Katie
I love whenever I get the opportunity to try a new appetizer recipe. (Let’s face it, I’m not making appetizers for me and the husband on a random Tuesday night.) So, when my mom asked me to make a couple of appetizers for my grandmother’s 90th surprise party, I excitedly went right to my appetizer board on Pinterest. The first pin that caught my eye was this one, from the Pioneer Woman. It just looked so colorful and delicious. I had to try it!
I’m so glad that I did, too, because it was scrumptious! Not that heavy and just so fresh. The buttery pieces of baguette were the best vehicle for the tomatoes…so much better than buying those bruschetta crackers. It was the perfect appetizer for such a warm September Saturday. (Speaking of which, this weather has been crazy lately!) The recipe was pretty quick too. I made the tomato mixture the morning of the party and toasted the baguette just before heading over to the party. (I also made deviled eggs that morning (recipe coming soon!). I was quite the multi-tasker that day!)
Start with the chopping…
- Mince up 5 cloves of garlic.
- Heat up a couple of tablespoons of EVOO in a small pan over medium-high heat.
- Add the garlic to the oil.
- Cook, until fragrant and just golden brown. (Don’t let it burn!)
- Pour the garlic and oil into a large bowl and let cool.
- Meanwhile, chop up a lot of red and yellow tomatoes. (I bought a 16 ounce container. Most of my red tomatoes were cherry ones. The yellow were grape tomatoes.)
So colorful!!
- Place the tomatoes into the bowl with the garlic and oil.
- Pour in a couple tablespoons of balsamic vinegar.
- Season with some s&p to taste.
- Chiffonade about ¼ cup basil.
- Add the basil to the tomatoes.
- Stir to combine everything.
- Cover and refrigerate for about 2 hours.
Just before you are ready to serve, toast up the bread. (Don’t skip this step! It’s totally worth it!)
- Slice up a baguette on the diagonal.
- Melt half a stick of butter in a skillet over medium-high heat.
- Once the butter is melted, add about half the sliced baguette.
- Cook until golden brown on each side, flipping once. (Be careful not to burn the bread! I was this close to doing that on my first try, as you can see!)
- Once golden, remove the bread to a plate.
- Repeat the process with the remaining baguette. (Don’t forget to add more butter to the pan!)
I served the tomatoes in the center of a platter with the baguette all around it so people could spoon their own tomatoes onto the bread. You could also spoon it out first, then serve. Whichever way you do it, enjoy!
One Year Ago: Buffalo Chicken Wonton Cups
Red and Yellow Bruschetta (serves 4-8)
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pint red cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 pint yellow grape tomatoes, halved
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- ¼ cup basil, chiffonade
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 baguette, sliced diagonally
- 1 stick salted butter
DIRECTIONS:
- Heat the oil in a small pan over medium-high heat.
- Add the garlic and cook until fragrant and just golden brown.
- Remove the pan from the heat.
- Pour the garlic and oil into the bottom of a large bowl.
- Let cool.
- Once cool, add the tomatoes, balsamic, basil, salt, and pepper.
- Mix well, cover, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- When you are almost ready to serve, heat a pan over medium-high heat.
- Add half of the butter.
- Once the butter is melted, add half of the baguette slices.
- Cook until golden brown, then flip.
- Continue cooking until the other side is golden brown.
- Repeat with the remaining butter and baguette slices.
- Serve the bruschetta on top of the baguette slices.
