Bruschetta!

I LOVE summertime because of all the Farmer’s Markets that you can get amazing fresh and flavorful produce.  Tomatoes of all types are one of my favorite things to snack on all summer long.  When I stopped at Whole Foods yesterday they were serving up a Fresh Heirloom Tomatoes Bruschetta that I knew I had to recreate using the organic Heirloom Tomatoes I had in my fridge.

TIP FOR ORGANICS:

I honestly believe in using organic foods whenever possible as they have so much FLAVOR and are 100% better for you.  However, I know this isn’t realistic for everyone so the main thing to remember when picking organic is this:

If the fruit or vegetable has a skin you EAT, then, pick organic! Isn’t that easier than trying to remember the Dirty Dozen and which to pick/not pick.

ORGANIC HEIRLOOM TOMATO BRUSCHETTA

Recipe courtesy Whole Foods Napa, Ca

BALSAMIC SYRUP

1 c Good Quality Balsamic Vinegar

1 Bay Leaf

3 Whole Peppercorns

1 Fresh Thyme Sprig or a few dashes of dried thyme

Combine all the above ingredients in a small stainless steel sauce pan over low heat.  Simmer reducing the mixture until it is about 1/3 cup.  Remove from heat, strain and place in the fridge to cool.  The sauce will thicken as it cools.

TOASTED BAGUETTE BITES

1  Baguette, slice into 1/4 inch slices (I used a Lemon Basil Baguette)

Good Quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil for drizzling

Sea Salt & Freshly Ground Pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Place your baguette slices on a cookie sheet.  Drizzle with Olive Oil and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper.  Bake until slightly golden and crispy, about 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to cool

TOMATO BRUSCHETTA

2 lbs Heirloom tomatoes, diced into ~ 1/4 inch cubes

1 garlic clove, minced

1 lemon, zested

Handful basil, minced ~ 6-7 leaves

1 tsp Balsamic Vinegar

1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Combine the above ingredients and chill in the fridge until ready to use.

TO ASSEMBLE

Place your crunchy bruschetta slices and place them on a plate.  Top them with a heaping tablespoon of your Tomato Bruschetta.  Drizzle a small amount of your balsamic syrup  Sprinkle with a good quality rock sea salt.  Enjoy!

**MIX IT UP: You can add a layer of fresh mozzarella in between the Bread and the Bruschetta or sprinkle some freshly shaved parmesan on top.

Here is how I put everything together from start to finish. 

Start out by slowly simmering your Balsamic Syrup.

 

Wash your organic heirlooms and dice them into 1/4 cubes.

 

This is one reason I LOVE Heirlooms – Check out all their fun colors – the inside is the BEST part!

 

Add your lemon zest, basil, garlic, balsamic and olive.

Stir to combine, cover and refrigerate.

MMMM ~ deliciousness!

 

Remove and strain your balsamic syrup.  Cover and refrigerate to chill.  I could’ve thinned mine out a bit more because it was not as thick as I would’ve liked.  You want pancake syrup consistency – the more you reduce it, the thicker it gets.  Make sure to keep the heat LOW or it will burn and taste funky.

 

Take a good quality Baguette.  I used a Lemon Basil Baguette from Whole Foods.

Slice into 1/4 inch slices, drizzle with olive oil, sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

Bake for about 10 minutes until lightly golden and crispy.

I actually bought a special Sea Salt when I was at Whole Foods to use just for these.  I LOVE having a reason to buy something like this 🙂  This is Murray River Pink Flake Salt from Salt Works.  It’s so soft and it really enhances the flavor because it melts right in.

Only make up as many as you plan to eat because the bread will get soggy if you let it sit for too long.  

If you drizzle some balsamic on your serving plate, just create fun designs with it and pretend like it was part of the design! 😀

Simple, easy, FULL OF FLAVOR and absolutely amazing!  Enjoy