Bruschetta is possibly the simplest hors d’oeuvre on the face of this planet that requires mild preparation. Appetizer, hors d’oeuvre, canapé…whatever you want to call it, this fast no-cook recipe is ultra fantastic for those in need of food in a flash, the unexpected guest, entertaining on a dime, picnic nibbles or even sneak ’em in doorm room entertaining. Why is this so perfect, you ask? Let me give you a quick flashback comparison and go into a short explanation. When I was a line cook for a very “G” fine dining restaurant, I was the only line cook allowed to arrive at 8 am to prep for dinner as my station was garde manger, though I handled a plethora of different dishes all varying in preparation, cold and hot. One of the dishes I had the misfortune of being in charge of was a tomato tartar. Every other day I spent hours putting this multi ingredient concoction together, filling a giant steel mixing bowl and portioning it out in dated and labled containers to stuff into my lowboy. It was assembled on a crisp white square plate, centered in a round mold, accompanied by baked slices of gruyere cheese. Besides the fact that it was one of the most dreaded recipes I had to prep, it was tasteless, ludicrous and a terrible execution of a severely overrated dish. Am I bitter? Naw, I was simply following a different chef’s idea of a great appetizer and if there’s one thing I learned in restaurants is that you don’t question your chef, his pallet or his recipes. So back to the basics, this is so much more simple yet packed with flavor. No oven? Thats ok. You can often find crostini pre-cooked. All you need are a few staples. Let’s get cooking!
2 c grape tomatoes halved and quartered
2 tbs olive oil
3 lg gresh basil leaves, chiffonade
Fresh cracked salt and pepper
12-15 crostini, toasted
¼ cup store bought grated parmesan (optional)
Combine all ingredients EXCEPT for the crostini, in a bowl and mix. Arrange your crostini on whatever serving plate you have and spoon 1 good tbs of the bruschetta onto each crostini. If you want to add a little something extra, sprinkle a few strands of parm over the top. Serve immediately. See, I told you it would be easy.
Girl-Chef Tastes 