Pesto Bruschetta
Tomatoes, fresh pesto, good bread, and cheese!
Click for Sierra's Bruschetta
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| Make pesto and set aside. |
Slice tomatoes, mozerella, and asiago, set aside. |
Preheat oven broiler or grill on high.
Slice the bread into 1 inch thick slices. Brush both sides with the oil. Place a cooling rack on a jelly roll pan and set aside. |
4 roma tomatoes (cut into 24 slices)
12 medium-thin slices mozerella
12 thin slices asiago cheese
1 loaf crusty french bread
2 T olive oil
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Set each piece flat on the hot grill. Cook 2-4 minutes or until it starts to brown. Grills often don't distribute heat very evenly, so check each piece periodically. Turn each piece and cook 2-4 minutes more, until it starts to brown.
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Transfer slices to the prepared cooling rack. |
Spread 1 tablespoon of pesto on each slice. |
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Top with two tomato slices. |
Top with asiago and mozerella. |
Place back on grill or in oven broiler and heat until cheese just starts to melt. |
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Serve immediately. |
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Problems
Soggy bread- tomatoes can of course turn the bread soggy. The olive oil and high heat cooking will help prevent this.
Hard bread- Don't overcrisp the bread or it will of course become hard.
Limp bread- Keep the crisped bread on a cooling rack or the bottom will turn soft.
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Pesto Bruschetta
makes 10-12 slices
1 recipe basil pesto (recipe follows)
4 roma tomatoes (24 slices, 6 slices per tomato)
12 medium-thin slices mozerella
12 thin slices asiago cheese, or a 1/4 c shredded (parmesan works great too)
1 loaf crusty french bread
2 T olive oil
1. Make pesto and set aside. Slice tomatoes, mozerella, and asiago. Set aside.
2. Preheat oven broiler or grill on high.
Slice the bread into 1 inch thick slices. Crush garlic into the oil. Brush both sides with the oil-garlic mixture. Place a (2)cooling rack on a jelly roll pan and set aside.
3. Spread 1 tablespoon of pesto on each slice. Top with two tomato slices. Top with asiago and mozerella. Place back on grill or in oven broiler and heat until cheese just starts to melt. Serve immediately.
To broil: set each piece flat on prepared cooling rack, broil 2 minutes or until the edges start to brown. Flip each piece and broil an additional 2 minutes, or until the edges start to brown.
To grill: Set each piece flat on the hot grill. Cook 2-4 minutes or until it starts to brown. Grills often don't distribute heat very evenly, so check each piece periodically. Turn each piece and cook 2-4 minutes more, until it starts to brown. Transfer slices to the prepared cooling rack.
Pesto
¼ c walnuts
2 c (3 oz) fresh basil leaves packed
4 medium cloves garlic
½ c extra virgin olive oil
1/4 c fresh parmesan
¼ t kosher salt
¼ t fresh ground black pepper
¼ c mascarpone or ricotta (optional)
1. Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Add walnuts and toast stirring occasionally until fragrant. Set aside.
2. Rinse and pat basil leaves dry. Peel garlic then crush with a mortar and pestle until it makes a paste. Working in batches add basil leaves and crush with mortar and pestle to bruise leaves completely. Transfer to a food processor or cup of an immersion blender. Add toasted walnuts and oil.
3. Process until fairly smooth. Add the parmesan, salt, and pepper and process again. Stir in the mascarpone or ricotta. Use or store.
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