.

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