Cherry Tomato and Burrata Bruschetta

Before tomato season is a thing of the past,  I hope you can try this simple and delightful appetizer.  It is a perfect way to use all of those cherry tomatoes growing like crazy in your garden. Right now, my cherry tomatoes are ripening so quickly that we can barely eat them all.  Sweet Million and Sun Sugar have been very prolific varieties for me here in SE Wisconsin.  Don't worry if you only have regular tomatoes either!  Just cut them into small pieces and let the seeds and juice drain before using.

There are endless versions of bruschetta with tomatoes on the internet but this recipe (or more of a technique) was passed along to me by a good friend and we have enjoyed it several times in the past few weeks. This is not original or unique - just delicious!

All you need is some really good, ripe tomatoes, a sliced and toasted baguette and a ball of burrata cheese, which is a type of soft cheese made with mozzarella and cream.  It's so good! My grocery store sells the BelGioioso brand.

If you don't grow tomatoes yourself, perhaps you can find some good, locally grown tomatoes at the farmers' market nearby.  Slice the tomatoes into small pieces and squeeze out as much of the juice as you can.  Add a little aged balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil and toss.

Let your guests help themselves and add as much cheese and tomatoes as they like! Our whole family loves it - even the young grandsons, although their favorite part is the baguette toasts and cheese ;)

Bon appetit!

Cherry Tomato Bruschetta with Burrata

Printable Recipe

Makes about 18-20 Bruschetta, depending on how large a baguette you are using.  Adjust the amount of tomatoes accordingly.

1 large French Baguette (I like Costco's baguettes)

About 2 pints of cherry (or 2-3 large) tomatoes

1 ball of Burrata cheese

Fresh basil leaves

Aged Balsamic

Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

Heat the oven broiler to low (or set oven to 375).  Slice the baguette diagonally into between 1/4 and 1/2 inch pieces.  Arrange on a baking sheet. Brush slices on both sides with olive oil and sprinkle with finely grown pepper on one side. Toast in the oven for about 3-5 minutes per side, depending on your oven.  Watch carefully, so they don't burn, especially if you are using the broiler.  Allow to cool.  The baguette toasts can be made ahead.

Slice tomatoes into small pieces and remove as much of the seeds and juice as you can. A little juice and seeds left is fine. Place them into a small bowl and drizzle with aged balsamic vinegar and salt & pepper to taste.  Add some sliced basil before serving.  

On a serving platter, arrange the baguette slices, around the outside, and place the tomatoes and Burrata cheese in the center. Allow your guests to serve themselves.

Cherry Tomato, Herb and Smoked Gouda Bruschetta

Here is such a delicious and interesting twist on the well-loved appetizer, bruschetta.  Browsing through Food and Wine recently, I came upon this 'salsa' recipe which I decided would make delicious version of bruschetta.  The recipe incorporates smoked Gouda cheese. Since Gouda is a mild cheese, you'll hardly know it's there as it doesn't overpower the tomatoes, it just gives the recipe a rich, full flavor!  The first time I ever used smoked gouda in a recipe was this eggplant parmigiana and the results were delicious!

I know fresh tomato season is over for some of you, but I have quite an abundance right now. We've been enjoying many of our favorites, such as BLATs (Bacon, Lettuce, Avocado and Tomato Sandwiches), fresh tomato pasta and tomato salads lately :)  I will be harvesting the last of the tomatoes in the next couple of weeks and I plan on enjoying them as much as possible! My herb pots are still supplying me with all the fresh herbs I need for hopefully another month also.

For my husband and myself, this could easily be dinner.  For the two of us, I lightly toasted the baguette slices in the toaster and then brushed them with extra-virgin olive oil and a few grinds of fresh pepper.  For more servings, it would be best to toast them in the oven on a baking sheet. Brush with olive oil and pepper before toasting in the oven.

If you still have fresh tomatoes or access to a farmers' market, I hope you give these a try! DE-licious!

Cherry Tomato, Herb and Smoked Gouda Bruschetta

Adapted from Food and Wine
Printable Recipe

2 cups mixed yellow and red cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/2 cup finely diced smoked Gouda, or any mild, smoked cheese (2 1/2 ounces)
1/4 cup chopped parsley
2 tablespoons shredded basil
2 tablespoons snipped chives
Salt and freshly ground pepper

A French Baguette, sliced on the diagonal into 1/4 to 1/2" slices Extra Virgin Olive Oil for brushing on bread slices Freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 350 (or use your toaster, set on low).

In a medium bowl, toss the tomatoes with the cheese, parsley, basil and chives. Season the mixture with salt and pepper and set aside.

To toast the baguette slices:

If toasting the bread slices in the oven, place them on a baking sheet.  Brush lightly with olive oil and give each a sprinkle of ground black pepper.  Toast in the preheated oven for about 5-6 minutes.  Watch carefully, you don't want them hard - just a light golden color.  This will make them easier to bite into without the toasts breaking in your mouth.  If you are making a smaller amount and use a toaster, also watch carefully for the same reason.  Brush toaster-made slices with olive oil right after coming out of the toaster and sprinkle with a little ground black pepper. 

Top toasted baguette slices with the tomato, herb and cheese mixture and enjoy immediately!

Mortadella Spread Bruschetta

I found this recipe in the Jan/Feb, 2011 issue of Saveur magazine in an article called the The Saveur 100, Chefs' Edition (recommendations). It was a tasty discovery at The Purple Pig restaurant in Chicago by a Canadian chef who happened to be visiting the Windy City with his wife. The Purple Pig was kind enough to share the recipe with Saveur.

The recipe sounded so unusual yet appealing so I was anxious to give this simple recipe a try. I admit this may not be the best choice for those with sodium-restricted diets since cured meats do contain fairly high amounts.

Mortadella is a large Italian sausage made from finely hashed/ground heat-cured pork sausage. It is delicately flavored with spices, including whole or ground black pepper, myrtle berries, nutmeg, coriander and pistachios, jalapeños and/or olives.

The mortadella is first puréed in a food processor and a velouté sauce made with chicken stock is added along with a bit of whipped cream. However, here is where the recipe and I parted ways~

After I added the velouté to the puréed mortadella, I then tried adding a little whipped cream to a tiny portion, just to see how it tasted. I found the flavor very bland so, instead, added some Hellman's Light Mayonnaise and a big pinch of freshly ground pepper and some thyme. Perfect! Next time, I might even add a tiny bit of roasted garlic. If you do try this recipe, I'd love to hear your opinion on the recipe as published.

My husband and I truly enjoyed my adapted version with several exclamation points from him ;-).

I halved the recipe for the two of us and it was more than enough for a light dinner along with a salad of mixed greens including some of the fresh arugula.

Mortadella Spread Bruschetta

Adapted by me from Mortadella Smear recipe in Saveur Magazine and served at The Purple Pig in Chicago
Printable Version

Makes enough for about 25-30 pieces.

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 tbsp. flour
1/3 cup chicken stock
1 lb. mortadella without pistachios*, cut into 1/2″ cubes
1/3 cup light mayonnaise (the original recipe calls for the same amount of heavy cream, whipped)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (my addition)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (my addition)
1-2 baguettes, sliced, depending on how many you are serving
Extra-virgin olive oil
3 tbsp. crushed toasted pistachio nuts
1/2 cup baby arugula

Preheat oven to 350F.

Pour vinegar into a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until reduced to 3 tablespoons, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. (Tip, if it becomes too stiff to drizzle when it is cool, simply rewarm a bit). In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook, whisking, for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the chicken stock and cook until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove velouté sauce from heat and set aside to cool.

Put mortadella into a food processor and process until puréed. Transfer mortadella to a medium bowl. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the reserved velouté sauce, mayonnaise and seasonings. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Cut the baguette into serving-size slices and rub each slice with olive oil. (I add some oil to my palms and rub the oil on both sides of each slice with my hands.) Sprinkle the slices with a little freshly ground black pepper and arrange them on a large baking pan. Toast in the oven for about 5-8 minutes or until just barely golden. You don't want them to get too hard. If desired, you could also rub the top of each bread slice with a clove of garlic.

To serve, spread the grilled bread with the mortadella spread and garnish with a drizzle of the reduced balsamic and a scattering of pistachios and arugula. Serve warm or at room temperature along with some cocktail pickles and olives.

Enjoy!

*I couldn't find mortadella without pistachios, but since pistachios are added later, I didn't see a problem!