Capreze Brushcetta

My two little ole' tomato plants are producing like crazy right now.  It seems like one day you have a plant full of green tomatoes and the next they are ripe and ready to pick.  This year I planted only Cherry tomato plants, not because I don't like the larger ones but because the process is quicker and I'm an instant gratification kind of gal.  Most of the time I find myself eating the tomatoes right off of the vine but in the last couple of days I have gotten a bowl full and ready to be ate...I only needed to decide how??

 

 

I settled on Brushcetta, which is basically a toasted piece of bread with yummy things on top.  Capreze is always one of my favorite flavor combinations (tomato, mozzarella and basil) and since I have basil growing next to the tomatoes it was a perfect fit.

 

 

To make it you will need 1/2 a loaf of French bread, 2 cups of cherry tomatoes (halved), 1 clove of garlic, 1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil, 1 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar, mozzarella cheese, 2 Tablespoons of chopped basil, salt & pepper to taste.

I began by cutting the tomatoes in half...

 

Then I cut the bread into slices and placed them on cookie sheet.  I then drizzled a little olive oil on each slice of bread, so that they toast up well...

 

 

While the bread is toasting in a preheated 375° oven for about 8 minutes I tossed the tomatoes with the basil, olive oil, balsamic, salt and pepper...

 

After the bread has toasted I took a whole garlic clove that I had cut in half and rubbed it over the bread...

 

 

This is such a great way to get garlic flavor without it being too overpowering.

 

I then added a slice of mozzarella cheese to each piece of bread and put it back into the oven until the cheese is melted...

 

 

Add a heaping tablespoon of the tomato mixture to the top of each piece of bread and serve...

 

 

I'm telling you the flavor combination is out of this world.  The crispy bread with the melted cheese and sweet tomatoes can not be beat.  I served it with grilled chicken and dinner was complete.  If you don't grow tomatoes then go and buy them to make this...you will be glad you did.  Sweet tomato-