Tomato Basil Bruschetta a la Julie and Julia

My favorite movie from last year, hands-down, was Julie and Julia. It was the best combination of blogging, food, love, travel, cinematography, and plus--a true story! Every dish Julia and Julie made had my stomach rumbling and mouth yearning for delicious food! I left the movie (somewhere around 10:00 p.m.) wanting to go straight home and destroy my kitchen to whip up some culinary fabulousness! Well, I didn't wait too long. I HAD to make the tomato basil bruschetta featured as the first cooked meal in the film. So, after some internet scavenging and quite a bit of my own intuition, the Tomato Basil Bruschetta a la Julie and Julia was born.

This is a go-to meal for Scott and I during tomato season. You can just use red tomatoes, of course, but I find the vibrant hue variation makes this dish quite spectacular (you know, you do eat with your EYES as well as your MOUTH....)

What you will need for 2 servings:

-1.5 to 2 lbs. FRESH tomatoes (I would recommend heirloom tomatoes or farmer's market tomatoes), seeded and diced (please, for the sake of your taste buds, do not make this dish in the winter! The tomatoes you find in winter are mealy, unripe, and just poor quality, at best.)

-3 Tbls. olive oil

-3 cloves garlic, minced

-3 heaping Tbls. fresh basil, finely shopped

-Salt and pepper

-1 French baquette or sour dough baguette, sliced on the diagonal, about 1.5" thick

What to do:

-Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat

-Add bread slices to the heated oil and allow to cook to a nice, golden brown on both sides

-Remove the bread, setting aside on a plate with a paper towel

-Add more olive oil to the pan, if necessary

-Put the garlic in the skillet and saute until slightly golden

-Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring often, until soft and juicy

-Turn off the heat and season with salt, pepper, and basil

-Scoop a decent serving over each slice of the bread, place on a platter, and eat to your hearts desire! I easily down 4 to 5 of these juicy slices!

In the words of Julia.... BON APETIT!

HK