Garlic. Ain’t no havin’ too much of it in my book. I once read a quote that said:
“Tomatoes and oregano make it Italian; wine and tarragon make it French. Sour cream makes it Russian; lemon and cinnamon make it Greek. Soy sauce makes it Chinese; garlic makes it good.” — Alice May Brock (of ‘Alice’s Restaurant’ fame)
I remember seeing that quote in a magazine ages ago. I clipped it and put it right on my fridge. Sadly, after many moves the quote got lost, but the sentiment remains. Garlic DOES make everything good.
So imagine my delight when I stumbled upon this incredible garlic bread at my trusty local farmer’s market when I lived in San Antonio. I know, you’re probably tired of hearing me talk about the various delights I found each week at The Pearl Market, but the reality is the vendors and their products were–and still are–that awesome. I have talked about this particular vendor, Sol Y Luna Baking Company in previous posts like this one for Cranberry Walnut French Toast. Their selection each and every week regularly found me with another loaf of crusty, flavorful goodness. But when I came across this incredible concoction of fresh bread, creamy butter, fragrant herbs, and aromatic garlic, I knew I’d found my spirit animal of bread. And I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it.
I love a good bruschetta, which most people associate with grilled bread and a combination of garlic, tomatoes, herbs and olive oil. But bruschetta can be topped with any variety of tasty goodness to include meats, herbs, cheeses, or even grilled fruit. I love them all, and have been known to make a meal out of a platter of these toasted bites. In this case, I reached for a tried and true recipe for roasted tomatoes (I’ve used it before on a similar bruschetta recipe), and let the sweetness of the tomatoes and honey blend with the crunchy bread and the fragrant garlic. Heaven in your mouth, people. I’m telling you it was impossible to stop eating Sol Y Luna’s incredible garlic bread concoction.
So we didn’t stop. And dinner was served. And all was right with the world. Garlicky, but good.
* No compensation was received for this post by Sol Y Luna or the Pearl Farmer’s Market. All opinions and references are my own.*
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 10 people | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time |
| 45 minutes |
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Ridiculously simple, and just in time for the forthcoming bounty of Summer tomatoes, this bruschetta will knock your socks off. If you aren't lucky enough to live nearby to grab Sol Y Luna's version of garlic bread, you can certainly make your own with as much garlic as you can stand. The more the better! And once it's toasted, warm, and crusty, get this roasted tomato topping on there for a bite (or 6) that will have you coming back for more.
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- 1 loaf Sol Y Luna Garlic Bread
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper
- 1/8 cup honey
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp. fresh oregano, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp. fresh thyme, finely chopped
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. If you don't have a pre-prepared garlic bread, slice a baguette and slather with butter, crushed garlic cloves, and fresh herbs.
- Slice tomatoes in half, and toss with remaining ingredients. Place tomatoes on parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
- Roast tomatoes in oven for 45 minutes, or until tomatoes have broken down.
- Reduce oven to 400 degrees. Wrap garlic bread in foil. Place in center rack and bake for 15-20 minutes until bread is crusty on outside and butter has melted and garlic is fragrant.
- Slice bread and top with tomato mixture. Enjoy that garlicky, tomatoey goodness!
What is so great about these roasted tomatoes is that you can use whatever fresh herbs you have on hand. No thyme in the garden? Fresh basil works, too. Want a deeper more robust flavor? Use fresh rosemary. Oh, and no fresh herbs handy? You can use dried herbs in a pinch. This works just as well, too with Roma tomatoes as it does with cherry tomatoes, which I have combined at times when I have a little of each to use up.
Oh, and have more roasted tomatoes than bread? Toss them with some pasta for a simple and delicious mid-week meal.
The varieties available to you are only limited by what you have around you at the time. What combinations of flavors or herbs would you use in this simple and flavorful dish?
This looks amazing. Perfect to enjoy with my husband and a cocktail on a Saturday evening or when we are having friends over!
Bruschetta is one of my favorite appetizers. Love that you roasted the tomatoes to give more depth to be bit yummy =)
I love bruschetta, and it’s completely 100% true that garlic makes everything better! Yours looks gorgeous.
This is one of my absolute FAVORITE summer hors d’ovres. So fresh and tasty and bright 🙂
I love bruschetta! I will have to look for Sol y Luna garlic bread as a time saver. I totally agree that it’s hard to stop yourself from eating a whole tray of this. It’s a perfect dish for Easy Entertaining! Cheers!
Christina, do you live here in San Antonio? Sadly, if you don’t you won’t find this particular bread (they’re only here in town), but I am sure you could make a good facsimile and get a great result. Yay!