Bruschetta is always delicious. I’ve winterized this classic with warm, sautéed tomatoes and onions and a sweet balsamic reduction.

Blistered Tomato & Roasted Garlic Bruschetta

Yield: approx. 2 cups  Prep: 40 minutes   Cook: 25 minutes

Ingredients

• ½ head of garlic, roasted
• ½ cup balsamic vinegar
• ½ cup red onion, sliced thin
• 4 tbsp + 1 tsp olive oil, divided
• 4 cups cherry tomatoes
• Kosher Salt, to taste
• Cracked Pepper, to taste
• ½ C Fresh Basil, chopped
• 1 French baguette, sliced thin

*Do not start your tomato mixture until your garlic is roasted and cooled

Roasted Garlic:

Preheat the oven to 350F. Trim ¼ inch off the top of the garlic head. Drizzle 1 teaspoon of olive oil over the tops of the cloves (where you made the cut) Wrap the garlic head in aluminum foil and place it on a baking tray, in the oven (cut top up). Bake for 40 minutes.

Allow garlic head to cool. Separate the cloves from the outer skin. Pop the cloves out of the individual skins (This should be easy to do with a little squeeze to the uncut bottom of the clove). Give the cloves a rough chop just to break them up a bit.

Balsamic Glaze:

In a small sauce pan, heat the balsamic vinegar over medium heat until it boils. Lower heat slightly and continue to cook for 4-5 minutes until the sauce is reduced by half. Pour the glaze into a small dish and set aside. The glaze will continue to thicken as it cools.

Tomato Mixture:

Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté the onions until they begin to soften and turn translucent, around 4 minutes.

In a large bowl, toss together the tomatoes and 2 tbsp olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add the tomatoes into the skillet and allow to cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomato skins blister and soften, around 5 minutes. If the tomatoes do not pop, lightly press down on them with a potato masher.

Add the fresh basil and roasted garlic, stir gently, then remove from heat.

Make the Bruschetta:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly brush the top of each baguette slice with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with kosher salt. Place slices onto a lined baking tray and bake for about 10 minutes, until light golden brown and crisp.

Top each slice with a spoonful of the tomato mixture.

Drizzle the balsamic glaze onto each bruschetta and serve.

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Technically this recipe is not as speedy as one would like for an appetizer. Don’t let that stop you, its totally worth the time. 

Tips for Cooking: Tomatoes are like 95% water, so don’t panic if things get a little juicy. Use a slatted spoon when you transfer it to a serving bowl to reduce some of the liquid. 

Keep a good eye on the Balsamic glaze, if it reduced too far it will turn into glue. Glue is hard to eat… you don’t want glue.