pan con tomate Archives

Toasted bread with tomatoes is a summer favorite at Casa Bouquet when all the heirloom tomatoes are coming in. This fresh tomato recipe reminds me of Southern tomato (‘mater) sandwiches, or bruschetta, or cheesy tomato bread, or pan con tomate.

You will need a container for marinating tomatoes, a whisk, a 1-cup container, a baking pan with silicone sheet or parchment paper, a bread knife, and a tomato knife.

Ahead of time, make the butter spread and marinade. You can do this the day before or two hours ahead.

Soften the butter by zapping in microwave 10 seconds at a time. You don’t need it completely melted, just mushy.

Add olive oil, garlic, and thyme and mix with a fork. Sprinkle sea salt over surface. If using the same day, you may want to leave it out on the counter in a covered container to help with spreading.

Add apple cider vinegar, orange juice, lime juice (or lemon), olive oil, and mustard to a container large enough to hold sliced tomatoes. Whisk well.

Add coconut sugar (or brown), garlic, sea salt, and black pepper. Mix well.

Add oregano and stir again. Lay the thinly sliced tomatoes in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. You can marinade the tomatoes all day or for 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Use a sharp bread knife to cut the loaf of bread in half long-ways to make two even pieces of bread, one the top and one the bottom. If making half a recipe, wrap one piece of bread in foil and then heavy plastic wrap and keep in refrigerator until ready to use (no more than 7 days).

Prepare a sheet pan with a silicone sheet or parchment paper.

Use a spatula to evenly spread half the butter spread on each half of the bread. Place on sheet pan.

Cook in oven until the bread is toasted, around 4 minutes. Take out of oven.

While waiting, chiffonade basil leaves.

Use a fork to lift tomato slices out of marinade and lay on toasted bread. Overlap so all the bread surface is covered. Sprinkle with sea salt. I use Guava Garlic Hawaiian sea salt from the Salty Wahine.

Grate Parmesan cheese over the whole surface of the bread.

Return pan to oven to melt cheese, around 2 minutes. Take out of oven.

Sprinkle surface of bread with slices of basil leaves.

Use bread knife to cut bread into 16 slices. Serve with 5 ounces grilled chicken, salmon, or pork loin.

Tips: I use one half the bread with half the butter spread one week. I save the bread, spread, and marinade in the refrigerator. The next week, I add a new tomato to the marinade and make the recipe again. I make the butter spread to use for family get togethers now. It tastes great on Hawaiian sweet rolls! If you don’t have fresh oregano and thyme, you can substitute ¼ tsp dried thyme and ½ tsp dried oregano.

Italian bread is soft and ciabatta is chewier. With firmer bread, try slicing the bread right after buttering and before toasting.

Toasted bread with tomatoes, parmesan, and fresh herbs is a beautiful way to enjoy summer tomatoes.

Nutrition facts for toasted bread with tomatoes

Makes 8 servings of toasted bread with tomatoes for a total of 2197 calories. 2 slices with 5 ounces grilled chicken breast makes about 400 calories per serving.