Up your summer Bruschetta game!
Grilling your bread instead of toasting in an oven adds a smoky element. And wiping your hot toasts with a clove of sliced garlic both cooks and softens the garlic's harsher flavors.
Prep/Cooking Time: About 20 minutes, start to finish! Serves 4-6 (or a main course for one!)
Ingredients
- 1 Sweet Baguette
- 2 pints cherry tomatoes (mixed colors), roughly chopped
- Big fistful of Basil leaves, rolled into a cigar shape and sliced into thin strips
- Really good olive oil
- 2 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar
- 1 large clove unpeeled garlic, sliced lengthwise
- One med-hot grill
Procedure
Once ingredients are assembled, light your grill.
While waiting for your grill to hot up, slice the baguette on the bias, then prepare the tomatoes, basil and garlic (below).
In a bowl, combine and lightly toss:
- The chopped tomatoes
- 3/4 of the basil
- 3-4 cloves peeled garlic, half chopped, half kept whole
- A very generous splash of olive oil
- The Balsamic
- Salt & pepper to taste
The Topping: combine the chopped tomatoes, 3/4 of the basil and the chopped portion of the garlic in a mixing bowl. Drain in a colander while preparing the toasts.
The Toasts: Brush or spray each slice of baguette with a thin layer of olive oil and place on the hot grill. Monitor closely (less toasted is better than burned). The goal is to get a bit of flavor and an outer crispness with a chewy center. Immediately after flipping each toast, wipe the hot top side once or twice with the raw garlic. Each garlic slice will last for half a baguette, depending on how much garlic you like.
Final Step: Return the drained topping to a large metal bowl, drizzle with a generous amount of olive oil, about 1/3 as much of the balsamic, and salt and pepper to taste. Place toasts on the serving tray, add topping and remainder of the basil. Drizzle with a nice balsamic glaze and/or your best olive oil.
Test one or two to make any seasoning adjustments you deem necessary, then to make sure the wine works, and keep testing until the perfect pairing is found. Once all your testing is complete, serve any remaining bruschetta with your guests.
Wine Pairings
The acid in this dish (tomatoes, vinegar) will defeat most red wines, so I recommend sticking with crisp summer wines - light reds slightly chilled, dry Rosés and crisp whites - exactly like those you'll find here.
