Bruschetta with Golden Tomatoes

If you are a farm stand junkie like me,  you need a few quick recipes to utilize all the produce that you end up with.  Not to mention the tomatoes, herbs and peppers in my own garden.

This year I planted my one and only gold tomato plant with great anticipation and then it surprisingly produced some sort of red tomato.  I was so disappointed.  I even went out and checked the tag.  Mistakes happen.  I love these gold tomatoes. I picked up a couple that looked really good at the market.  My favorite way to have garden fresh tomatoes is with bruschetta. This is one dish my no-fresh-tomatoes-for-me kids definitely eat and can't seem to get enough of.  They aren't little kids either.

Bruschetta is grilled bread that has been brushed with olive oil and rubbed with a garlic clove.  The name comes from the Italian word bruscare that literally means "to roast over coals".  There are many ways to serve bruschetta but a typical way is with fresh tomatoes.

 Here is one of my favorite recipes for bruschetta using a golden tomato.  All you need is a large golden tomato (I believe this one is a Brandywine gold), a loaf of bread, some fresh, tangy goat cheese, fresh basil, a clove of garlic, white wine vinegar, some good quality extra virgin olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.

First, the loaf of bread. A day old will do, but this time I want a really good loaf of bread. Traditionally, a french loaf or baguette is used to make bruschetta. Whole grains add bit of extra hearty flavor I like so I got a fresh french whole grain from a local bread bakery called Big Sky Bread.  Most of the bread we buy comes from this bakery.

Set the bread aside and prepare the tomatoes first.  Chop the tomato about 1/4 inch dice, mince the clove of garlic, chop the basil and place it all in a bowl.

Now add about a tablespoon or two of olive oil, a teaspoon of white wine vinegar (you could use lemon juice here), and salt (maybe 1/2 teaspoon of salt) and pepper to taste.  Be careful with the salt.  In this recipe, too much salt is too much. Mix it together and let it sit and meld while you prepare the bruschetta.

Preheat the broiler of your oven.  Slice the baguette or loaf about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick.  Place the toasts on a baking pan and brush them with olive oil.

Note:  This picture is not the same bread as I used for this recipe but a previous bruschetta.  I included it to show how to prepare the toasts.  Also I do not rub my toasts with garlic because I like the stronger flavor when I mince it a put it in the tomato mixture.  This is where you would rub the garlic on the toasts if you want bruschetta the traditional way.

Now toast the bread under the broiler in your oven or grill them if you choose.  For me, this is the hardest part of the recipe because of my tendency to burn the toasts. 

It is ready.  Now smear some goat cheese on piece of bruschetta and top it with some of the tomato mixture and enjoy!

I have this as a meal sometimes (I love it so) with a salad or fruit or piece of grilled chicken or a leftover something or nothing at all.

I mean what more could you possible really want!

Here is the easy peasy recipe:

Bruschetta with Golden Tomatoes

1 large golden tomato, (such as Brandywine gold), 1/4 inch dice
2-3 tablespoons of fresh basil, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoons of good quality extra virgin olive oil plus extra to brush on the toasts
1 teaspoon of white wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
pepper to taste
1 baguette or french loaf, (day old or fresh, whole grain or white)
4 ounces of fresh, tangy goat cheese

Mix the tomatoes, basil, garlic, olive oil and white wine vinegar in a bowl.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Set aside to let the flavors meld and make the bruschetta.

Preheat the broiler.  Slice the bread and place on a baking pan and brush with olive oil.  Remove when golden brown around the edges.

To serve:  Smear a toast with goat cheese and top with tomato mixture.  Enjoy!

Note:  Instead of mincing garlic and putting it in the tomato mixture, the traditional way is to rub the toasts with the garlic clove sliced in half.  This method has a milder garlic flavor.

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