Balsamic Macerated Tomatoes & Goat Cheese Crostini over Field Greens

Chef Brian Alberg

Red Lion Inn, www.redlioninn.com, Stockbridge, MA

Ingredients:

• 12 slices of ripe tomato
• ½ of a red onion, thinly sliced
• ½ tsp salt
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• ½ cup fresh basil, torn into small bits
• ¼ cup olive oil
• ½ cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 half pound mesclun greens, washed and dried
• Ingredients for the Crostini:
• 6 slices of French bread, sliced diagonally
• Olive oil
• 6 Tbsp goat cheese with chives, softened

Method:

Mix the oil and vinegar together (remember to reserve a small amount for the final step).
In a glass dish, layer half the tomato slices, salt, pepper and basil along the bottom. Spoon half of the oil and vinegar mixture over the tomatoes and basil. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes.

Crostini:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place bread slices on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil.
Spoon 1 tsp of cheese on each slice and bake until bread starts to toast, about 10 minutes.
Remove from oven and set aside.

To serve, place two slices of tomato on each plate. Place the greens in a mixing bowl and toss with the remaining oil and vinegar. Place greens over the tomatoes to form a little tower. Lean a single, warm crostini into the tower of greens. Serves 6.