Antipasto torte

[bsolomon]

I had something similar many years back at an Italian restaurant on Long Island.  I have never seen it anywhere else, and have never seen a recipe. This is my original variation.

Notes:  The torte requires a couple of hours in the refrigerator to firm up, and can be made the night before.  The idea here is to make a "cake" using alternating layers of crepes and antipasto meats and cheeses.

Crepes:

4 large eggs
2 cups whole milk
2/3 cup water
2 cups all purpose flour, preferably bleached
½ tsp. salt
4 tbsp. butter, melted, plus an additional 2 tbsp. butter, melted, for coating the pan
1/3 cup mixed fresh herbs, finely minced (can include green onion, chives, parsley, tarragon, marjoram, and basil – use 2 to 4 different herbs)
1/3 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, finely minced
 

Prepare the crepe batter, mixing the eggs, milk, water, flour, salt, and 4 tbsp. melted butter in a blender or food processor for about 5 seconds, or until smooth.  Divide mixture evenly into three bowls.  Stir the herb mixture into one of the bowls.  Stir the sun-dried tomatoes into a second bowl.  The third bowl remains as-is.  Cover each with plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator for at least one hour (two is preferable) and up to 24 hours if needed.


Gently stir the batter if it has separated.  If using a crepe maker, follow the manufacturer's directions.  Otherwise, heat a crepe pan or skillet over medium-high heat until hot.  Remove the pan from the heat, drizzle in a few drops of melted butter, and add about ¼ cup of any of the crepe batters to the pan.  Swirl as needed to make crepes approximately 8-9" in diameter, adding a little more batter if needed to fill in any missing spots.  Return the pan to the burner and cook until almost dry on top and lightly browned on the edges, about 1 minute.  Loosen the edges with a spatula or tongs and flip the crepe over.  Cook for an additional 15 to 30 seconds until lightly browned.  Turn the crepe out onto a clean tea towel to cool.  Repeat with the remaining batter, creating 4 to 5 crepes of each of the three batter types, for a total of 12-15 crepes.


Filling:


4 ounces thinly sliced proscuitto ham
4 ounces thinly sliced capicolla ham
4 ounces thinly sliced Genoa salami
4 ounces thinly sliced hard salami
4 ounces thinly sliced pepperoni
4 ounces thinly sliced provolone
4 ounces thinly sliced mozzarella
1 package fresh basil leaves (retain 8 basil "flowers" – this isn't really a flower, but rather the smallest central stem/leaf centers for garnish)


Cover a flat surface, such as your cutting board with a sheet of plastic wrap.  Place on of the crepes in the center of the plastic wrap.  Add a thin layer of one of the meats, covering most of the surface of the crepe, and trying to keep the thickness around the edge and in the center as consistent as possible.  Place another crepe (one of a different variety) on the layer of meat, and add another layer using a different type of meat.  Follow this with the third type of crepe, and a layer of cheese.  Continue alternating crepes with layers of meat and cheese until you have used all but one crepe, which will be used as the final layer.  At any time while layering, add a layer or two of fresh basil leaves, typically directly on top of a layer of cheese.  Try to keep the thickness of the edges consistent with the thickness at the center (the tendency is for the center to become thicker, faster).  The torte should reach an overall height of about 2 inches.  Wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and transfer to a plate and into the refrigerator, allowing to chill for at least 2 hours, or overnight.

 

To serve:

 

Extra-virgin olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper

½ cup balsamic vinegar

Basil "flowers" from above

 

In a small pan over medium-low heat, boil the balsamic vinegar until reduced by ½, resulting in about ¼ cup of balsamic syrup.  Allow to cool.  This can be done in advance and can sit out in a small container on the countertop until ready to use.

 

Onto each of eight small plates, drizzle olive oil over the plate, and then top with a few grinds of black pepper.  Carve the torte into eight slices, much as you would a cake.  Place each slice onto an oil-covered plate.  Dip a fork into the balsamic syrup and shaking the fork back and forth over the surface of the torte, drizzle several fine to thick lines of the syrup over the torte and plate.  Garnish with a basil "flower" and serve.

[gourmetta]

Just found your recipe for anitpasto torte and completely cracked up.  I too, "stole" the idea from Hauppauges San Marco recipe.   I will try your recipe  and then see if it is as good as mine.