Summer…summer…summer…ah the flavors of summer! Tomatoes being one of the seasons best gifts. With all the different colors, shapes and tastes of the heirloom tomato market now a days you have a bounty from which to choose to design your own masterpiece. We are plodding through a kitchen remodel and our outdoor kitchen is somewhat limited. However with the flavors and the weather of the summertime we are bravely shouldering through it. These lovely little crostini were created with a toothy sourdough artisanal bread lovingly made by Kneaded by Hand, a beautiful vibrant olive oil, lemon juice from my Mother’s lemon tree, heirloom tomatoes and a white wine vinegar from our local farmers market.
ingredients
- 2 pints of mixed small heirloom tomatoes
- 1/4 c chopped arugula
- 1/4 c chopped fresh basil
- 1 T lemon juice
- 1 T champagne vinegar
- 1/4 c great extra virgin olive oil
- 1 – 2 t Sous Salt Sun Dried Tomato or Pinot Noir, or Chipotle (any would work)
- Pepper to taste
- 1 clove garlic
- 4 slices sourdough bread
- olive oil for drizzling
- 2 T pickled red onion (substitute with red onion, chives or scallions if you prefer)
directions
Cut the lovely little tomato gems in half or quarters so that they are bite size. Whisk together the lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil, Sous Salt & Pepper. Add the arugula, basil and pickled onion to the tomatoes and pour the dressing on to the tomatoes. I like to do this 30 minutes before I prepare the crostini. It gives the tomatoes time to absorb the flavors and let off some of their own juices from the salting.
Drizzle the slices of bread with a bit of olive oil and toast them on a stove top grill pan or in a toaster oven whichever way you prefer. Once they are nicely brown take the garlic clove and gently rub the toasts with the garlic. Spoon on the tomato mixture and see if you can get the first one to the plate before taking a bite!