Cherry Tomato Crostini

The first time I had burrata and tomatoes was at Pizzeria Mozza in like… 2009? Their tomatoes on the vine were so GOOD and I didn’t understand why.

…Until I went back about a year ago. Older. Wiser. More experienced in the kitchen. Then… it hit me. NO WONDER!!!!!!!!!!

THEY CONFIT’D THE TOMATOES!!! DUH!!!!!

This basically means that they slowly bake (maybe roast is the term?) the tomatoes in a bath of olive oil, garlic, maybe herbs, a little sugar, salt & pepper in the oven to produce this flavorful, juicy, tomato bomb. When you think about the difference between a raw tomato vs. tomato confit, I like to think of the comparison between “fresh” vs. “jammy” fruit. It’s tangier and has a more concentrated flavor. TBH if you are desperate for tomatoes when they’re not in season, confit’ing them is really the play.

Burrata’s cool but sometimes I just feel a little burrata’d out and whipped ricotta is a nice sub, especially atop crostini (less drippy!). It’s a sweeter flavor that is delicious against the tangy, zippy tomato confit.

The basil looks like a garnish but actually makes a big diff here. It’s the fresh bite. And obv needed some balsamic drizz!

Addictive so proceed with caution!

a little something i like to call “accidental ASMR”.

All you do for cherry tomato confit is stem your tomatoes and put them in a single layer in a dish - it can be bigger than this! Drizzle with evoo until tomatoes are about half submerged. Sprinkle garlic, salt, sugar, and rosemary. You can drizzle some balsamic too!

Roast in oven at 275 until it kind of looks like this. Can take anywhere from 1.5-3H depending on how soft you want them. Check on them at your leisure! Also when they’re done, strain the oil/tomato juice and keep it in the fridge. It’s basically tomato oil and i use it in place of evoo in salads. it’s amaze!

Ricotta, lemon zest, a little oil, thyme, s&p then hand blended (like with a hand blender i didn’t do it w my fingers you sicko!!)

then basically news team assemble. swipe some ricotta mixture on a crostini, top with some cherry tomato confit, drizzle with evoo, sprinkle with sea salt, and basil that baby!

Cherry Tomato Crostini

INGREDIENTS

Cherry Tomato Confit

-Cherry Tomatoes

-Garlic, Rosemary

-EVOO, Salt, Sugar

-Crostinis

-Ricotta, lemon, basil, balsamic

SUGGESTIONS

Preheat oven to 275. Put cherry tomatoes in a small baking dish and cover with evoo until about half way up the tomatoes. sprinkle with salt, sugar, some crushed garlic and rosemary. Roast in oven for 1.5-3h, depends on how concentrated and soft you want the tomatoes. See my pic for guidance. Remove from oven and let cool in liquid.

Mix a couple spoonfuls of ricotta with a pinch of lemon zest, a dab of evoo, a little salt&pepper and herbs if you like. I use a hand blender to mix for super smooth texture but anything works.

Spread some of the ricotta on a crostini and top with some cherry tomato confit. Drizzle balsamic. Sprinkle fleur de sel. Add a basil leaf and VOILA!