Summer Tomato Bruschetta
A light, tasty and delicious way to use up summer tomatoes, paired with a garlicky cottage cheese spread and fresh basil pesto.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
Cottage Cheese Spread
- 1 cup cottage cheese (whole or reduced fat) I used whole fat for ideal texture and flavor
- 1 Tb. fresh chives, chopped lightly
- 4-6 fresh basil leaves
- 1 small garlic clove, peeled, chopped & mashed use the flat side of your chef's knife to mash on a cutting board
- 1 tsp. lemon zest
- 1 pinch kosher salt
- Several grinds fresh black pepper
Basil Pesto
- 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves
- 1 sm. bunch fresh parsley leaves
- 1 lemon, zested
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 pinch kosher salt
- Several grinds fresh black pepper
- 1/3 cup olive oil
Bruschetta
- 4 lg. slices sourdough bread (or other rustic bread)
- 10-12 small tomatoes, halved
- 2 Tb. unsalted butter, softened (alternate: olive oil)
- 1 Tb. chopped chives or other herbs (for finish garnish)
Instructions
Cottage Cheese Spread
- Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whip with an immersion blender until very smooth. OR, place all ingredients in the bowl of a small food processor and pulse a few times until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.
Basil Pesto
- Toast pine nuts in a small pan over low heat. Allow to cool about 10 minutes.
- Add all ingredients to the bowl of a food processor. Process about 1 minute until all ingredients are minced finely. With the processor running, slowly pour in the olive oil, using the feeding tube, and run about 30 seconds so it all comes together. Transfer to a small bowl and cover with plastic wrap until ready to use. (Note: refrigerate any pesto not used in this recipe; cover it with a thin layer of olive oil so it doesn't brown).
Bruschetta
- Grill or Toast the bread slices. Stovetop method: butter (or brush with olive oil) both sides of each piece. Place in a non-stick pan or a large griddle over medium/high heat; toast until the first side is brown, then flip and toast the other side. Oven method: lay buttered bread on a baking sheet and place in a 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes, until edges are brown and crispy. Grill method: toss bread onto a hot grill until both sides have grill marks and the pieces are crunchy. Toaster method: when all else fails, just use the toaster!
- Top each piece of toasted bread with a large spoonful of cottage cheese spread. Nestle in tomato halves, drizzle on pesto, sprinkle with herbs, flaky salt and black pepper, as desired. Cut into smaller pieces for easier serving. (NOTE: if the pesto seems too dry or dense to drizzle, simply add more olive oil to make it easiser to spoon onto the bruschetta).