Grilled Tomato Crustini Food

TOMATO CROSTINI

Steps:

• Heat a grill or grill pan or preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place bread on grill or on a baking sheet in the oven; toast until golden on both sides, turning once. Transfer to a serving platter, and lightly brush one side of each slice with oil.
• Roughly chop or slice tomatoes, and place in a large bowl. Add the salt and pepper, and toss to combine. Add basil and chervil, and drizzle with the oil and vinegar. Gently toss again. To serve, spoon tomato mixture over bread, and garnish with basil sprigs.

MIXED GRILLED CHEESE AND OVEN DRIED TOMATO CROSTINI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.
• Arrange the tomatoes, cut-side up, in a single layer on a parchment or foil-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt. Bake until slightly shriveled but still plump, about 5 hours. Layer them with the herb sprigs in a container, add olive oil to cover, seal tightly and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Brush both sides of the bread slices with some of the flavored olive oil and place on a baking sheet. Bake until golden, about 7 minutes, turning once about halfway through. While the toasts are hot, rub both sides with the whole garlic clove, placing them back on the baking sheet as you work. Leave the oven on.
• Put a tomato and a small slice of cheese on each toast - it's yummy either with the tomato on the cheese or with the cheese on top. Bake just until cheese starts to melt, about 3 minutes. Serve warm.

GRILLED TOMATO CRUSTINI

Steps:

• To make the glaze: simmer the vinegar and the sugar until it has reduced by half. Cool then refrigerate.
• To make the crustini: slice the baguette in 1/4 inch thick rounds. Lay out on wax paper on the counter.
• Cut the tomatoes in half from top to bottom, then lay cut side down and slice into 1/4 inch thick half circles. Lay out next to the bread rounds.
• Brush the bread and the tomatoes with olive oil and season with the salt and pepper.
• Grill the bread for about 1 minute on each side on low heat. Watch out for hot spots to avoid burning. Lay out on a serving platter.
• Grill the tomatoes for about 30 seconds on each side on med-high heat, making sure to heat through and to get a little charring. Place the tomatoes on top of each lice of bread.
• Sprinkle the Gorgonzola evenly on each crustini then drizzle the glaze over the tops and around the serving platter. Sprinkle the platter with the parsley.

CROSTINI WITH SUN-DRIED TOMATO JAM

Steps:

• For the sun-dried tomato jam:
• Place a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the chopped sun-dried tomatoes, 1 tablespoon of the reserved sun-dried tomato oil, olive oil, onion, and garlic. Stir and cook until the onions are soft and beginning to brown at the edges, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the sugar, vinegar, water, chicken broth, thyme, salt, and pepper. Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Remove the cover and continue simmering until most of the liquid is reduced and the mixture is the consistency of jam, about 5 to 10 more minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• For the crostini:
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil.
• Place the baguette slices on the baking sheet. Using a pastry brush, lightly coat the baguette slices with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake until lightly toasted, about 8 minutes.
• Place the soft goat cheese in a small bowl. Stir in the thyme.
• To assemble:
• Spread the crostini with sun-dried tomato jam and top with the goat cheese and herb mixture. Transfer to a serving plate and serve.

CROSTINI WITH MASCARPONE, GRILLED SCALLION, TOMATO AND BALSAMIC GLAZE

Steps:

• Preheat the grill to high heat.
• Brush the bread with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper, to taste. Put on the grill and cook until lightly toasted. Brush the tomatoes with canola oil and grill until slightly charred. Remove and coarsely chop. Remove the bread from the grill and spread the slices with mascarpone. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Put the bread back on the grill over indirect heat to warm the cheese. Remove the crostini from the grill to a serving platter and top with the tomato and scallions. Drizzle with balsamic glaze, sprinkle with more salt and pepper, to taste, and serve.

CROSTINI ALLA NORMA

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Arrange the baguette slices on a sheet pan, brush the tops with olive oil, then bake until lightly toasted, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a board or platter and set aside.
• Add the eggplant, 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper to the sheet pan. Toss well and roast, tossing occasionally, until very tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
• When the eggplant is done, in a large (12-inch) skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-low. Add the onion and cook, tossing occasionally, until the onions are translucent, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic, oregano, red-pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook just until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Add the cooked eggplant, tomatoes, 1/4 cup basil and the red wine vinegar, and continue to cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes have completely fallen apart and the mixture has thickened, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Spoon the mixture onto the baguette slices, top with the remaining basil and the ricotta salata, and serve warm or at room temperature.

GRILLED SUMMER SQUASH AND TOMATO CROSTINI

Steps:

• Place the sliced squash, zucchini, and dressing into a large plastic bag and seal. Marinate in the refrigerator for several hours.
• In a bowl, mix together the cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, dried oregano, dried parsley and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Prepare your grill for medium-high heat. Toast the baguette slices on the grill for 2 minutes per side. Remove from the grill and immediately rub the bread slices with the garlic then drizzle them with olive oil.
• Remove vegetables from dressing. Discard dressing. Grill the marinated squash and zucchini slices for 8 minutes, flipping once.
• Spread the cream cheese mixture onto the toasted baguette slices and top with the grilled summer squash and sliced tomatoes. Season to taste Garnish with fresh herbs if desired.