Gordon Ramsay’s bruschetta stacks ricotta and dressed heritage tomatoes on hot sourdough. Ten minutes, one bowl, one grill. The tomatoes get seasoned and tossed before they ever touch the bread.
The recipe comes from Ramsay in 10, printed as the ricotta and tomato bruschette beside Tana’s smoked red pepper soup, one of her family recipes he adapted for the book. The bruschette is the built-in side, and it stands on its own.
Dressing happens in the bowl, not on the toast. Oil, salt, pepper and oregano go over the tomatoes first, and the tossing pulls their juices into a dressing before they land on the ricotta. Spooning plain tomatoes on and seasoning after never tastes the same.
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Gordon Ramsay Ricotta and Tomato Bruschette
Course: AppetizersCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Easy2
servings5
minutes5
minutes295
kcal10 min
The bruschette Ramsay prints beside Tana’s smoked red pepper soup in Ramsay in 10. Warm sourdough, cold ricotta, heritage tomatoes dressed in their own juices.
Ingredients
120g (4½ oz) mixed heritage tomatoes
Olive oil, for drizzling
1 tbsp fresh oregano, thyme or basil leaves
2 slices of sourdough bread
3 tbsp ricotta cheese
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
- Dress the tomatoes: Slice or quarter the tomatoes according to size. Place in a bowl, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle over the oregano leaves. Toss together.
- Toast the bread: Toast or grill the sourdough slices until golden.
- Build: Spread the warm toast with the ricotta and spoon the tomatoes on top with their juices.
- Serve: Straight away, while the bread is still warm against the cold ricotta.
Notes
- Ramsay’s chef’s tip: never keep fresh tomatoes in the fridge, they hold far more flavour stored at room temperature. Swap the oregano for basil, thyme or mint if that’s what you have.
FAQs
Where does this bruschetta recipe come from?
It’s printed in Ramsay in 10 as the side to Tana’s smoked red pepper soup, a family recipe of hers that Ramsay adapted to fit the ten-minute format. The bruschette half is a complete recipe in its own right, and it’s the half people search for.
Nothing here is guessed: the quantities, the dressing order and the tomato tip all come straight off that page.
Does Ramsay have other bruschetta recipes?
Three more across the books, each a different build. Ultimate Cookery Course does baguette rubbed with garlic and squashed cherry tomatoes, topped with caper berries and pecorino shavings. Fast Food drapes tomato and basil ciabatta with Parma ham. The same UCC book serves plain garlic bruschette beside its mushroom pasta.
I borrow the squashing trick from that caper berry version, a tomato half pressed cut-side into the hot toast before the ricotta goes on. Not on the Ramsay in 10 page, just how I like it.
Why should tomatoes never go in the fridge?
Ramsay’s tip on the same page: room-temperature tomatoes carry far more flavour. Cold kills their aroma compounds and turns the texture mealy, which no dressing can rescue. Buy them, leave them in the bowl, eat them within days.
For what roasting does instead, the slow-roasted tomato salad takes the same cherry tomatoes the opposite direction, low heat and aged balsamic.
What bread works best for bruschetta?
This version says sourdough. His caper berry bruschette widens it: any bread with an open crumb, baguette, sourdough or pain de campagne, because the dried toasted surface soaks up the tomato juices without collapsing.
If you bake, the rye starter sourdough from Chefs Secrets makes the base itself, a crackling crust built for exactly this job.
What do you serve bruschette with?
In the book they sit beside Tana’s smoked red pepper soup, bread and soup sharing the board. The closest match here is the caramelised tomato soup, tray-roasted and blitzed with a pesto spoonful on top.
For a bigger toast spread, the smoky aubergine caviar is the other thing worth piling onto warm bread, and it improves for two days in the fridge.
