The thing you put out while the grill is heating and everyone is standing around with a drink.
There is a particular moment at every good backyard gathering — the coals are ready, something is about to go on the grill, and people are hovering with wine glasses and nowhere to put their hands. This is the recipe for that moment. A cast iron pan set directly on the grill grate, our Smoked Olive Gourmet Mix warmed in good olive oil with garlic and herbs until glossy and fragrant, poured over a generous spread of whipped goat cheese on a wide board. Thick slices of bread grilled directly over the coals until charred and smoky at the edges, stacked alongside for tearing and dragging.
It is, on paper, a very simple thing. But a cast iron pan of warm smoked olives set on a board at a summer gathering does something to people — it slows them down, it gives them something to do with their hands, and it makes the whole occasion feel more considered than the effort involved would suggest. The goat cheese underneath is cool and tangy against the warm, smoky olives. The grilled bread carries its own char that echoes the smoke in the olive. The herb oil that pools on the board at the end is worth chasing with the last piece of bread.
Put it out early. It will not last long.
Serves 6-8 as an appetizer · ~15 minutes · Cast iron pan on the grill
Ingredients
— 1 jar Fume-eh Smoked Pitted Castelvetranos, drained
— 300 g fresh goat cheese, at room temperature
— 3 tablespoons cream cheese or creme fraiche
— 1 thick sourdough or rustic loaf, sliced 2 cm thick
— ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
— 4 cloves garlic, 2 thinly sliced, 2 halved for rubbing
— 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
— 1 teaspoon chili flakes
— Zest of half a lemon
— Fresh thyme leaves, a small handful
— Flaky sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
— Good honey, for drizzling
Method
1. Make the whipped goat cheese first. Combine the goat cheese, cream cheese or creme fraiche, lemon zest, and a pinch of black pepper in a bowl and beat vigorously with a fork until lightened, smooth, and spreadable — about 2 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning. It should be tangy, creamy, and bright. Refrigerate until needed — it can be made up to two days ahead.
2. Heat your grill to medium-high. Place a cast iron pan directly on the grate and let it get hot — about 3 minutes. Add the olive oil, sliced garlic, rosemary sprigs, and chili flakes to the pan and let them sizzle gently for 1-2 minutes until the garlic is just golden and the oil is fragrant. Watch the garlic carefully; it moves quickly on a hot grill.
3. Add the drained Smoked Pitted Castelvetranos to the pan and stir to coat in the infused oil. Let the olives warm through for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they are heated through and glossy and the oil is bubbling gently around them. Remove the pan from the grill and set aside — they will stay warm in the cast iron for a good 15 minutes.
4. While the olives warm, brush each bread slice generously with olive oil on both sides. Grill directly over the coals for 2 minutes per side until deep char marks form and the bread is crisp all the way through. Remove from the grill and immediately rub each slice firmly with the cut side of a halved garlic clove while still hot. Stack loosely on the board.
5. To assemble, spread the whipped goat cheese generously across a large board or wide serving plate — go right to the edges and leave a slight well in the center. Pour the warm olive and oil mixture from the cast iron directly over the goat cheese, letting the oil spread across the surface. Scatter fresh thyme leaves over the top. Drizzle with a thread of honey. Finish with flaky salt and a crack of black pepper. Serve immediately with the grilled bread stacked alongside.