Ingredients

1 fresh baguette, cut into 1″ slices

¼ cup olive oil

½ cup fresh pesto (recipe follows)

2 large garden tomatoes, skinned, seeded, and chopped

Sea salt

Ingredients for Pesto

½ cup pignoli (pine) nuts

3 large garlic cloves

4 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves, stems removed

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Heat the oven to 400°F.

Place the baguette slices on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil. Brush the tops lightly with olive oil, and place in the oven.

After 5 minutes, turn the oven up to broil, and toast the bread, leaving the oven door ajar. This happens quickly, so stay by the oven and watch closely.

When the bread is golden brown, pull out the cookie sheet and carefully spread a teaspoon of pesto on top of each slice of bread.

Slip the cookie sheet back in the oven, which should still be on broil. Again, watch closely, and as soon as the pesto starts to bubble 1 to 2 minutes, remove the cookie sheet from oven.

Quickly, before the bread cools too much, spoon a tablespoon or so of the tomatoes onto each slice.Sprinkle a pinch of sea salt on each (we used smoked sea salt).

Serve immediately.

Directions for Pesto

In a food processor, chop the nuts and garlic until fine. Add the basil and let it go until a semi-smooth paste forms. With the machine running, drizzle in the olive oil and keep processing until smooth. Add the Parmesan cheese and pulse to incorporate. If the consistency is too thick, drizzle in a little more olive oil and pulse again.