Bruschetta My Way

Bruschetta My Way

A not so classic take on a very classic dish. Traditionally, bruschetta is a simple, grilled slice of country bread rubbed with garlic and topped with chopped tomatoes dressed up in olive oil, salt, and pepper. I take this dish 2 step farther by adding my favorite cheese (burrata) AND by marinading the tomatoes in a lemon + basil concoction that I stumbled across when I wanted to make pesto but didn't have the proper ingredients! Enjoy!

Ingredients (to make 6 servings):

Main Stays:

• 1 baguette with a good crust on it (I like baguettes that are pretty large in circumference)
• 2 large balls of burrata cheese...my FAVORITE! 
• 2-3 cups cherry tomatoes
• LOTS of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

 For the Lemon-Basil Marinade **:

• 1/3 cup packed fresh basil
• 1/2 cup EVOO
• 1-5 clove garlic (totally depends on how much you like garlic!)
• Juice and zest of 2 large lemon (I like meyer lemons) 
• Salt and Pepper to taste 

Preparation:

For the bread: 

• Preheat oven to 400F
• Slice baguette in 1-2in slices
• Pour EVOO into a shallow bowl for dipping
• Lightly touch each side of each slice of baguette to the surface of the olive oil to coat and place on a baking sheet - I line mine with tin foil 
• Sprinkle slices with salt + pepper
• Bake for 10 minutes or until you see some golden brown, then flip and bake for another 5 minutes
• You can grill the bread instead! Just throw the seasoned slices on a grill at medium high and toast to your liking 

For the marinated tomatoes: 

• Wash the cherry tomatoes, halve them, and set aside in a bowl 
• Juice and zest 2 lemons into your blender
• Remove garlic from their husks and add to the blender 
• Add the remaining ingredients for the lemon-basil marinade in the blender and ZOOOOooom!
• Pour vinaigrette over sliced tomatoes and allow to marinate for a couple of minutes

For the burrata: 

• Remove the burrata from the container 
• Pull the burrata apart with your fingers to make pieces fit for a baguette slice 

Assembly:

• Spread a small amount of burrata on each toast
• Spoon tomato mixture on top of the mozzarella
• Enjoy!

** Use the marinade as a salad dressing OR to marinade your favorite meat! I love it with skirt steak!

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