A recipe by Culinary Harts
Serves 6 Bruschetta with extra pesto to freeze. As the first frost approaches, we harvest the last of our basil to make this End of Season Pesto—a flavorful way to preserve a taste of summer. This version features two truffle products made with Italian truffles, thoughtfully produced and packaged right here in Connecticut.
We like to use truffle sparingly, so it enhances rather than overpowers the basil, but feel free to adjust to your taste. You might wonder why we don’t simply use truffle oil, and the short answer is that most truffle oils are synthetically flavored and contain no real truffle. The truffle products we use in this recipe include actual pieces of black summer truffle that you can both see and taste-a luxurious twist on a familiar favorite.
Note: This recipe makes extra pesto. To store it, we scoop portions onto a parchment-lined sheet pan and freeze until solid. Once frozen, transfer the pesto pieces to a zip-top bag for easy use in pasta, soups, or spreads throughout the winter. We’ve found this method works better than using ice cube trays, which can make the pesto difficult to remove without breaking.
“As the first frost approaches, we harvest the last of our basil to make this End of Season Pesto—a flavorful way to preserve a taste of summer.”
FOR THE PESTO:
6 Cups, Basil, leaves only
½ Cup, Pine Nuts, toasted & cooled. Italian pine nuts have the best flavor. Chinese pine nuts tend to be bitter.
3 Cloves, Garlic
Zest of 1 lemon
½, Lemon, Juiced
½ Cup, Parmesan
½ Cup, Pecorino Romano
½ tsp. Truffle & Smoked Salt
2 tsp. Truffle Zest & Pecorino
½ Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil. We prefer cold-pressed and organic when possible.
Freshly cracked black pepper to taste.
Method
Place all ingredients except for olive oil into a food processor and pulse a couple time to combine. Once all the ingredients are thoroughly combined, slowly drizzle in the olive oil and blend until smooth.
FOR THE TOMATOES:
20 each, Sun-Gold Cherry Tomatoes
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper
Method
Slice tomatoes into quarters and season with EVOO, salt & freshly ground black pepper.
FOR THE BRUSCHETTA:
Slice a baguette ½ inch thick by 4” wide bruschetta, season with EVOO, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place sliced bruschetta in a pre-heated 350-degree oven and bake for 5 minutes.
Shop Ingredients:
Truffle Zest & Pecorino
Truffle & Smoked Sea Salt
Enjoy!
Deja & Karsten Hart
Culinary Harts