I will have to start by assuming that we have all had Bruschetta before, or at least know what it is. Since there isn’t really much to explain about diced tomatoes on a slice of bread, I decided to give you a recipe for next level Bruschetta! (With all due respect to my Italian friends.. 😁)

• Ingredients:
  • Garlic Confit:
    • 1 head of garlic, separated into peeled cloves
    • 1 cup olive oil
    • Fresh rosemary, bayleaf, thyme sprigs (optional)
  • Fresh Ricotta:
    • 500ml fresh, full-fat milk
    • 4 Tbsp plain yogurt
    • 1 Tbsp lemon juice
    • Salt to taste
  • Tomato topping:
    • 200g cherry tomatoes
    • 2 cloves of garlic
    • 1/4 cup olive oil
    • Dash of balsamic vinegar
    • Salt & pepper
    • Some fresh Italian basil leaves
  • You will also need some French baguette, sliced.

• To make the garlic confit:
  1. Add the garlic cloves and olive oil to an small, oven-safe sauce pan.
  2. Let the garlic slowly soften in the oil for an hour under a very low temperature in the oven (no higher than 160°C)
  3. Remove from the oven and transfer to a heat-resistant container. Once it has cooled down completely, cover and store at room temperature. You can really use this stuff in so many awesome ways!!

• To make the fresh ricotta:
  1. Add the milk and yogurt to a saucepan making sure to stir and dissolve the yogurt into the milk.
  2. Heat up the mixture until it starts to reach a gentle simmer.
  3. Add the lemon juice and stir once, very briefly. Bring up to a gentle simmer again for 30 seconds and then remove from the heat to allow the cheese curds to form.
  4. After 10 minutes scoop out the cheese curds with a slotted spoon into a mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth.
  5. Sprinkle the salt over the top and fold the cheesecloth shut.
  6. Push out the excess liquid and continue to strain in the refrigerator for 4 to 6 hours.
  7. Your homemade ricotta is ready.

• To make the tomato topping:
  1. Cut the cherry tomatoes into quarters.
  2. Finely mince the garlic.
  3. Slice the basil leaves into thin shreds.
  4. Add all the ingredients and seasonings to a large bowl and mix well.
  5. You can store this in the refrigerator overnight.

• To assemble your Bruschetta:
  1. Cut the baguette into diagonal slices.
  2. Spead one clove of the garlic confit onto each slice of bread.
  3. I added a spicy sun-dried tomato chutney on top of the garlic, but you can omit this step if you don’t have it or just use regular sun-dried tomatoes or a paste.
  4. Carefully scoop the cherry tomato salad into small mounds on top of the bread slices.
  5. Crumble some of the ricotta, top with some extra high quality olive oil and serve immediately!

Enjoy!! 🙂