3 Heirloom Tomatoes, chopped and seeded (cherokee purple is my favorite, but ugly is another excellent brand available in most grocery stores)
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
1/4 cup fresh basil, leaves only, cut chiffonade (into thin strips)
Balsamic Vinegar - (use good quality please - in simple dishes like this, the flavor really stands out, and will make all the difference!)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil - (Cold Pressed - Italian preferably. Again, use the best quality you can afford - in general the more expensive the olive oil, the more exquisite and fruity the flavor).
Sea salt (I actually use Blessed salt often for cooking and baking, but that's totally up to you, I figure it couldn't hurt!)
Baguette - regular or multi-grain
1 whole clove garlic, peeled
Prepare Crostini:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Prepare the tomato mixture. Remove seeds from tomatoes (easiest way to do this is to gently squeeze halves or quarters of tomatoes and they will release.) Then chop into approximately 1/2" pieces. Add to bowl. Mince garlic and add. Cut basil chiffonade - stack basil leaves on top of each other, then roll them up lengthwise, and chop into thin strips. Or, you can just stack them and slice them thinly with kitchen shears. Add to bowl. Finally, add about 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, drizzle with about 1 tablespoon on olive oil and add sea salt to taste. Fold gently to combine ingredients. Sit aside and let flavors marry while you prepare crostini.
Cut baguette into 1/2 thick slices. Place slices on prepared cookie sheet. Drizzle with small amount of olive oil on each slice (or you can use a pastry brush to apply it). Bake in oven 6-8 minutes, just until toasts are slightly golden and feel firm to the touch. Remove from oven and immediately rub each slice with whole garlic clove.
Spoon heaping tablespoonfuls of the tomato mixture on top of the crostini, place on a serving platter and enjoy!
Note: If you want to make this dish a little heartier, you can make bruschetta caprese -- by simply adding a thin slice of fresh mozzarella cheese (don't confuse this with regular mozzarella - fresh is usually found in the deli section, packed in water) to the toasts before you top them with the tomato mixture - delish!
Caprese Salad
3 Heirloom tomatoes such as cherokee purple (my personal favorite), or "ugly"
8 oz. Fresh Mozzarella Cheese Balls (usually found in your deli, packed in water)
small bunch of fresh Basil Leaves
Balsamic Vinegar - again, being the stars of the show, use the best quality balsamic vinegar and olive oil you can find - it makes all the difference in the world!
Olive Oil
Sea Salt
Slice Tomatoes, then slice fresh mozarella into thin slices. Slice basil chiffonade (see above recipe for tips). On small salad plates, add tomatoes, alternating with fresh mozzarella slices in between, in a circular pattern. Sprinkle fresh basil over top, add a splash of balsamic vinegar and drizzle of olive oil. Top with salt and enjoy!
No comments:
Post a Comment