Now’s the time for cherry-tomato bounty
Tomato season may be over for your garden, but supermarkets still are full of the beauties. Heirloom varieties may dominate many dishes, but let’s not overlook their toy-size cousins: cherry tomatoes.
Cherry tomatoes’ skin-to-flesh ratio helps them hold their shape when baked into a galette or simmered into a bruschetta topping, and their size makes them easy to pop into your mouth, providing a flavor explosion as the skin bursts open.
The smaller, elongated grape tomatoes arrived in the U.S. in a big way in 1997 thanks to commercial availability.
The many varieties each have a unique flavor, so finding your favorite may require lots of tasting. Look for tomatoes that are firm, full color and feel heavy for their size (it’s a sign they’re nice and juicy).
lbennett@sfchronicle.com
Cherry Tomato & Mushroom Bruschetta
Makes about 8
BRUSCHETTA 8 slices artisan bread such as Italian batard or French loaf, cut ½-inch thick Olive oil as needed Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 1 to 2 cloves garlic TOPPING 3 to 4 tablespoons olive
oil plus more as needed ½ cup finely diced onion ½ teaspoon grated or minced garlic 1 tablespoon Amontillado sherry 8 ounces small cremini mushrooms sliced ¼to 3⁄8- inch thick ¼ to ½ teaspoon minced
thyme Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 1 pound cherry tomatoes, halved 1 to 2 teaspoons chopped parsley plus more to garnish Extra-virgin olive oil Maldon salt, optional
For the bruschetta:
Move the oven rack to the middle and preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Place bread on a rimmed baking sheet and brush with olive oil, then lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Bake until bread is lightly crisp — it will crisp further as it cools — 8-10 minutes.
When cool, rub each slice with garlic. Set aside. The bruschetta can be done a day ahead; keep in a tightly closed container.
For the topping: Add 1 tablespoon oil to a medium nonreactive sauté pan over medium heat.
Add the onions and cook until translucent and lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook briefly until aromatic.
Add the sherry to deglaze the pan, then add the mushrooms, thyme, salt and pepper and a little more oil if needed.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms have given off their liquid and start browning, 7-8 minutes. Move mushroom mixture to a bowl.
Return pan to the stove and add 2 tablespoons oil. Add the tomatoes.
Cook just enough to warm the tomatoes through and until they start to soften, about 3 minutes, depending on the ripeness of the tomatoes.
Add a splash of water to deglaze the pan. Season with salt and pepper.
Combine the tomatoes and the reduced juices with the mushrooms, parsley and a splash of extra-virgin olive oil. You will have about 3 cups.
To serve: Place the bowl of topping (garnish with parsley and finish with Maldon salt, if using) and platter of bruschetta out for everyone to make their own.
Alternatively, spoon topping onto the bruschetta, garnish with parsley and finish with Maldon salt, if using.