By | July 20, 2011
Photo: the prodigal untitled13
French baguettes are a perfect complement to just about anything, even as a snack or as the base of an appetizer. Often times, I buy too much and end up with stale leftovers. That’s when I crack out my easy 5-minute appetizer handbook and make some scrumptious bruschetta, a great Italian dish that can be made with this French ingredient.
Bruschetta has been around since the 15th century in central Italy. It’s a go-to appetizer in Italian cuisine since it has a multitude of varieties and does not take a lot of time to prepare. So if you’re looking for a quick appetizer to serve at a dinner party or even when you just have a few friends over, this is a great dish to make. If you need some finger food to bring to an outdoor picnic, just pre-slice and broil the bread and make the tomato-goat cheese mixture, pack them up separately and add a dollop of the mix on the bread once you get settled on your picnic blanket. Whomever you serve this to will be pleased; just be sure to make enough for everyone to have seconds because they will go quick!
Makes 8-10 pieces
- 1 French baguette, cut into 1-inch thick slices (about 8-10 pieces)
- 8 oz creamy goat cheese
- 4 Roma tomatoes, diced (for added color use different colored tomatoes)
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, diced
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- Sea salt, to taste
- Freshly ground pepper, to taste
Directions
1. Dice and chop the tomatoes and basil, respectively, and mix together in a bowl. Add in the creamy goat cheese, ensuring that it gets all mixed together but remains chunky. Add sea salt and pepper to taste.
2. Slice the baguette into your 8-10 pieces (about 1-inch thick).
3. Lightly drizzle the olive oil onto the baguette pieces. Broil in the oven for 3 minutes or until lightly brown.
4. Add diced garlic onto the top of the baguette pieces and broil again for another 2 minutes.
5. Take the pieces out of the oven and top off with a tablespoon of the goat cheese and tomato mix.
Either serve hot or put into the fridge to serve cool.
