Aug 30, 2021

Brightland Creations: Onion, Thyme, and Meyer Lemon Focaccia Featuring Brightland

A nourishing savory focaccia doused in Brightland for those outdoor summer dinners
Brightland Creations: Onion, Thyme, and Meyer Lemon Focaccia Featuring Brightland

Meet our newest addition to Field Notes and dear friend of Brightland, Maya Bookbinder. Maya is a food stylist based in Los Angeles, she previously worked as a baker before discovering food styling. She loves how food styling allows her to constantly collaborate with other creatives and is always learning new techniques. When she isn't shopping, schlepping, prepping, cooking or styling, she's usually out exploring food and art in LA.

 


Q&A with Maya

Brightland: What do you like to keep out on your kitchen countertop or "kitchen shelfie"?
Maya: Currently my kitchen countertop has a bottle of Brightland, a bottle of honey, a pepper grinder, Maldon salt, Diamond's Kosher salt, cinnamon, cardamom, and a little bottle of oregano oil cause I'm fighting a cold.

Brightland: What does living in a golden state mean to you?

Maya: Living in a golden state means shopping at fabulous farmers markets alongside celebs year round. Stars are truly just like us.

Brightland: If you could host a dinner party at home and invite 3 guests, who would they be, what would you serve and what music would play in the background?

Maya: My dinner party guests would be RuPaul, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Amy Sedaris. I'd probably serve something low fuss like fish tacos or pizza. Those are my favorite things to make while having people over cause everyone can help with some element (so I'm not stuck in the kitchen alone) and who doesn't like tacos or pizza? If I'm being honest, the music playing would be a chill disco playlist made by my boyfriend, cause he's truly the dj of the house.

Brightland: If you had to eat one food for the rest of your life (but receive all the nutritional benefits + look fabulous), what would you choose?

Maya: This one is easy. I would eat bagels and lox for the rest of my life. Specifically from Russ & Daughters, with all the fixings.

Brightland: What is your favorite way to unwind at home?

Maya: Watching The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills in cozy sweatpants and some hits of the Dosist calm pen or a glass of wine. Also, a Korean sheet face mask.

 

 

Onion, Thyme, and Meyer Lemon Focaccia, Featuring Brightland

Ingredients

  • 1 pound of pizza dough (You can either buy fresh of frozen dough from the market or make your own dough, Maya suggests a 1 pound pizza dough from Whole Foods)
  • 4 Tablespoons of Brightland's ALIVE, plus more for drizzling
  • 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
  • A handful of Thyme
  • 1 Meyer lemon
  • Course salt, such as Maldon salt, for sprinkling

 

Tip: For a crunchier focaccia crust, sprinkle cornmeal all over the bottom of the pan before putting the dough down

 

 

Recipe

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. While waiting for the oven to heat up, let the dough rest and come to close to room temperature. You'll know it's ready when air bubbles appear.
2. Generously cover the dough in Brightland's ALIVE and pour a few more tablespoons onto a 9 x13 sheet pan. Slowly stretch the dough out but be careful not to tear it. Let the dough sit for a few minutes then stretch one more time.
3. Make sure the dough is fully covered in oil, otherwise it will stick. Press gently into the dough to form finger prints all over the focaccia.
4. Thinly slice up the red onion and tear some leaves of thyme, scatter evenly all over your focaccia dough. (don't have red onion or thyme? That's fine. This is totally delicious with just Brightland oil and salt! Also a sweet alternative to savory onion is any kind of stone fruit thinly sliced.)
5. Drizzle Brightland's ALIVE over the entire focaccia
6. Bake in the oven for 25-30 min. Check after 15 min and rotate the pan so it bakes evenly. It's done when its nice and golden brown.
7. Brush on another coat of Brightland's ALIVE and sprinkle with fresh thyme leaves
8. Now take a Meyer lemon (but any lemon is fine) and zest it all over your focaccia. I use almost a whole lemon because I love lemon zest.
9. Lastly, sprinkle coarse salt all over your focaccia. Now slice it up and enjoy dunking into more Brightland!