Cretan bruschetta

The most-ordered starter at the Biolea Astrikas Estate restaurant. A recipe by chef Michalis Papadakis.

Bruschetta sounds Italian, but the Cretan version has two ingredients that change everything: soft goat's-milk myzithra instead of mozzarella, and petimezi – reduced grape must – instead of balsamic vinegar. The tomatoes are roasted only briefly, just long enough to release their juice. The olive oil goes on twice: once for roasting and once raw, at the very end.

Ingredients

• sourdough bread, thinly sliced
• about 15 ripe cherry tomatoes, quartered
• soft goat's-milk myzithra (substitute: fresh goat's curd or ricotta)
• a handful of fresh basil
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• petimezi – grape molasses
• Biolea extra virgin olive oil
• sea salt, black pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F).
2. Toast the bread slices until crisp on both sides – in a griddle pan or in the oven.
3. In an ovenproof dish, toss the tomatoes with the garlic, basil, salt, sugar and a tablespoon of olive oil. Roast for 3 minutes – the tomatoes should soften, not collapse.
4. Remove from the oven, drizzle with petimezi and fresh olive oil. Leave to cool completely.
5. On each slice of toast: a spoonful of myzithra, a spoonful of tomatoes, a basil leaf, a pinch of sea salt and some pepper.

Recipe: Michalis Papadakis, Biolea Astrikas Estate restaurant. Photos: Biolea. Published with the producer's permission.