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This beautiful plate from Gardenia restaurant in New York’s Greenwich Village is a composition of grilled mackerel, butternut squash and endive, garnished with baby greens dressed in vinaigrette and a dollop of pesto.
But what really stood out to us is what we’ve named “American bruschetta,” a square of crustless white toast, topped with pickled vegetables, a gherkin and an herb leaf tossed in vinaigrette (shown on the bottom left of the plate).
If this is “American bruschetta,” what’s Italian bruschetta? Here’s the scoop, including the difference between bruschetta and crostini. (NOTE: Pronounce it broo-skett-a, not broo-shett-a.)
You don’t need a baguette or other crusty loaf that serves as the foundation of classic bruschetta.
Toast anything—from ordinary white bread to raisin walnut bread.
Top it with anything that complements the entrée. Look in your fridge, pantry, freezer.
Use up leftovers.
Have fun with your creation.
RECIPE: AMERICAN BRUSCHETTA
Ingredients
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Check out the crustless toast topped with veggies. This bruschetta, along with the, orange squash and swath of burgundy beet purée, add vibrant color to the plate. Photo courtesy Gardenia Restaurant | NYC. |
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Cheese: goat cheese, crème fraîche, fromage blanc or other mild cheese on raisin bread or walnut bread (or a raisin-walnut-semolina combination)
Condiments: chutney, compound butter, olives
Fish: anchovies, caviar/roe, sardines, shellfish
Meat: bacon, sausage, other charcuterie
Spreads: egg salad, guacamole, Middle Eastern (babaganoush, hummus, tzatziki, etc.), spreadable pâté, tapenade, pimento cheese or other cheese spread
Vegetables: fresh (baby arugula, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers or watercress are easy), pickled, puréed cooked vegetables
Whatever you have at hand (yesterday we used leftover creamy polenta garnished with sliced olives and pimento
Plus
Butter, mayonnaise, mustard, olive oil, vinaigrette, yogurt or other binder as needed, to anchor dry ingredients to the bread
Garnishes: sliced chiles, herbs, gherkins, spices, etc.
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Duck breast with carrot purée. Photo courtesy CopperBox.com. |
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Preparation
1. ASSEMBLE the ingredients. Grill or toast the bread (in a toaster or under the broiler). Remove the crusts as desired.
2. SPREAD a binder, if necessary, on the bread.
3. TOP with the featured ingredients and serve.
RECIPE: HOW TO MAKE A SWATH OF VEGETABLE OR FRUIT PURÉE
Painted swaths of fruit or vegetable purée are clever ways to add color to a plate. Use them along with entrées that are beige, brown or white—which includes every protein we can think of except crab, shrimp and lobster (fish, meat, poultry, seitan, tofu).
That also goes for most standard starches: beans, potatoes, noodles, white and brown rice and most other grains.
Even if you have another bright color on the plate—butternut squash, carrots, corn, green beans, etc.—you can round out the plate with a swath of a different color.
No time to cook vegetables for your color splash? Canned beets and carrots work well: Just drain and purée.
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Ingredients
Bright colored fruit or vegetable—green, orange, red, yellow
Seasonings to taste—anything from salt and pepper to curry, garlic, etc.
Preparation
1. PURÉE and seasonthe cooked vegetable.
2. USE a silicon basting brush to paint a swath of purée across the plate.
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