Roasted Tomato Bruschetta
Roasted Cherry Tomatoes and Shallots…add a little zesty Goat Cheese, some sweet sticky Honey and tangy Lemon Zest… all topped on a beautiful Artisan Baguette. Roasted Tomato Bruschetta will put a smile on every face at your party.
I am one sentence in and my mouth is watering already. Roasted Tomato Bruschetta with a Lemon zest Goat Cheese, I don’t think there is much more to say. Oh, wait, what about how to make them, that would just be cruel if I left you hanging.
rustic Roasted tomato bruschetta
These delicious little party morsels are simple and quick to make but will disappear even faster at a party.
The Tomatoes are the star but it’s like having Ryan Gosling as the star and Russell Crowe as supporting cast. Just like those two in ” The Nice Guys ” the Tomatoes would be lonely without the Goat Cheese.
The roasting party
To get started turn the oven on to 400°F… this will help cook the Tomatoes quickly and Brown the tops slightly. Grab a baking tray…try to find one just big enough to hold the Tomatoes. This will help caramelize the Shallots and Cherry Tomatoes without easily burning them.
Toss the Cherry Tomatoes, Garlic, Shallots ( a small Onion if you don’t have Shallots ) and Thyme into a baking tray. Drizzle Olive Oil over the top and mix around until all the Tomatoes are glistening from the Oil.
Place the tray closer to the top of the oven.. this will help with the caramelizing. In my oven it took approximately 45 minutes to nicely caramelize the Toms but each oven is different.
It would be best to check after 20 minutes and give a little stir. Make sure that nothing is sticking to the sides of the pan before placing it back in the oven. Anything stuck to the side of the pan will most likely burn and we certainly don’t want that.
Start checking again after the 40 minute mark to see if they are caramelized. You will notice some small brown spots on the top the Tomatoes and the pan will be fairly dry. Time to remove from the oven and set aside too cool.
The co-star of this movie is definitely the Goat Cheese…mostly because of the nice tanginess it brings. The balance between the sweet Caramelized Tomatoes along with the Goat Cheese tang, mmm mmm mmm.
In order to elevate the Goat Cheese to party level we need to add some Honey and Lemon Rind. There are two easy ways to skin a Lemon for our purposes.
Adding some zest to Goat cheese
First is a Lemon Zester, this handy tool will pull nice little strips of Rind right off the outside.
Second is using a kitchen knife…simply carve a couple strips of rind off the outside. The important part about cutting Rind off any Citrus is making sure there isn’t any pith along with it. The pith is the white part between the rind and flesh… it’s very bitter. If some pith comes along with the Rind simply slice as much out as you can.
Once you have some Lemon strips, slice them lengthwise to make strips similar to what the Zester would do. Then turn the strips and chop them into teeny tiny little pieces.
In a mixing bowl add the Goat Cheese, Honey and Lemon Zest and mix until they are fully incorporated together.
Creating the scene
If the Goat Cheese and the Tomatoes are the stars then the Baguette has to be the scenery where it all takes place. Look for a really nice Artisan Baguette.. in other words, hand made fresh baked.
Because I used a nice Artisan Baguette I didn’t even feel a need to toast it as is customary for most Bruschetta. I literally tore the Baguette into chucks, as you can tell in some of the photos. I cut the chunks in half and then into triangles, but the fun part is, make them into any shape you want.
Toast the Baguette, don’t toast it, the Goat and Tomato stars are so good you can use different scenery. If you want to toast the Baguette simply turn the oven to 350° F, drizzle a little Olive Oil or Butter over the tops of the cut Baguette and place in oven.
After 15 minutes poke the top of the Bread, if it feels like it is just starting to get crunchy they are done. If not, back in the oven and check again every 3-5 minutes until they are done.
how to build a Roasted tomato bruschetta
When the stars do their job it makes putting everything together very easy. Start by simply spread a nice layer of the Goat Cheese mixture over the top of the Baguette. Using a fork or spoon, scoop up a couple of roasted Cherry Tomatoes and some Shallot and place on top of the Goat Cheese.
Nothing more to it and you have delish Roasted Tomato Bruschetta. Place them on a serving tray or a clean cutting board for that rustic look. The only warning I have is ” don’t go back into the kitchen ” because by the time you come back there might not be any left.
Roasted Tomato Bruschetta
Ingredients
Roasting the Tomatoes
- 30 Cherry Tomatoes
- 3 cloves garlic crushed and chopped
- 2 Large Shallots thinly sliced
- 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 4-5 springs Fresh Thyme
Goat Cheese Mixture
- 1/4 C Goat Cheese
- 1 Tbsp Honey
- 1/2 Lemon zested chop the zest into tiny pieces
Finishing
- 1-2 Artisan Baguette Look for a nice fresh handmade Baugette
Instructions
Roasting the Tomatoes
- Turn the oven on to 400° F
- As the oven heats up place the Cherry Tomatoes, Shallots, Garlic, Thyme and Olive Oil into a baking tray just large enough to hold them.
- Stir the ingredients around until the Tomatoes are glistening from the Oil. Place them in the oven , a little more then half way up.
- After 20 minutes lightly stir the mixture, but try not crushing or breaking the Tomatoes. After another 20 minutes check and see if the Tomatoes are getting some caramelizing on the top. If they are, they can come out, if not check every 5 minutes until they are done. Place them on the counter to rest and cool off.
Goat Cheese mixture
- Use a zester or kitchen knife to zest half a Lemon. If you use a kitchen knife and there is any pith left on the rind do your best to trim it off. Chop the Lemon Zest into tiny little pieces.
- In a mixing bowl add the Goat Cheese, Honey and Lemon Zest and mix until fully incorporated.
The Baguette
- Cut the Baguette into interesting shapes, I simply torn it into 4"- 6" pieces, cut them in half lengthwise and cut again into triangles. But simple rectangular shapes or the classic medallions buy cutting accross the Baguette.
- I didn't toast the Bread but if you do, 350° F, on a baking sheet, brush a little Olive Oil or Butter on the top to help crisp them up. In the oven for 15-20 minutes, I would check them at the 15 minute mark and every few minutes after. The tops should just start to feel like the are getting crunchy
The Assembly
- Once you have everything prepped and cooled off, spread some of the wonderful tangy Goat Cheese over the Baguette.
- Top the Goat Cheese off with a scoop of the Tomato mixture. I like to make sure I get exactly 2 Roasted Cherry Tomatoes along with some of the Shallots on each Bruschetta. I find they work best as two bite appies with one Tomato for each bite. Enjoy!