Roasted Tomato and Basil Crostini

As promised – here is one of the other crostini recipes! That was such a fun lunch! See here for link to the brie & fig crostini.

Second one: Roasted Tomato and Basil Crostini

I love this recipe: this is another recipe from my attempt at catering. This is a nice change from the traditional bruschetta recipes out there — the roasted tomatoes impart a heartiness and robustness that is just perfect.

Here’s what you’ll need: 8 tomatoes, ¼ cup julienned basil leaves, 1 crushed garlic clove (or ¼ t. ground garlic), 3 T. olive oil, 2 T. balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper to taste.

And here’s what you’ll need to do: slice the tomatoes into quarters.

Then gently squeeze some of the excess seeds/juice from the tomato. This seems like a random step – but it eliminates the excess moisture from the topping – that you replace with olive oil and vinegar – and allows the tomatoes to roast nicely.

Place onto a baking dish, covered in foil or parchment paper, and spread evenly in one layer. Sprinkle over 1.5 T. olive oil, and 1 T. balsamic vinegar, and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. About ½ t. salt and ¼ t. pepper.

Bake for 17-20 minutes at 400 degrees. Allow the tomatoes to get slightly browned in some areas.

Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature.

Julienne the basil leaves (about 10-12 large leaves) and finely mince or grate a garlic clove. Add to a bowl.

Once tomatoes have cooled down – chop them up into bite size pieces – then add to the bowl with the basil and garlic. Add the remaining 1.5 T. olive oil and 1 T. balsamic. Mix – taste and add more s&p per your taste.

While this is happening – you should bake your bread slices. Simply slice the bread into ½” pieces (I used a French loaf) and then sprinkle over about 1-2 T. of olive oil – bake at 400 for anywhere from 6-10 minutes. I did about 6 minutes so the bread wasn’t too crunchy/hard. Remove from oven – then – while the bread is still hot take a garlic clove and rub it onto one side of the bread. This imparts a wonderfully garlic flavor on the bread – delicious.

Now it’s time to assemble – simply take a heaping spoonful of the roasted tomato mixture and place onto a piece of bread – repeat for the remaining mixture – should make about 18 crostini’s. Serve right away — I’ve actually kept leftovers in the fridge and they turned out good still. The middle of the bread gets a little soggy – but still delicious!

Super simple appetizer recipe – great for any party or event. Simple to make and super delicious. Always a hit!

Enjoy!

Roasted Tomato and Basil Crostini
Makes 16

Ingredients:
8 tomatoes
¼ cup julienned basil leaves
1 crushed garlic clove (or ¼ t. ground garlic)
3 T. olive oil (divided)
2 T. balsamic vinegar (divided)
salt and pepper to taste
French loaf – olive oil and garlic clove – for the bread

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Quarter the tomatoes and gently squeeze out excess juice/seeds from tomatoes.
3. Place onto a baking dish, covered in foil or parchment paper, and spread evenly in one layer. Sprinkle over 1.5 T. olive oil, and 1 T. balsamic vinegar, and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. About ½ t. salt and ¼ t. pepper.
4. Bake for 17-20 minutes at 400 degrees. Allow the tomatoes to get slightly browned in some areas. Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature.
5. Julienne the basil leaves (about 10-12 large leaves) and finely mince or grate a garlic clove. Add to a bowl.
6. Once tomatoes have cooled – dice into bite size pieces. Toss with the basil and garlic – add remaining 1.5 T. olive oil and 1 T. balsamic. Toss – season with additional salt and pepper per taste.
7. Place spoonfuls on top of baked crostinis (round pieces of french bread – baked at 400 for 6-10 minutes and rubbed with garlic).
8. Serve immediately to your guests  —- Enjoy!