Heirloom Tomato and Olive Bruschetta
A rustic starter of toasted baguette piled with juicy tomatoes, briny black olives and fresh basil, ready in well under half an hour.
Bruschetta started as a way to use bread that was going stale, and it still works best when the bread does some of the flavor lifting. Toasting the baguette in olive oil and rubbing it with raw garlic gives the base a savory backbone before the tomatoes ever land on top. Serve it as soon as the topping is spooned on so the bread stays crisp underneath the juice.
Ingredients
Method
Tap a number to mark a step doneHeat the oven to 400F and arrange the baguette rounds on a sheet pan. Brush both sides lightly with olive oil, then bake for 6 to 8 minutes, flipping once, until golden and crisp at the edges.
While the bread toasts, dice the tomatoes and place them in a bowl with the black olives, basil, red wine vinegar, kosher salt and a few grinds of black pepper.
Let the tomato mixture sit for 10 minutes so the salt draws out some juice and the flavors come together, then give it one more stir before serving.
As soon as the toasts come out of the oven, rub the top of each one with the cut side of a garlic clove while it is still warm.
Spoon the tomato mixture onto each toast just before serving, letting a little juice soak into the bread without making it soggy.
Arrange the topped toasts on a board or platter and serve right away while the bread is still crisp underneath.
Kitchen note
Keep the tomato mixture and toasted bread separate until guests arrive, then assemble in the last five minutes; pre-topped bruschetta turns soft within about twenty minutes.
