An Easy Party Appetizer
Wednesday, December 3, 2008 17:06
Bruschetta (pronounced brusˈket:a) dates back to 15th century Italy. It is a delicious food made of grilled bread rubbed with garlic and topped with olive oil, salt and pepper. Toppings vary widely, but most contemporary versions include tomato. What we like about bruschetta is that it makes an elegant appetizer, which can be assembled easily with the most ordinary of ingredients. This version is topped with fresh tomatoes and herbs. Eliminating the roasting of the tomatoes, which is typical, keeps this a light and refreshing appetizer. We have served it many times in our catering business and it has always been a hit.
Ingredients
8 ounces plum or cherry tomatoes
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh chopped rosemary
2 tablespoons fresh chopped thyme leaves
1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 to 3 slices of Ciabatta bread cut into appetizer sized portions or use 12 -18 baguette slices
Salt and Pepper
Preparation
Preheat an oven, broiler, stovetop grill or barbeque grill.
Chop the tomatoes into bite size chunks. Place in a medium bowl. Add remaining olive oil, chopped herbs and remaining garlic gently stir to combine. Set aside while you toast the bread.
Brush bread lightly with olive oil. Grill the bread on both sides until golden brown while still warm; spread a small amount of garlic on one side of each slice.
Place the bread slices on a serving plate and top each with a spoonful of tomato mixture. Sprinkle each bruchetta sparingly with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper. Serve immediately.
varsha says:
December 3rd, 2008 at 6:02 pm
Just looking at it makes me hungry..:)
varsha’s last blog post..Amritsari Fish Finger fry..
Jennifer Cote says:
December 3rd, 2008 at 7:05 pm
Wow, that does sound easy. Easy, but elegant. Sounds super tasty too. Thanks for sharing!
Jen
heather says:
December 3rd, 2008 at 8:48 pm
yum, this looks delicious! this is definitely a wonderful party appetizer… anything with tomatoes makes me happy
heather’s last blog post..Puppy Love
Fiona says:
December 3rd, 2008 at 10:25 pm
pretty – great photo!
Diana says:
December 4th, 2008 at 9:59 am
That’s a beautiful photo. Bruschetta is my husband’s favorite side dish. His face lights up when I just mention it. Ours typically involves feta because we love it so much!
larisa says:
December 4th, 2008 at 11:23 am
Yum! Never thought of putting rosemary in bruschetta, but it sounds delicious. I can also never seem to get my toasted bread to the perfect toasting consistency. It is always too crunchy or too soft…but thanks for the inspiration! I may try this over the weekend.
larisa’s last blog post..Overcoming Baking Fears, One Cake at a Time
thepinkpeppercorn says:
December 5th, 2008 at 7:18 pm
What an amazingly delicious photo!
thepinkpeppercorn’s last blog post..food boredom
Jen says:
December 8th, 2008 at 10:18 am
I worked an event once with a sous chef and we threw together about 350 made-to-order Bruschetta right at the table. Crazy fun! This recipe brings it all back to mind for me
Thanks!
Jen’s last blog post..roasted butternut squash, caramelized onions and prosciutto white pizza
corrinnej says:
December 15th, 2008 at 8:59 am
Yum! Gorgeous pics! This is my ‘go-to’ easy appetizer and it’s always a great hit! I’ve used a goat cheese on Brusetta and it was also goes over very well! It adds a wonderful layer of taste.