Bruschetta with Rosemary, Roasted Plum Tomatoes, Ricotta and Prosciutto

I have never met a bruschetta I didn’t like – and after traveling to Italy, I have a deeper love for the appetizer. What I love about bruschetta is you can improvise and make it as complex or simple as you want. You can add really whatever you want atop the crusty bread, and it always seems to taste fantastic.

This bruschetta recipe does take a little extra time because you roast the tomatoes, but I find it is worth it for the deep flavor. I love the crispy, light addition of the arugula (not to mention it adds the green in the Italian flag to make it a true red, white and green Italian dish!).

I made this for a dinner party and it went over well – I roasted the tomatoes and baked the bread in advance, then assembled when everyone arrived!

Thanks to Bon Appetit for this great antipasti!

BRUSCHETTA WITH ROSEMARY, ROASTED PLUM TOMATOES, RICOTTA AND PROSCIUTTO
Serves 6

6 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 large plum tomatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds), quartered lengthwise
12 1/2-inch-thick diagonally cut baguette slices (each 3 to 4 inches long)
12 tablespoons ricotta cheese, divided
6 thin prosciutto slices, cut in half crosswise
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 cup microgreens or baby arugula

Preheat oven to 425°F. Stir 6 tablespoons oil, garlic, rosemary, 1 teaspoon coarse salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper in large bowl to blend. Add tomato quarters and stir to coat. Let stand 5 minutes. Line rimmed baking sheet with foil. Lift tomatoes from marinade and arrange, cut side down, on prepared baking sheet (reserve marinade for toasts).

Roast tomatoes until skin is browned and blistered and tomatoes are very tender, about 35 minutes. Cool tomatoes on sheet. Maintain oven temperature.

Meanwhile, arrange bread slices on another rimmed baking sheet. Brush top of each with reserved marinade (including garlic and rosemary bits).

Roast bread until top is golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool toasts on sheet.

Spread 1 tablespoon ricotta cheese on each toast; sprinkle with pepper. Fold prosciutto halves over and place on ricotta. Arrange 2 tomato quarters atop prosciutto. Whisk lemon juice and remaining 1 teaspoon oil in medium bowl to blend; season with salt and pepper. Add microgreens and toss to coat. Top bruschetta with microgreens. Arrange on platter and serve.

Scallops Gratin

For New Year’s Eve, my husband and I rarely like to go out. The streets are crowded, the bars are crowded – and it always SEEMS like a good idea until you are in line for a drink for 20 minutes after paying $40 to get in the door! So our New Years always consist of either small gatherings with friends, or a night just the two of us.

This year I decided to make something a bit different, and have a romantic dinner with my husband. Since I cook dinner from scratch almost every night, it doesn’t seem very “special.” So, I thought doing something way out of my wheelhouse would do the trick (that and a pricey bottle of wine!).

I saw Ina Garten make scallops gratin earlier during the week and I was always intrigued (and a bit scared). I don’t make fish or seafood too often because it isn’t my husband’s favorite, so I feared I would be so clueless I would mess it up. But Ina made it look SO easy! She even made it for a dinner party in advance, and threw it in the oven for 12 minutes while her guests arrived! Who doesn’t need a great party recipe like that?!

So after making the decision to go out on a limb (and run the risk of having a take out backup plan) I started making my list of ingredients. The problem was, however, I had nothing to bake them in! Sure, I could throw them in a 8 x 8 glass dish or stuff them in tiny ramekins. But Ina had such beautiful bowls – individual gratin bowls – that I just had to have.

I am embarrassed to say after a VERY expensive trip to Sur la Table (you can never buy things in just 2s, right?) I had the perfect dishes to make the perfect meal.

The meal was delicious! My husband still isn’t a huge scallop fan but said “if I ever were to eat scallops, it would be just like this!” which seemed like a ringing endorsement to me! They were cooked perfectly and with amazing, sophisticated flavors. No tips on this recipe other than to just follow directions and you will be fine. Only thing to note is do go by the pounds on the servings – the portions never seem like enough but the scallops are so rich they go further than you think.

So, enjoy this great meal and here’s to a great New Year!

SCALLOP GRATIN
6 Servings

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
6 large garlic cloves, minced (I would maybe pull this back a bit if you aren’t really into tons of garlic – it is a lot!)
2 medium shallots, minced
2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto di Parma, minced
4 tablespoons minced fresh parsley, plus extra for garnish
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons Pernod (optional – I made without since I didn’t have any!)
1 teaspoon kosher salt (the recipe calls for 2 but I recommend 1 since the prosciutto is so salty)
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 tablespoons good olive oil
1/2 cup panko
6 tablespoons dry white wine
2 pound fresh bay scallops
Lemon, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Place 6 (6-inch round) gratin dishes on a sheet pan.

To make the topping, place the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (you can also use a hand mixer). With the mixer on low speed, add the garlic, shallot, prosciutto, parsley, lemon juice, Pernod (if using), salt, and pepper and mix until combined. With the mixer still on low, add the olive oil slowly as though making mayonnaise, until combined. Fold the panko in with a rubber spatula and set aside.

Preheat the broiler, if it’s separate from your oven.

Place 1 tablespoon of the wine in the bottom of each gratin dish. With a small sharp knife, remove the white muscle and membrane from the side of each scallop and discard (if present). Pat the scallops dry with paper towels and distribute them among the 3 dishes. Spoon the garlic butter evenly over the top of the scallops. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the topping is golden and sizzling and the scallops are barely done. If you want the top crustier, place the dishes under the broiler for 2 minutes, until browned. Finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a sprinkling of chopped parsley and serve immediately with crusty French bread.