Buffallo Mozzarella Tomato Basil Appetizers
Crusty french bread, brushed with garlic and olive oil topped with tomato, sea salt, mozzarella and basil then a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil make very fresh appetizers that showcase the simple ingredients. Quick and easy to make for guests in a flash.
Yield
6 servingsPrep
10 minCook
5 minReady
15 minIngredients
| Amount | Measure | Ingredient | Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | tablespoons |
olive oil, extra-virgin
as high a quality as you can find |
|
| ½ | pound |
bread, french baguette
fresh and crusty |
|
| 1 | teaspoon |
sea salt
as high a quality as you can find, coarse and flaky if possible |
|
| 1 | each |
beefsteak tomatoes
or other fresh tomato will do |
*
|
| ¼ | pound |
mozzarella cheese
buffalo or boccaccini preferred or just regular mozzarella |
|
| 4 | tablespoons |
basil
fresh, sliced into strips (chiffonade) |
|
| 1 | clove |
garlic
fresh minced (optional) |
|
Ingredients
| Amount | Measure | Ingredient | Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| 75 | ml |
olive oil, extra-virgin
as high a quality as you can find |
|
| 226.8 | g |
bread, french baguette
fresh and crusty |
|
| 5 | ml |
sea salt
as high a quality as you can find, coarse and flaky if possible |
|
| 1 | each |
beefsteak tomatoes
or other fresh tomato will do |
*
|
| 113.4 | g |
mozzarella cheese
buffalo or boccaccini preferred or just regular mozzarella |
|
| 6E+1 | ml |
basil
fresh, sliced into strips (chiffonade) |
|
| 1 | clove |
garlic
fresh minced (optional) |
|
Directions
Mix 4 tablespoons with the garlic if using in a small bowl. Reserve the rest of the olive oil for drizzle.
Cut the bread into ½ to ¾ inch rounds. Brush with the olive oil and toast in a toaster oven or preheated oven until crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.
Top the bread rounds (crostinis) with sliced tomato.
Sprinkle with sea salt.
Then top with generous slices of mozzarella (boccaccini if you have it) cut to fit.
Broil in the toaster oven or oven until the cheese just starts to melt.
Top with basil cut into long thin slices.
Drizzle with the remaining olive oil and serve.
You can use regular ingredients but the simple flavors really shine and become truly spectacular if you use a very high quality olive oil (it's worth the extra price) and a really nice flaky sea salt (eg. fleur de sel).
For the photo I used Kangaroo Paw Australian Extra-Virgin olive oil with mountain pepper and Fleur de Sel sea salt. Outstanding crisp and fresh flavors. The baguette was also home-made based upon Julia Childs method outlined in the second volume of Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I'm slowly gaining ground on making a near perfect loaf of french bread.
