Heirloom Tomato Toast

This is a wonderfully simple way to feed yourself, no recipe required. In fact, if you’re staring at the recipe you’re kind of missing the point. Tomatoes. Toast. The name says it all. And sure you can layer on some creamy goat cheese or fresh made pesto first, but even that’s not necessary, the juices from those tomatoes will drip down into the crunchy bread and provide all the flavor you need.

For something so simple, I think you’ll be surprised at how big the reward is – especially if you use really flavorful tomatoes and good bread. It’s one of those better-than-the-sum-of-its-parts recipes that I look forward to making every summer on repeat.

simple recipes like this are all about the ingredients

Choose a rustic loaf from your favorite bakery or the bakery section of your supermarket. The tomatoes should be ripe and juicy.

You can use regular red tomatoes for your toast, but this is a perfect way to showcase colorful heirlooms. The more different shades the merrier!

heirloom tomato toast assembly – it’s so easy!

1. Brush the bread with olive oil, and toast it lightly.
   • I do this under the broiler, but you can use a charcoal grill, or a grill pan on the stove.
2. Then rub it down with the cut side of a head of garlic.
   • The warm toasted bread absorbs just the right amount of garlic flavor and that really adds a lot to this toast, so don’t skip this step. I just slice a whole head in half crosswise for easy rubbing.
3. I like to slather the bread with a thin layer of pesto, goat cheese, or creamy ricotta, it just adds another layer of flavor and makes the light meal more satisfying. You could even spread your bread with a zesty chimichurri sauce.
4. Layer on your tomatoes, overlapping them a little bit.
5. Drizzle with great olive oil, and season with a little salt and pepper. If you like you could shave some Parmesan cheese over the top.

tips for achieving tomato toast perfection

• It’s essential that you use fresh bread. Artisan bread goes stale very quickly, so I like to use it the same day I buy it.
• Look for a wide, flat shape loaf so that you’ll have enough real estate to arrange your tomatoes.
• You can grill or toast the bread ahead of time, but slice the tomatoes just before you are ready to eat, they start to deteriorate quickly once they’ve been cut.

more heirloom tomato recipes

• heirloom tomato gazpacho
• heirloom tomato bruschetta
• basil salad with heirloom tomatoes
• heirloom parmesan tomatoes
• summer tomato flight