Bruschetta Penna
1 pound sun ripened tomatoes*, diced
2 ears sweet corn, cut from cob
Fresh or day-old French bread, toasted
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, clarified
2 scallions, trimmed of roots, chopped, white and green parts
4 cloves garlic, peeled, crushed
Salt & Pepper to taste
*using different color tomatoes adds an extra dimension to the presentation; currently there are some wonderful orange cherry tomatoes available, and the red and orange tomatoes with the yellow of the corn is striking; the green of the scallions completes a stunning palette of color.
Choose the tomatoes for color and taste, paying particular attention to acidity. For this, and all bruschetta, I prefer a higher acidity tomato that will stand apart from the bread and garlic.
**Drawn butter is not essential to this dish, but it really helps and is a simple, elegant touch. To make it, set your oven to 180° , place one stick of butter in an oven-proof bowl and let stand until the whey and oil have separated. Remove the crust that forms on top and then pour off all but the milky residue at the bottom.
Into a glass or ceramic mixing bowl, roughly chop the tomatoes into half-inch chunks. Make sure their liquid gets in the bowl, too.
Remove the kernels from the two corn ears. Hold the ear straight up and down in a bowl, and cut directly down the length of the corn getting as close to the cob as possible. Turn the ear a quarter turn and again cut down the ear. Repeat this process until all the kernels have been removed. Then, hold the back of the knife perpendicular to the corn and scrape down the cob all the way around to get every bit of the corn milk. There will be a mix of corn milk and kernels stuck to the back of the knife where you ran it down the corn. Scrape the mass into the bowl. Combine with the tomatoes.
Chop the scallions, white and green parts. Add to bowl.
Salt and pepper the mixture. The salt will draw more liquid from the tomatoes.
Mix together well and put aside, covered.
Cut the French bread into slices 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick. Place them on a cookie sheet, brush with the drawn butter and place them under the broiler until golden brown.
When golden, flip each piece on the cookie sheet, brush again with butter and toast the second side. When toasted, remove to platter.
Brush again with butter if desired. Rub one side of each piece of toast with the garlic. The garlic will wear down like fresh nutmeg on a grater.
Taste the mixture and make any adjustments for seasonings. Spoon the tomato, corn and scallion mixture onto the toast, making sure to be liberal with the juice in the bottom of the bowl. Serve at once.