This bruschetta recipe came to me when my family and I were watching the movie Julie and Julia. Have you ever seen it?
In one of the first scenes, Julie is making the most amazing looking bruschetta, and as we watching, both my daughters and my husband looked at me and told me that I need to make them THAT.
So I did!
Luckily, the time was so right to do it – it’s tomato season!
Summer to me is fresh, colourful vegetables and fruit…a ton of both of those things. And as each thing comes into season, I end up buying it all and creating the simplest dishes, this bruschetta, which highlights the beauty and flavour of the produce.
My two favorite summer vegetables are tomatoes and corn (and yes, I know that tomatoes are a fruit…but to me, they’ll always be a vegetable), and it just so happens that local baby heirloom tomatoes are in season right now. So cute and weird that they make me smile, these pretty little gems come in all colours, and they’re just naturally gorgeous. If you can’t get heirlooms, any tomatoes will do, but make sure they’re the freshest ones you can find.
No mealy yucky tomatoes here!
This bruschetta recipe isn’t the usual. The problem with bad bruschetta recipes is that they involve plain, chewy bread that doesn’t do the tomatoes justice. I mean, chewy bread is just distracting, and it doesn’t all any yum to the meal.
In this recipe, the bread is fried – yes, fried – in a mixture of olive oil and butter in a cast iron pan, while the tomatoes marinate in alllll of the good stuff. And if you take your time eating the finished product, the juice from the tomatoes soaks into the bread and makes it AH-mazing.
Enjoy!
This delicious, easy bruschetta recipe highlights the best tomatoes of the summer!
- 1 baguette sliced lengthwise and then into 4 equal widths (8 pieces in total)
- 2 pints cherry tomatoes halved, or around 4 cups chopped beefsteak tomatoes
- 1-2 cloves garlic minced finely
- Handful fresh basil chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- Splash of balsamic or red wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter for frying
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Combine the tomatoes, garlic, basil, salt, pepper, olive oil, and vinegar in a bowl. Stir gently to combine and let marinate at room temperature while you make the bread.
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In a cast iron skillet, heat the olive oil and butter on medium high heat.
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Add the bread cut side down, and turn the heat to medium.
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Fry until the cut side of the bread browns and crisps, then remove from the skillet.
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Assemble the bruschetta by piling the tomatoes and juice from the bowl onto the bread.
Want another delicious summer recipe? Try my stone fruit salad with vanilla vinaigrette!