Bewitching Bruschetta

Bewitching Bruschetta

 

It must first be said that we've all been saying it wrong. The word is pronounced 'broo-SKETTA', not 'broo-SHETTA'. Now we know. 

Bruschetta is an Italian (not pronounced EYE-talian. Sorry, I had to go there) appetizer that has it's roots in ancient Roman cuisine. 

My recipe is both easy and so incredibly delicious that I get requests for it. I usually consider it a summer dish because that's when tomatoes are bursting with freshness and available at my Farmer's Market and the basil is growing like crazy in my yard.  I made an exception this time, however, because Trader Joe's had a lovely and colorful selection of heirloom baby tomatoes and fresh basil and I had a big group of people coming over that weekend. This dish also travels well, so it's a good choice to take to a pot luck or dinner party.

I added a couple of Roma tomatoes to make more servings

What you'll need:

*French baguette
*Cherry or grape tomatoes (bonus for heirloom or multicolored)    
*Fresh basil
*Garlic - 5-8 cloves, depending on how much you like garlic
*Balsamic vinegar
*Olive oil
*Salt and pepper
*teaspoon of Sugar 
*butter (if browning bread in a pan - see options below)

Slice the tomatoes in half (or quarters if they are large), place them in a large bowl and then splash them with a little balsamic vinegar and a dash of olive oil.

While the tomatoes marinate, saute the minced garlic in a little bit of olive oil until it's golden brown and fragrant. Add the garlic and any residual olive oil from the pan to the bowl of tomatoes 

Basil, basil, basil

Chiffonade lots of basil leaves. 'Chiffonade' is a slicing technique that is actually much easier than it sounds. 

Stack

To chiffonade, first stack a few leaves of basil on top of each other. 

Roll

Roll up tightly and then slice perpendicular to the roll - like you would slice a roll of cookie dough, if you were actually going to make cookies rather than just eat the dough. 

Slice

The result will be beautiful ribbons of basil. Add the basil to the tomatoes. Lots of basil. Lots. I like a lot of basil, but it's your call. 














Season with some salt and pepper and add a little more balsamic so that everything gets a splash and leave this to marinate for an hour.

While that's marinating, let's tackle the bread. Slice the entire baguette on a little diagonal (more surface space equals more opportunity for yummy toppings) 

There are three options here - you can 

1) Brush the bread slices lightly with olive oil and lightly toast in the oven at 350. 

2) Saute the bread slices on the stovetop in a skillet with butter (mmmm...butter) 

3) Pop them on a grill

Your choice. I personally think the butter option tastes best, but option #1 is a little less mess and lighter. 

After the tomatoes are fully marinated and you've tasted to make sure you have seasoned properly, arrange the baguette toasts on a pretty platter and use a slotted spoon to heap the tomato mixture on the baguette slices minus the liquid. Garnish the platter with any unused basil leaves.

The final component is the balsamic reduction and that's what adds the WOW factor to this dish. In a small saucepan, bring balsamic vinegar (I use about 1/2 cup) and a teaspoon of sugar to a boil. Stir occasionally and keep boiling until it has reduced to a thick syrupy texture. Immediately drizzle the reduction over the prepared bruschetta and add a few decorative drops around your platter. 

Beautiful Bruschetta

Enjoy! This is a great dish for a party or as an appetizer with an Italian meal.