Sage Pesto, Apple, and Goat Cheese Flatbreads

I made this sage pesto, apple, and goat cheese flatbread to get in the fall spirit. Fall is obviously the best season for apples in any form, and sage has always struck me as an autumnal thing. Plus, I’m trying to use up my herbs before the first frost gets ‘em. The inspiration for this flatbread comes from these sage pesto, chicken, and apple sandwiches, but I didn’t feel like grilling chicken, so I reinvented it. I’ve had the sandwiches as they are before, and was able to make some tweaks to the pesto this time to make it … sagey-er. I loved the pesto I ended up with – the dominant flavor was sweet and mild with that tiny medicinal hit sage has and twangy-salty undertones from the pecorino cheese. The execution of the flatbread itself wasn’t perfect, but the flavors were great together. I’m posting the pesto portion of the recipe as I made it, but the flatbread recipe here is improved in elegance over what I actually did, which was throw all the ingredients on top of a pre-existing foccacia bread and heat it up for 10 minutes. Even if the flatbread doesn’t appeal to you, I hope you try the pesto and use it elsewhere – it’s such a nice, autumn-y twist on regular basil pesto.

Sage Pesto, Apple, and Goat Cheese Flatbreads

Serves 2.

• 1/2 c. lightly packed fresh sage leaves
• 1/2 c. cashews
• 3 oz. pecorino romano cheese
• 1/3 c. olive oil
• 1 foccacia bread or unbaked pizza crust
• 1 apple, cored and sliced thinly
• 1 TBS butter
• 3 oz. goat cheese

1. Make sage pesto: in a food processor, pulse cashews, pecorino, and half of olive oil, until smooth.  Add sage and pulse until fully blended.  Add remaining olive oil as needed (plus more if required) to get a smooth consistency.  Taste and adjust ingredients as desired, adding more of whatever flavor you think is missing.  Set aside.
2. If using pizza crust, preheat oven to 400°F.  Melt butter in a large saucepan and place sliced apples in pan (you might even consider adding a touch of brown sugar at this stage if you’re not opposed to too much sweetness on a pizza).  Sautee, flipping once, until soft and slightly browned.  Smooth pesto over pizza crust (or foccacia) and top with sauteed apples.  Crumble goat cheese over top and bake for 10 minutes, until crust is golden and cheese is slightly browned.  If using a foccacia, spread pesto on foccacia, cover with apples, then sprinkle with goat cheese.  Broil on high for 2-4 minutes, until it is heated through and cheese is slightly golden.