Tomato, Basil and Portobello Napoleons

A spin-off of the layered French puff pastry dessert, these stacked salads are crowned with crispy breaded goat cheese rounds.

Ingredients:

Dressing
2	tbsp (30 mL) white wine vinegar
1	garlic clove, pressed
1/4	tsp (1 mL) Italian Seasoning Mix
1/4	tsp (1 mL) salt
1	tbsp (15 mL) Basil Oil or olive oil
Napoleons
2	large tomatoes
1	pkg. (6 oz or 170 g) small portobello mushroom caps (about 6 mushrooms)
1	log (3.5-4 oz/100-125 g) goat cheese
1/3	cup (75 mL) pine nuts, grated
1/4	cup (50 mL) fresh bread crumbs
1/2	tsp (2 mL) Italian Seasoning Mix
1	tbsp (15 mL) Basil Oil
4	large basil leaves, thinly sliced
	Additional Basil Oil (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C). For dressing, combine vinegar, garlic, seasoning mix and salt in Small Batter Bowl. Slowly add oil, whisking until well blended. For napoleons, cut each tomato into four 1/2-inch-thick (1-cm) slices. Place tomato slices and mushrooms on Large Bar Pan lined with Parchment Paper. Brush dressing on both sides of vegetables using Chef's Silicone Basting Brush. Bake 20-25 minutes, turning once. Remove from oven; cut mushrooms into 1/2-in. (1 cm) slices using Utility Knife.
2. Slice goat cheese evenly into eight rounds; form each slice into a ball. Combine nuts, bread crumbs and seasoning mix in shallow dish. Place each cheese ball into nut mixture. Press gently to flatten; turn to coat both sides. Heat oil in Executive (10-in./25 cm) Sauté Pan over medium heat until hot. Cook goat cheese rounds 30-45 seconds on each side or until coating is light golden brown, turning with Small Slotted Turner. Remove from pan.
3. To assemble each napoleon, layer tomato slice, mushroom slices and basil; repeat layers one time. Top with two goat cheese rounds. Drizzle with additional oil, if desired.

Yield: 4 servings

Nutrients per serving: Calories 260, Total Fat 23 g, Saturated Fat 6 g, Cholesterol 20 mg, Carbohydrate 10 g, Protein 9 g, Sodium 300 mg, Fiber 2 g

U.S. Diabetic exchanges per serving: 2 vegetable, 1 high-fat meat, 3 fat (0 carb)

Cook's Tips: Goat cheese by nature is rather crumbly and tacky. Coatings tend to fall off easily if the cheese is simply sliced into rounds. Forming goat cheese slices into balls and pressing them into the pine nut mixture softens the cheese enough to let the coating adhere.

To thinly slice basil, stack the leaves and roll them into a tight cylinder. Using the Chef's Knife, slice the roll crosswise into thin strips. This technique is called chiffonade (shif-un-NAHD).