Bruschetta Sundae

Except for my Twisted Sister’s Creamy Cucumber Salad & Kate's Afternoon Wine Cooler (Zwt - France), I am largely recipe-oriented & just not esp good at orig recipes. BUT this unique & highly touted recipe was pictured in a newspaper restaurant review & inspired me to get copycat-creative. Described as the most popular appy at the Oliveto Italian Bistro in Tulsa, OK, the ingredients were listed & I combined them w/my imagination + a basil-marinated tomatoes recipe borrowed from the Vic’s Recipes website & credited to *It Is About Time* by Michael Schlow. This is a very easy-fix, so do not be put-off by my penchant for detail. Altho an appy at Oliveto, I can easily see this recipe expanded to a luncheon entrée & I included a note at the end of the prep to suggest other optional adds for that purpose. *Enjoy* !

• Ready In: 25 mins
• Serves: 4
• Yields: 4 Appy Servings

Ingredients

• For Balsamic Glaze

• 1  ounce  balsamic vinegar
• 1  teaspoon brown sugar (packed)

• For Basil-Marinated Tomatoes

• 4  plum tomatoes (ripe & cut in med dice ~ An = amt of grape or cherry tomatoes is OK if they are what is really good)
• 8 -10  large basil leaves (torn into sml pieces)
• 2  ounces extra virgin olive oil
• 1⁄2  lemon, juice of
•  salt & pepper (to taste pref)

• For Bread

• 1  loaf baguette (Pre-baked ~ Do not use sandwich bread. Use baguette or another artisan type bread.)
•  garlic-infused olive oil (for brushing)

• To Serve

• 1⁄2 cup asiago cheese (shredded)
• 8  fresh basil leaves (garnish) (optional)

Directions

1. For Balsamic Glaze: Combine balsamic vinegar w/brown sugar, mix well & set aside.
2. For Basil-Marinated Tomatoes: Combine all ingredients in a bowl & marinate for at least 1 hour.
3. For Bread: Preheat oven to 350°F Slice baguette into 1-in slices. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush both sides of ea slice w/the garlic-infused olive oil. Quarter ea slice, place on a baking sheet & bake till crisp.
4. To Serve Sundaes: Divide toasted baguette cubes among 4 appy serving plates. Pour off any excess liquid from the marinated tomatoes, add the balsamic glaze to the tomatoes mixture & mix well. Divide tomatoes among the 4 plates & top w/Asiago cheese + basil leaves (if desired).
5. NOTE: To expand this dish to luncheon entrée size, consider adding red onion, black olives, mushrooms, pancetta or whatever else your taste buds fancy.