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A warm baguette. A glass of wine waiting. The need to put the week to bed.
One of my favorite treats to enjoy at the end of a busy work week is bruschetta topped with the classic combination of basil, tomato and mozzarella. Few ingredients, little effort and time, and an amazingly delicious appetizer. There are seemingly endless variations of this combo, but for me I like a little bread, warm, gooey cheese, a fresh tomato and the beautiful taste of basil – comfort food my friends!
Paired with a chilled glass of rosé (or your choice of wine), and I have forgotten all about my past week’s woes.
~recipe note: If you want the cheese to bubble more swiftly, once the bread has been toasted at 400 degrees, turn the oven to Broil and do so for about 1-2 minutes.
~UPDATE: This recipe was showcased in Season 1 of The Simply Luxurious Kitchen – Caprese Appetizer – 3 Ways & Knife Skills, episode #6. View the entire episode at the end of this post.
Caprese Bruschetta
Ingredients
- 1 French baguette sliced on the bias
- 1-2 medium fresh tomatoes your choice, heirlooms are my favorite, the fresher and in season the better
- 1 large ball fresh mozzarella buffalo mozzarella would work well also
- 3-5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 5 large leaves basil julienned
- 3-4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar top quality - (I use Gianni’s Traditional Balsamic Vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees (Fahrenheit).
- Slice baguette, placing slices on a baking sheet/jelly roll pan. Drizzle EVOO over each slice. Place a slice of mozzarella on each.
- Place baking sheet in the oven and watch carefully. It will take between 4-7 minutes. Remove when cheese has melted and is slightly bubbly and baguette is toasted.
- Place one leaf of basil (or julienned slices) on top of the warm mozzarella, followed by a slice of tomato (or a tablespoon of diced pieces), and drizzle with thick balsamic vinegar (if you have store-bought vinegar that is very transparent, reduce it over medium heat to thicken up the consistency and improve the flavor). Voilà!
I love tomatoes and mozzarella, but without the bread. I make it as a summer salad. Very yummy, yum, yum;:-)
Oo, love this 🙂 Brushetta is a definitely a favorite in my books… and being married to an Italian we are all about the tomato and mozzarella 😉
xxMK
Delightful Bitefuls
YUM! – i make this allllll summer long! – i use all my Dad’s garden tomatoes and basil – and it’s sooooo fresh and yummy! – then i always use bread from lil bakery’s in Staten Island – SOOOOO good .. i want some NOW!
*Happy Weekend*
Erika
~Tiptoe Butterfly~
Yumm yummm…
Thanks for your sweet comment,Yes, it’s pouring here I am so ready for sunshine!!!
Ooh, yes please – classy comfort food!
Delicious! As an Italian I really appreciate bruschetta!
Hm… yummy! ^^ Have a lovely weekend!
xoxo Sandra
http://glamirrorous.com
A friend of mine once shared me a similar recipe and I have to say I was amazed how yummy the food was when I tried it. This goes to my Stumbleupon. More people should know how to make it! Hope my husband repairs the duct in the kitchen sooner, cause I when I cook, the whole house starts smelling like food.