Breakfast has never tasted so good as this cheesy tomato with tomato butter! Topped with crispy prosciutto and creamy scrambled eggs, this toast will be the highlight of your morning.
Cheesy Toast with Tomato Butter
Ingredients
Tomato shallot butter
- 6 ounces cherry tomatoes
- 1 shallot peeled and sliced
- ½ teaspoon fresh thyme
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ cup softened butter at room temperature
Remaining ingredients
- 2 ounces prosciutto
- 4 slices crusty bread
- 4 ounces grated gruyere cheese
- 8 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon butter
- salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoon chopped chives
Instructions
- Preheat broiler to high.
- Lay cherry tomatoes and shallots in a baking sheet in an even layer. Broil for 12-15 minutes or until charred and tomatoes are softened. Let cool.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Lay prosciutto on prepared baking sheet and bake until crispy, about 7-8 minutes. Remove from oven and break prosciutto into small chunks. Set aside.
- Combine tomatoes and shallots with thyme, salt, and red pepper flakes in a food processor. Puree until smooth. Add butter and mix until well combined.
- Spread tomato butter on sliced bread and top with gruyere cheese. Transfer to a baking sheet and bake for 3-4 minutes or until cheese is melted.
- Meanwhile, make scrambled eggs. Beat eggs in a large bowl and heat 1 tablespoon butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. Pour eggs and cook until desired degree of doneness. Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat.
- Remove toast from the oven and top with scrambled eggs. Sprinkle crispy prosciutto on top followed by chopped chives. Serve immediately.
Notes
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The Inspiration
As soon as cherry tomatoes come into season, I'm buying them by the pound. They're so sweet and juicy, I'll eat them like candy. When I'm not enjoying them raw, my second favorite way to eat them is to roast them. Even if you don't like raw tomatoes, you might change your mind if you try them roasted. Roasting them concentrates the flavor, bringing out more nuanced flavors that might not be as noticeable in raw tomatoes. The tomatoes' natural umami comes forward making them even more delicious.
Now take those roasted tomatoes and make a roasted tomato butter and you'll want to slather it on everything. While it's fantastic on a slice of bread, I wanted to go even further and top it with scrambled eggs and crispy prosciutto. Breakfast has never been so good than with this cheesy toast with tomato butter. And it's so easy to prepare!
The Ingredients
- Cherry tomatoes: These small, bite-sized tomatoes are known for their sweet and juicy flavor. You can use grape tomatoes as well.
- Shallot: A type of onion with a milder and sweeter flavor. Roasting them brings out the sweetness which compliments the roasted tomatoes.
- Thyme: A fragrant herb with a subtle earthy and lemony flavor. If you can't find thyme, use fresh oregano instead or use dried thyme.
- Butter: Use good quality butter for the best results.
- Prosciutto: The thinly sliced dry-cured Italian ham has a rich, salty, slightly sweet flavor. You can also use speck.
- Crusty bread: Use high-quality crusty bread such as sourdough or a baguette.
- Gruyere: A nutty, slightly sweet cheese. You can substitute gruyere with almost any other cheese such as fontina, mozzarella, havarti, or Monterey jack.
- Chives: These herbs have a mild onion flavor that balances the creamy eggs and savory butter.
How to Make Cheesy Toast with Tomato Butter
Step 1: Make tomato butter
Cheesy toast with tomato butter is a delicious and savory breakfast option that can be prepared in just 30 minutes. To start, we'll make the flavorful tomato shallot butter.
Begin by laying cherry tomatoes and sliced shallots on a baking sheet in an even layer. Broil them on high for about 12-15 minutes until the tomatoes are charred and softened. Let them cool down before incorporating them into the butter. You can also roast the tomatoes and shallots the day before.
Now it's time to create the star of the dish - the tomato butter. In a food processor, combine the charred cherry tomatoes and shallots with fresh thyme, salt, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Puree the mixture until it becomes a smooth paste. Then, add the softened butter to the food processor and mix everything until it's well combined. This tomato shallot butter is a delightful addition to many dishes, so if you have any leftovers, you can chill it for another use.
We're using a high amount of roasted tomatoes in comparison to the butter so don't worry if it looks a little chunky. The high moisture from the tomatoes will cause it to look a little separated but that just means more delicious tomato flavor!
Feel free to make the butter up to 1 week in advance.
Step 2: Bake Prosciutto
While the tomatoes and shallots cool, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line another baking sheet with parchment paper. On this sheet, lay out the prosciutto slices in a single layer and bake them for 7-8 minutes until they turn crispy. Once they're done, break the prosciutto into small chunks and set it aside.
Prosciutto is salty already but when you bake them, the flavors intensify even more. So although it doesn't look like much, a little goes a long way with this crispy prosciutto.
If you're not a fan of prosciutto, you can also cook bacon for the topping.
Step 3: Assemble toasts
Next, spread the tomato butter generously onto slices of crusty bread and top them with grated gruyere cheese. Transfer the dressed bread to the baking sheet and bake for an additional 3-4 minutes until the cheese melts.
While the toasts are baking, let's prepare the scrambled eggs. Beat the large eggs in a bowl and heat a tablespoon of butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. Pour the beaten eggs into the pan and cook them to your desired degree of doneness. Season the eggs with salt and pepper, then remove the pan from the heat.
As soon as the cheesy toasts are ready, take them out of the oven and top them with the creamy scrambled eggs. Sprinkle that delicious crispy prosciutto and finish with a sprinkle of fresh chives.
This delightful breakfast treat is best served immediately, while the toasts are still warm and the flavors are at their peak. The combination of tangy tomato butter, rich gruyere cheese, fluffy scrambled eggs, and crispy prosciutto creates a wonderful explosion of flavors in every bite. This delectable cheesy toast with tomato butter will surely make your mornings brighter and more satisfying, I know it did for me!
FAQs
Can I make the prosciutto crispy ahead of time?
It's best to prepare the prosciutto just before assembling the dish to maintain its crispiness. However, if you have leftovers, you can store them in an airtight container at room temperature for a short period.
Can I use whole tomatoes instead of cherry tomatoes for the tomato butter?
Yes, you can use whole tomatoes if you prefer. Just make sure to roast them until they are charred and softened before pureeing them with the other ingredients.
What else can I use the tomato butter for?
You can spread the butter on an Italian loaf, sprinkle grated parmesan, and toast until melted to make a delicious side dish. You can also use it to make roasted chicken or try topping steak with a pat of the tomato butter for a savory twist.
For more toast inspiration check out this coppa focaccia toast with zhug!
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