Heirloom tomato bruschetta

Inspired by the vibrant colors at the farmers’ market this holiday weekend, I made bruschetta with heirloom tomatoes and fresh basil. And a special mention for the aged balsamic which just makes everything taste better.

1 lb. heirloom tomatoes
1 medium shallot, diced
1 clove garlic, finely diced
1 tbs. red wine vinegar
1 tbs. extra virgin olive oil
8 leaves fresh basil, cut chiffonade
Parmesan cheese
S&P

1 medium loaf artisan bread
Extra virgin olive oil
Aged balsamic vinegar

Wash, remove stems and cut tomatoes in half. Place in medium bowl. Add red wine vinegar and EVOO to bowl. Stir. Dice shallot and sauté in olive oil in small saucepan. Dice garlic and add to saucepan for 1 minute, do not burn. Add to bowl of tomatoes. Chiffonade basil (see tip below) and mix half with tomatoes. Salt and pepper to taste and let sit. Set remaining basil aside.

Cut bread in thin slices and place on sheet pan. Lightly drizzle bread with EVOO and aged balsamic. Place in oven on broil, watching carefully to not burn. Remove and place bread on serving dish. Pile tomato mixture onto bread slices. Garnish generously with basil and parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

Tip: When cutting a chiffonade of basil, stack basil leaves on top of one another and roll lengthwise – almost like rolling a cigar. Then, cut thinly across the cigar roll resulting in thin strips of fresh basil.