If you're fortunate enough to get a late harvest from your tomato plants I have just the fall recipe for you. Whether you've got a bowl full of cherry tomatoes or you have larger plum or roma tomatoes you can make this fantastically simple and delicious bruschetta recipe.
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| Herbed Goat Cheese Bruschetta...great for fall! |
What you need:
Olive Oil
1 baguette - sour dough or french, whole wheat, whichever you prefer
3 cloves of garlic
3 roma tomatoes, or a full box/bowl full of cherry tomatoes
Fresh Basil, rinsed and sliced julienne style - 1-3 leaves per round
OR dry basil - 1/2 to 1 tsp, to taste
Fresh Spinach - optional - rinsed and sliced julienne style
Salt & Pepper - to taste
Herb Rolled Goat Cheese Log - or Plain - I get mine at Trader Joe's because it's cheap and delicious
Balsamic Vinegar - optional, and I've never actually added it
Rinse your fresh greens (basil and spinach), then gently pat drier and set aside. Rinse the tomatoes, cut off the green leafy tops and half them. De-seed your roma or plum tomatoes (skip this step for cherry tomatoes) by halving the tomato and scooping the insides out with a spoon. Now dice your tomatoes.
Saute the crushed/minced garlic cloves in olive oil for a minute, then add in the diced tomatoes. Add a little more oil if needed for a light even coating. Stir in a small pinch of salt & a few twists of pepper, then heat through for just a couple minutes on low-medium heat to soften the tomatoes and meld the flavors a bit. Remove from heat and add dried basil to mixture if you lack the fresh stuff. Add additional Salt & Pepper to taste.
If you cook the tomatoes for too long they may become soggy and liquidy. It still tastes great but the texture is less ideal and you may need to drain off the extra liquid they'll sweat off. The tomatoes cook up quickly so try to avoid overcooking!!
While that cools a bit slice your baguette and get it toasted. You can cut it in rounds as pictured or slice the baguette in 3-4 inch sections split down the center like a deli sandwich. While bread is toasting, get your rinsed greens back out and stack & roll the leaves together to slice them in julienne style strips.
Assemble your bruschetta - on the toasted slices heap a generous spoonful of the tomatoes on, then add your sliced fresh basil and spinach on top (or just mix the greens and tomatoes together and spoon it on. Whatever.) Now pull your herb goat cheese log from the fridge and twist your fork in the cheese to create crumbles. Sprinkle said crumbles on top and enjoy. This creates a lovely warm-cold contrast with the cold cheese getting melty and smeary as it warms from the tomatoes and toast.
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| With delectable goat cheese crumbles all around! |
So. Good. Hope you like it! Be sure to check out our vintage kitchenware and serving pieces for the coming holidays for a one of a kind get together this season! We love plating these little rounds on long skinny trays like the one pictured below to create a colorful center display on our appetizer table.
