Nathalie Dupree

January 1, 1970

This is the quick cook’s answer to bruschetta. Rather than grilling the bread, it is toasted in the toaster for an easy appetizer or accompaniment to antipasto.

Italian loaf of bread
Ovolini fresh mozzarella
Heirloom tomatoes in assorted colors – red, green, yellow, orange, Brandywine, Zebra
Coarse salt
Fresh ground pepper
1 teaspoon fresh garlic, smashed and blended into 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

For each slice of Bruschetta:

1 piece of bread, toasted as darkly as possible
Brush with scant amount of garlic flavored oil
Top with slices of the fresh mozzarella and heirloom tomatoes. Cut the cheese and tomatoes into 1/8th inch slices.

Quantities used will depend on the length of the bread slice. We used 4 slices of tomato and cheese. Alternate a slice of cheese with a slice of tomato, creating an attractive mosaic of colors. Move to a platter, sprinkle with salt and pepper

Options: Drizzle with more olive oil. Top with fresh herbs.

Alternate: These same heirloom tomatoes were seasoned with coarse salt; stacked and held together with a basil sprig to create a “faux” Napoleon of tomatoes. Makes for a pretty summer platter; summer tomatoes salad; drizzle with your favorite vinaigrette.