This Bruschetta Topping irresistible! It combines fresh tomatoes, artichoke hearts, garlic, basil, olive oil, and GOAT CHEESE! Top on toasty garlic crostini and you get fresh bright flavors with both crunch and creamy in every bite.
Preheat Oven to 350 F Degrees
Slice the baguette on a bias in about ⅓ to ½ inch thick slices. Lay all of the slices out flat on a sheet pan or two pans if needed. It's ok if the slices touch. Then spray all of the slices with or brush on Extra Virgin Olive oil. Sprinkle Salt lightly over all of the slices.
Then flip each baguette slice over and spray again with olive oil. Cut the end of the garlic clove off and rub the exposed end of the clove on each slice. Then sprinkle this side with salt.
Bake in the oven for 10 minutes and then flip each slice over and bake for another 10 minutes until golden toasted. Remove and let rest to cool.
Simply slice off the 4 sides (or cheeks) of the tomato, then remove the seeds with your fingers as shown in the video. Discard the seeds. Then dice and add to the bowl.
Next, dice the artichoke hearts. I use canned artichoke hearts and discard the very tips of the leaves as they can be tough. Since this recipe is not cooked, I discard them as there is no other cooking opportunity to soften them. Then dice the rest of the heart. Add them to the tomatoes.
Finely slice or chiffonade the basil and add it to the tomatoes and artichokes. Then mince the garlic and add that to the bowl.
Add the Olive Oil, salt, and pepper and mix!
After everything is mixed thoroughly, use a fork to scrape in crumbles of goat cheese. 5 ounces of cheese seems like the perfect mix of creaminess to the tang and sweetness from the tomatoes and artichoke hearts, but of course, feel free to add more or less as you desire. Mix the goat cheese in just until combined. If you over mix, the cheese will blend in too much melting into the topping. I like to stop mixing when there are still nice chunks of cheese!
Add the topping to a serving bowl and surround with the toasted baguette slices. Enjoy!!
1 Serving = 1 Small Crostini (toasted baguette slice) with Bruschetta topping. You may get more or less servings depending on how generous guests are with loading their toppings on.