Roasted Garlic and Tomato Bruschetta. This is one of our favorite appetizers. Juicy tomatoes and roasted garlic tossed in olive oil and topped on a crunchy baguette, it’s pure perfection.
Now, I know it’s not summer but sometimes I just need a flavor bomb that screams: “warm sunny days are near” and this is exactly that.
In traditional bruschetta, toasted bread gets rubbed with garlic and topped with simply marinated tomatoes. The brighter and juicier your tomatoes, the better your bruschetta will be. Instead of raw garlic I use my sweet roasted garlic which lends such a flavor boost. If you like a strong garlic flavor, spread the roasted garlic on the toasted baguette, else you can mix it with your bruschetta mix.
Since this recipe uses such minimal items, try and use the best of ingredients. Here are some ways to made this an unforgettable dish:
Choose french bread or a baguette.
This bread toasts and/or grills up the best and holds well under the tomato topping. You can either toast or grill the bread.
Use room temperature tomatoes.
Don’t refrigerate the tomatoes you plan to use for bruschetta. The refrigerator oxidizes tomatoes and they loose some of their flavor. Leave them out on the counter if you’re not using them right away.
Season the tomatoes.
Before doing anything else, we chop the tomatoes and season them. Additionally we leave them alone for about 10 minutes. As the tomatoes sit, they macerate and become extra flavorful in their own juices. This mixture is perfect for when you top the bread later.
- 4-5 roma or plum tomatoes; diced small
- 3-4 roasted garlic cloves; mashed
- ¼ cup fresh basil; chopped fine
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked pepper
- 1 baguette; cut into once inch slices
- olive oil for brushing on bread
- Set the oven to broil mode.
- Dice tomatoes into small cubes
- Add in olive oil, roasted garlic, basil, salt and pepper. Mix and and let stand at room temperature 10-15 minutes.
- Slice the baguette into one inch slices, brush with olive oil.
- Place bread slices on a baking sheet. Broil first side until golden brown, about a minute, and then flip slices to opposite side and broil opposite side until golden brown.
- Top with tomato mixture.
- Serve and enjoy
Enjoy,
