Heavenly Bruschetta
By Vickiegrace
Between the crunchy but chewy garlic crostinis, the sweet and fresh tomato Bruschetta, and the herbed cream cheese, this dish is a crowd pleaser!!!
Ingredients
- 1 French Baguette (if you can find the par-baked kind, even better!)
- 1 stick of butter
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- Garlic Salt to taste
- Dried parsley flakes (if your Garlic Salt doesn't already have parsley flakes)
- 10 Roma Tomatoes
- 1 pack Fresh basil
- 1/2 cup of Shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup of good Olive Oil
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 2-3 packets of Splenda **SECRET INGREDIENT!!**
- SECRET INGREDIENT/CONDIMENT*************
- 8 oz. package of Cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup of Mayonnaise
- 2 Tablespoons Italian Herb seasoning (I like Emeril's)
- SECRET INGREDIENT/CONDIMENT*************
Details
Preparation time 20mins
Cooking time 30mins
Preparation
Step 1
1. Prepare the bruschetta first so the flavors can marry nicely. Dice the tomatoes fairly small, removing the seeds. Finely chop the Basil. In a bowl, combine the diced tomato, chopped basil, olive oil, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper, and Splenda. Mix well and taste for seasonings. You may prefer it to be sweeter/saltier, etc. Place in a decorative serving bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.
2. Combine the softened cream cheese with the mayonnaise and Italian seasonings until smooth and evenly combined. Place in a decorative serving bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.
3. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Slice the baguette on a hard bias into evenly thick slices, I recommend about 1/2" thick.
4. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small saucepot over low heat. Stir in the minced garlic and Garlic salt to your taste. I would guess I use about a Tablespoon. Add in the parsley flakes for color if your Garlic salt doesn't contain parsley flakes.
5. Remove the garlic butter from the heat, and using a pair of tongs, dip the baguette slices in the butter, coating on both sides. Place the buttered crostini slices on a baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes, or until slightly golden brown and crunchy- flipping halfway through.
6. Arrange the crostinis, the bruschetta, and the herbed cream cheese decoratively and garnish with fresh basil. Be sure to have a spoon with the bruschetta and a spreader with the cream cheese.
*To eat, spread a crostini with a generous layer of the herbed cream cheese and top with a generous scoop of the bruschetta. Try not to drool all over yourself!
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