Bruschetta

Yesterday was my birthday, I’m 26. As far as I can tell, being 26 is pretty much the same as being 25, except that now I have some super cool new photography stuff that I am extremely excited to start using. But, that will be a different post.

One of the things that has not changed with turning 26 is that I still truly, deeply, and sincerely love to use oxford commas. I’m glad they’re not going out of style after all. There was a really big to-do about it, but it turns out that Oxford wasn’t changing their style manuel, just their internal PR directives. *whew* what a relief! You think I’m joking, but I’m not. Serial commas just feel right, sensical, and complete.

Now, on to something other than punctuation… Another thing that has not changed in the least since turning 26 is my love of cheese, and my dislike of tomatoes. Except that, I discovered that I don’t dislike tomatoes all the time. They’re actually kinda good, sometimes, under certain conditions. One of those conditions is when paired with cheese, olive oil, garlic, and really amazing toasty, crusty bread. In other words, bruschetta is goooooood.

I think the key to a really amazing bruschetta is having fantastic and fresh ingredients. Because the tomatoes and olive oil are front and center, they should be high quality. I recommend local, organic, and preferably heirloom, tomatoes. I especially like to use tomatoes that are a little different, maybe a yellow tomato to add a little color, for instance. Extra virgin olive oil is a must. The fruitiness will stand out and compliment the tomatoes. Fresh garlic is much better in this recipe as well, even though in many of my recipes I’m perfectly content to use the pre-minced stuff.

All that being said, bruschetta is quick and easy. It’s a great appetizer for guests since much of it can be pre-made, then quickly assembled. It’s light, healthy, and a great compliment to a breezy summer evening. 

Bruschetta 

1 Baguette, sliced
3-4 heirloom tomatoes
3(ish) tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (this depends on how big your tomatoes are, and how many you use)
1 bunch basil, washed, dried, and chiffonade (play this by ear, depending on how much basil you have and how much you like it)
3 cloves garlic, peeled, 2 minced (if you don’t care for raw garlic, substituting 1/4 a teaspoon garlic powder for the minced garlic is appropriate)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Mozzarella cheese, fresh and thinly sliced, or grated, for melting on baguette slices.

Chop tomatoes into fairly small pieces. Toss tomatoes, basil, minced garlic, olive oil, and salt and pepper. Set aside. (This can be made well in advance and stored in the refrigerator).

On a baking sheet, toast baguette slices for just a minute or two under broiler until firm and toasty, but not brown, then rub each slice with garlic. Top lightly with mozzarella cheese, and toast for another minute until cheese is just melted. Remove from oven and allow to cool just slightly.

Top each baguette slice with about a tablespoon of the tomato mixture and serve immediately.

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