After a long, chilly spring, many of us rushed to dust off outdoor furniture and share a meal with family and friends en plein air. And while the barbecue has long dominated the summer dining discourse, In The Hills’ resident food expert and recipe developer, Elaine Li, proposes keeping the propane turned off in favour of a grazable, garden-inspired spread once in a while.

Elaine created a menu that orbits a delightfully vegetable-heavy flatbread – with an assist from local produce and purveyors of dips, yogurts and hummus. Editor Tralee Pearce pressed Elaine for the inside scoop on the work that went into developing the recipe and the rest of the menu. And why it meets the moment this summer.

TRALEE PEARCE: I regret not being in your kitchen to “oversee” this photo shoot and offer my tasting services! Tell me, do you see this flatbread as the centrepiece to a summer patio lunch? Or maybe a cocktail party? This menu seems very flexible. 

ELAINE LI: I think these are perfect for any summer gatherings – they look impressive, but are super easy to put together ahead of time. Or even better, make these with your kids or guests and let everyone contribute to the design! I think it fits very well with how people like to host now – less formal and more interactive, built around grazing and sharing.

TP: And who needs décor when these look like art? Where did you get the idea? What kinds of designs work best?

EL: I love the idea of “flower bouquet focaccia” that you see all over Instagram and Pinterest, and have been wanting to try it. Typically, these recipes use cherry tomatoes and large bell pepper rings as flower crowns, and parsley stems as flower stems.

But after a few test runs, I realized what looks beautiful before baking doesn’t always hold up after. In my opinion, a good focaccia should be light and fluffy with big air pockets, but that rise caused the floral designs to sink and stretch out of shape.

The large decorative elements and stems also made it difficult to slice the finished bread, and each slice had an uneven amount of toppings – it’s just not practical! No wonder there aren’t many photos of sliced flower focaccia online.

So I rethought the design entirely, and decided to use smaller, evenly spaced toppings that still feel whimsical but are easy to bake, slice and enjoy. And I swapped in pizza dough.

TP: Why pizza dough?

EL: Pizza dough is sturdy enough to hold the topping designs, but still feels light to eat. My go-to recipe is from the famous Vermont-based King Arthur Baking Company. It’s also easy to find pre-made pizza dough in grocery stores if you’re looking for a shortcut.

TP: What’s the trick to getting the toppings to hold up enough to make the pattern you envisioned last?

EL: Choose toppings that cook as fast as the dough. Keep the pieces bite sized and evenly spaced. Use a spread on the dough as a “glue” to hold everything in place. I used a homemade pea shoot pesto, but you can experiment with romesco dip or other store-bought varieties. Nothing screams “summer” more than tomatoes to me, and the pea shoot pesto adds a depth of flavour to the flatbread.

TP: Tell me about the accompaniments. Are you surprised at how many local products you found?

EL: I used pea shoots from Orangeville’s Owl Dream Farm to make a pesto (I got the idea from a pea shoot pasta recipe on their website). It’s great not only as a base on the flatbread but also as a dip.

The finished flatbread is a versatile canvas for all sorts of dips and spreads. I love incorporating local products when hosting. It’s a great conversation starter, and a good way to support small producers, of course.

I have a few local gems I recommend: plant-based dips and spreads made with cultured sunflower seeds from Orangeville’s Humble Seedz; coconut yogurt from Hockley’s Simpla to make a savoury yogurt dip; authentic hummus and baba ganoush from Rasmi’s Falafel (a vendor at Orangeville Farmers’ Market); and extra virgin olive oil from Olive Oil Co, which started in Barrie and is available at More Than Just Baskets.

TP: Now, any other pro tips for readers? 

EL: Don’t overthink the design. I personally like a simple repeating pattern with just two to three colours. It makes the design look cohesive. If something looks a little imperfect, just call it “rustic chic”!

TP: These are perfect for styling a pretty spread or table. Can you share some tips on how hosts can make the most of the look?

EL: Hosting doesn’t have to be complicated to feel memorable: designing a cute pattern on a simple flatbread, dressing up familiar store-bought dips with seasonal ingredients, incorporating locally made products to introduce something new to your guests. All these can be very low effort. Make it a self-serve grazing table as opposed to a formal plate. Add dips and fixings (with name tags) around the flatbread and encourage guests to try different combinations.

TP: Tell me about these dips.

EL: I like to elevate prepared hummus or other dips and spreads with finely chopped, seasonal vegetables. They can be easily scooped with bread, a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, herb-infused oil or chili oil, a pinch of your favourite spice, and fresh sprouts or herbs for a touch of brightness. Here, I arranged a “flower wreath” on the yogurt dip with spring peas, roasted asparagus and sprouts. And I dressed up hummus with bite-sized Greek salad, perfect for scooping up with your flatbread.

TP: Thank you for the ideas, Elaine. And I’ll remember to invite myself next time. 

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INGREDIENTS

• 1 tsp active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup water, room temperature
• 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1 1/2 cup bread flour, plus extra for dusting
• 3/4 tsp (4g) table salt

INSTRUCTIONS

• In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in water.
• Add 1 tbsp olive oil, flour and salt. Mix and knead everything together by hand, or with a stand mixer at low speed (about 5 minutes) until dough is smooth and no longer sticking to sides of bowl.
• Drizzle remaining olive oil into a clean bowl. Place dough inside and turn to coat all sides lightly with oil to prevent drying.
• Cover with a damp towel and let rise at room temperature until doubled in size, about 90 minutes.
• Alternatively, refrigerate overnight and bring to room temperature before shaping.

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INGREDIENTS

• 1 pizza dough (recipe above) or about 315g (11oz) store-bought dough
• 3 tbsp pea shoot pesto (recipe below)
• 8–10 cherry tomatoes
• seafood mushroom or white onion strips (for “stems”)
• pea shoots, flaky sea salt for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

• Preheat oven to 425 F (400 F convection).
• Punch down risen dough. On a lightly floured surface, flatten and roll dough into an oval shape until it resists stretching. Let rest for 10 minutes to relax dough.
• Continue rolling until dough reaches about 9 x 14 inches.
• Dimple surface with fingertips.
• Spread pesto evenly over dough. Leave it to rise for a second time for about 30 minutes.
• While dough is rising, make “mushrooms”: halve cherry tomatoes and trim one end to create rounded “caps”; for stems, cut seafood mushrooms into 1-inch pieces, or slice white onions into thin strips.
• Arrange caps and stems into your desired pattern.
• Bake on lower rack for about 15 minutes or until flatbread is browned to your liking.
• Remove from oven and finish with pea shoots and sea salt.

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INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup pea shoot (packed)
• 1/2 cup basil leaves (packed)
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 tsp lemon juice

INSTRUCTIONS

• Blend everything together using an immersion blender or small food processor until smooth.
• Adjust consistency with a little more olive oil if desired.

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INGREDIENTS

• 3/4 cup skyr or Greek yogurt 
• 2 tbsp chopped herbs (Elaine used basil and dill)
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp table salt 
• 1 clove garlic, grated
• 1 tbsp olive oil

GARNISHES

• green peas, blanched
• asparagus, grilled
• sprouts or fresh herbs (Elaine used alfalfa and cilantro sprouts)
• lemon zest
• olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS

• Combine ingredients for dip in a bowl.
• Arrange blanched peas and grilled asparagus around edge of dip like a spring wreath, garnish with sprouts or herbs.
• Finish with a drizzle of olive oil.

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INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup hummus
• 1-inch section of cucumber or 1 radish, sliced into rounds
• 5–6 cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered depending on size
• 5–6 kalamata olives, halved
• 1 tbsp prepared Greek dressing or a mixture of olive oil, any vinegar and salt
• pinch smoked paprika to garnish
• optional additional garnishes: radish sprouts, feta crumble and artichoke hearts

INSTRUCTIONS

• Prepare “Greek salad” by cutting components into bite-sized pieces.
• Lightly dress with Greek dressing or simply olive oil, any vinegar and salt.
• Arrange on top of hummus.
• Sprinkle a pinch of smoked paprika to garnish.