The Julia Child Bruschetta recipe that's so good it brought my guests to tears. Olive Oil fried rustic bread topped with marinated tomatoes and basil.
If you're the kind of person who likes to cook, you know the satisfaction you get from serving someone food and having them smile at the end of eating it. If they actually mumble out a "Soooo goood" as they're eating it even better. Betty does that all the time when I feed her, (but she doesn't count because she makes the same sounds eating a TV dinner or a pistachio she swept up from behind the fridge.)
So the MMMMMMmmmmmm sounds are good, but the Holy Grail of feeding someone is bringing them to tears. Reducing a human being to a quaking, sobbing mess whose greatest fear in life is no longer death ... but the thought of never eating this delicious food again.
On August 22nd, 2014 such a miracle occurred in my kitchen. And then it happened again.
I thought it was just a fluke, like when people see Jesus in their Cream of Wheat, but when it happened a second time I knew I'd stumbled upon something pretty spectacular. Definitely more spectacular than a hairy fridge pistachio.
Do you want to know what this miracle food was? Bruschetta. But you knew that already if you read the title of this post.
This isn't just any bruschetta though, it's bruschetta inspired by the movie Julie & Julia which if you don't know, it's a movie based on Julie Powell's blog in which she chronicled her (successful) attempt to recreate every recipe in Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking". GREAT premise for a blog.
In the movie the bruschetta looked and sounded so goooood. And if you watch the scene from the movie, Julie's husband does exactly what you want people to do when they eat your cooking. He says, "This is GOOOOD!"
Also I love whatshisname. Whatshisname is my favourite character on The Mindy Project right after Mindy. And the other guy who is so funny. You know. The nurse.
The Bruschetta Recipe
So you want to learn how to make this bruschetta? Want to learn how to bring someone to tears with your food? Here we go.
First of all a few tips:
1. Use fresh, crusty bread. Whole slices! Not a baguette.
2. FRY in olive oil. I mean it. You fry it.
3. Don't even attempt this if it isn't summer and you don't have fresh tomatoes.
Let's get started ...
You need bread, olive oil, tomatoes, basil and salt.
Dice a few fresh, local tomatoes. Extra points for heirloom and homegrown. Even if the home wasn't yours.
Tear up a handful of fresh basil and add it. Add lots if you love basil, little if you don't. I used this sized bunch for around 5 small-medium tomatoes.
I know you're alarmed that there's no fresh garlic in this recipe but there isn't. I'm not going to second guess Julia Child. It's is 100% delicious without the overpowering flavour of garlic. If you want to add garlic you can but I BEG you to try it without first.
Drizzle the tomatoes and basil with a good amount of olive oil and let stand for 30-45 minutes.
After 30 minutes, sprinkle with salt and pepper (I actually don't use pepper but go nuts if you're a pepper person) let sit for another 10 minutes or so.
Cover the bottom of a pan with olive oil until it's approximately 3mm deep. Just glug it in there. Heat pan over medium/low. Not too hot or your bread will burn, not too low or it'll just soak up a bunch of oil and get gross.
FRYING TIP
To test if your oil is hot enough to fry place the end of a wooden spoon in the oil. If the tip forms bubbles right away, it's at the right temperature to fry.
While the pan is heating, slice your crusty bread. I make my own bread using the master recipe from this cookbook, The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day but you don't have to make your own bread. Just use a fresh, dense, crusty loaf.
Fry bread slices in oil until browned or your tongue falls out of your mouth. Whichever comes first.
Remove bread from the pan and generously spoon the tomato mixture over the top. But first, maybe, just look at the golden brown, toasty, olive oil drenched goodness. Smell it. Love it.
O.K., NOW you can top it with your tomatoes and basil. Just spoon it right on there. Lots of it.
And now you eat it.
Bruschetta from the movie Julie & Julia
Ingredients
- 3 medium tomatoes heirloom and a variety of colours if you can get them.
- 3 large stems basil
- ½ cup olive oil good quality
- salt
- 4 slices bread hearty, crusty bread is best.
Instructions
- Dice tomatoes.Shred basil leaves.Mix tomatoes and basil in bowl with ¼ of olive oil, reserving other ¼ cup for frying.Let this mixture sit for 30 minutes.When the 30 minutes is up, add a generous sprinkling of salt to the mixture and let it sit for another 10 minutes.Now is when you can heat up ¼ cup of olive oil (your goal is to have 3mm of oil in the pan) over medium/low heat.Once hot, fry your slices of bread until golden.Remove bread from pan and top with tomato mixture.
Notes
Nutrition
I've listed this as a snack, but in the summer this could easily be a meal. Especially if you round it out with a big bowl of ice cream.
Serve the bruschetta HOT. With a box of Kleenex.
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Kitten Caboodle
I'll pile on the garlic bandwagon. Rub the fried bread slices a couple of times with garlic just to 'perfume' the bruschetta. Nothing intense.
Mary W
Well I could eat several bulbs of roasted garlic on anything, I love it so much. But a good steak gets good salt and pepper - only. I love the taste of food and when something is especially fresh and delicious (the crunch must be divine) I say use ONLY what is necessary to enjoy the heirloom tomatoes and fresh bread. I guess this makes it the True bruschetta. No garlic needed.
Karen
Thank you for understanding Mary W, lol. ~ karen!
BethH
Enjoy the simplicity of the golden bread, the sun-warmed abundance of tomatoes, the aromatic hint of basil! The simplicity is the beauty of it, and if you want to muddy it all up with garlic, go ahead, but sheesh!!! Just sayin'.
Karen
Agreed. The garlic is left out on purpose. As it is in many (but not all) authentic Italian recipes. ~ karen!
mariah
this is a sign from sweet baby jesus..... you see, just yesterday, as I was wracking my brain for what to do with all our fresh garden tomatoes, I was thinking "yes, bruschetta sounds lovely".... and I just happened to be thumbing through my newly acquired copy of Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day (see, I lost my original copy to my ex-fella)... and then you even mention that book! so it's done. we're having family over this weekend and this is what I'm serving. nothing but bruschetta. ok, and maybe some wine :)
BethH
Wine and bruschetta...sounds heavenly, and we're having it tonight. Homemade wine, homegrown tomatoes and basil.
mariah
ahhh... you've got us beat on the homemade wine but our tomatoes and basil will also be homegrown. I think that's the secret to making this recipe next level.
and the rubbing of the garlic on toast. garlic is like bacon - it makes everything better.
Karen
Rubbing garlic on toast does nothing but make you feel like a fancy cook I'm afraid, lol. Nothing. It's not worth the time or the smashing of the toast. Just go without it. Trust me on this. ~ karen
Carswell
I beg to differ with you there Karen. I think rubbing garlic on toasted or grilled bread is the best way to get garlic flavour into bread. And if your bread is sufficiently toasted there's no smooshing involved.
I generally brush my bread liberally with olive oil and then park it under the broiler, when it's nice and brown I repeat the process for the other side. Then, the garlic.
Then tomatoes dressed just like yours.
IRS
Nope. Sorry. You are wrong about this one. I explained it above. I have been doing it for many years, and it works. And I am the Queen of Darkness and Garlic.
Karen
That's awfully coincidental! ~ karen
jainegayer
I can't wait to try this.
You don't rub a clove of garlic over the toasted bread?
Karen
Nope. Honestly ... I've done that before and ... it doesn't do squat. People go on about rubbing garlic on the toast, or around a wood Caesar salad bowl and to tell you the truth, it's just theatrics. Either put garlic in a recipe or don't. Rubbing it on toast or the bowl isn't going to do a thing. ~ karen!
IRS
Yes and no. Rubbing the garlic on the salad bowl is, indeed, useless. Because the bowl is smooth. Not so with the bread IF it is toasted dry, and before any fat such as butter is applied. The dry toast acts like a rasp, and rubbing a raw clove over it quickly uses up the whole clove, and makes it quite garlicky. You then add butter, or brush it with olive oil. If you put the butter or olive oil on the toast first, it softens the roughness of the toast, and then it can't "grate" the garlic. I was taught this trick many decades ago by my grandpa, who after rubbing the garlic on the toast, then applied pork lard. THAT, I will pass on, and use butter or olive oil instead.
Rose
Your posts are always good, interesting, funny and educational. Somehow they comfort me too. I love to think about you and Betty and Pink Tool Belt and Fish Pedicure going about your business in Canada with the chickens and the garden and cat friends. Today I am in need of comforting and I'm grateful you are there carrying on.
Mary W
Hugs to you Rose - your name is beautiful.
Karen
If you need comforting I suggest bruschetta. Honestly! It's like a toast hug. ~ karen!
Nancy Blue Moon
Sending you more hugs Rose..cause that's what I do..may your worries pass quickly...
Art. M.
You forgot the garlic!!!
We have "T n' T" several times a week for supper.
Karen
No I did not. No garlic. ~ karen
Kim
Karen, I think you've been out voted. We want Garlic. WE WANT GARLIC!!
IRS
Yup. We will be coming to your house, armed with pitchforks and torches. The only thing that will save you is garlic.
Auntiepatch
Don't forget the garlic! It takes it over the top!
Karen
Nope. No garlic. THere is NO garlic in this recipe. ~ karen
sheila
I love bruschetta, ate some really good examples of it when on holiday in Italy in July. I have to agree with Karen's comment, you missed out what is to me the key ingredient, GARLIC. All you need to do is take a clove of garlic, cut it down the middle and rub this on to your toast. Such a small thing but it makes a huge difference.
Karen
Nope. No garlic. There is no garlic in this recipe on purpose. No garlic. ~ karen
Karen Too
You don't put garlic in it, Karen?
Karen
Nope. No garlic. ~ karen
IRS
What the hell? Where is the garlic? No garlic? I'm out.
IRS
I'm still pissed about the no garlic thing. Granted, I love copious amounts of fresh, RAW garlic on just about everything, cuz I'm weird that way, but come on! If ever garlic was supposed to be in something, it's bruschetta. And you forgot the fresh ground pepper, as well. Frying the bread in olive oil is indeed an inspired idea. It's almost enough to forgive the omission of the garlic, but not quite. Not at all, actually. I'll be muttering and grumbling about this until your next post. Maybe longer.
Karen
Again ... Nope. No garlic. And no pepper. ~ karen
mariah
where's the "like" button? I couldn't agree more.
Kim
I'm with IRS. How can you call it brushcetta if doesn't contain garlic? I'm fairly certain it's an Italian law. Well maybe just a tradition but rest assured I will be adding garlic :-)
Karen
NO! No garlic. ~ karen
MichelleK
Yummy. Just like I make (only I add garlic in mine). I slice my bread, dunk one side down in a bowl of olive oil and grill it. I'm salivating just thinking about it. I know what we're having for dinner this weekend... :)
Paula
This is similar to what I make, except instead of basil, I use my homemade pesto (using basil of course) and it is delicious, too. Love your photos, your tomatoes are awesome.
Gillian
I didn't think I liked bruschetta either, but this .....yuuummmmmm. My mouth is watering just from the post and pictures.
....I always thought that there was vinegar involved. This seems much better.
Kathleen
Oh my! This looks like summer heaven. Going to give this a try. And the bread.
mia pratt
Oh dear Scrod in Leaven, I'm salivating so badly I'm going to have to go raid the fridge! You've outdone yourself. I just happen to have fresh basil, and those baby tomatoes in all colors, in the garden right now. If I thought I could pull it off, I'd make it tonight - but alas, I have no bread to fry. So I will have to wait till tomorrow. All I have in the fridge right now is grapes. Not wine, just grapes. They will have to do.
Ardith
Do you ever know your way around a headline. You twirl evocative strings of words with the greatest of ease. You make a killer bruschetta. You should be knighted.
Karen
Huh. Knighted. That's not a bad idea. Do you think Knights get their houses cleaned for free? Because if that's the case I'm IN! ~ karen
Ardith
But of course. Your Page will clean your home as well as your armor.
Karen
Of course, you're right. :) ~ karen
Robert
I don't think I have ever read you more excited in a post, and yes is wonderful to know someone really likes the food you just made although I personally don't like to make my own bread even when I do love to bake
TucsonPatty
It looks sooooo awesome that I want to cry! Now I'm going to go make some!!
Mary Jane Morrison
Soo funny. When I finished checking out your blog this evening I was going to scroll through some food sites to find a good brushcetta recipe. Coincidence?
Karen
Ha! That's strange. :) ~ karen!