Tomato Bruschetta with Whipped Feta

I took a few months off from blogging.  During that time I’ve tried a number of new yummy recipes.  So … I’m ready to share with you the best ones.  I also have a very fun vacation coming up in two weeks:  Paris, the Amalfi coast and Berlin.  (I know … interesting combo.)  But, I’m sure to have some fun travel tips and pics to share after the trip.

While it isn’t quite tomato season, I do always enjoy a good tomato bruschetta.  I ran across this recipe last fall, but just tried it this past week.   The lemony, feta spread makes such a nice addition to a traditional tomato bruschetta.

I made this for a party last night – and all that tried it thought it was quite good.  My husband and I had some with our lunch today.  Yum!

Once again, I was able to get all of the ingredients at Trader Joes.  I bought some cherry tomatoes to add to the baby heirloom tomatoes — quite a good combo.  And, I loved the variety of color with yellow, orange, red, purple and green.

Ingredients:

6 oz. Feta Cheese, crumbled

2 oz. Cream Cheese, at room temperature

2/3 cup Good Olive Oil, divided

2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed Lemon Juice

Salt and Pepper (freshly ground, preferred)

2 Tbsp. Pine Nuts

2 Tbsp.  minced Shallots (about 2 shallots)

2 tsp. minced Garlic (2 cloves)

2 Tbs. Red Wine Vinegar

2 lbs. ripe, small heirloom Tomatoes, sliced in halves

3 Tbsp. fresh Basil leaves, sliced (Plus extra for serving)

20 to 25 diagonal baguette slices (1/2 inch thick), toasted *

Directions:

1.  Place feta and cream cheese in a food processor.  Pulse until cheeses are mixed.  Add 1/3 cup of Olive Oil, lemon juice, 1/2 tsp. of Salt and 1/4 tsp. of Pepper and process until smooth.  Refrigerate spread until ready to serve.

2.  Place pine nuts in a dry saute pan over low heat.  Cook 5 to 10 minutes, stirring often until lightly browned.  Set aside.

3.  For the tomato topping (up to an hour before serving), combine shallots, garlic and vinegar in a medium bowl.  Set aside for 5 minutes to allow shallots to absorb vinegar.  Whisk in remaining 1/3 cup of olive oil, 1 tsp. Salt and 1/2 tsp. Pepper.  Add tomatoes and stir gently.  Set aside for 10 minutes.  Stir in basil and tasted for seasoning.

4.  To assemble bruschetta, spread each baguette slice with a generous amount of whipped feta.  With a slotted spoon, place tomatoes on top.  Put bruschetta on plates and scatter with the toasted pine nuts and reserved basil.

NOTES:

*  I misread the recipe and did NOT toast the baguette slices.  I thought it was a bit odd not to toast the bread, but it was still very good.  And, it was easy to eat, as sometimes toasted crostini can be a bit difficult to bite through.

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