Tomato Bruschetta w/ Herb Goat Cheese

Many, many things have been going on in my life lately -- winning a cooking contest at our local ballpark, running in the Cooper River Bridge Run, hosting my husband’s friend for a weekend and a cute little kitten showing up at our door.  {If anyone knows how to get their dogs used to a cat, please let me know b/c my Beagle thinks it’s lunch!}  This kitten has been ruling my life at the moment -- trying to spend time with her and my dogs while keeping them separate is exhausting!  But my other little baby, my blog, has been severely neglected.  So I’m bringing it back with Crostini Week!  

Right now I am loving crostini -- I mean anything on top of a little crispy, chewy, buttery piece of bread is amazing.  So this week I’m going to show you three special recipes starting with a classic with a twist!  Tomato Bruschetta with Herb Goat Cheese  --  this is made even more special by using large slice of ciabatta -- it makes such a beautiful presentation!  I also like to serve this without toasting the bread --  the soft bread really lets the tomatoes and fresh basil shine!

Tomato Bruschetta w/ Herb Goat Cheese (makes 24 crostini)

1 loaf ciabatta bread slice into 24 pieces

For the herb cheese:

1 (4oz) log goat cheese, room temperature

2 oz cream cheese, room temperature

1 small garlic clove, minced or grated

fresh ground black pepper

1 small handful fresh basil, minced

1 small handful fresh flat leaf parsley, minced

For the tomato bruschetta:

4 roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped

1 large handful fresh basil, torn

salt and pepper, to taste

balsamic syrup to taste

1. For the herb cheese, combine all ingredients and set aside.
2. For the tomato bruschetta, combine all ingredients and set aside.
3. To assemble, spread each slice of bread with herb cheese and top with tomato bruschetta.  Drizzle with additional balsamic syrup if desired.