Bruschette

Plural for “bruschetta,” bruschette are  essentially canapés with fresh, often raw, ingredients on top of toasted baguette slices. The most common toppings are an Italian-style tomato salsa and, in Tuscany, a chicken liver puree. The idea is transferable to just about anything you might otherwise serve as a dip for chips. If you’re experimenting with bruschette for the  first time, make    a coarse-chopped  tomato concassée  and  flavor it with shredded basil and  chopped garlic and  a little olive oil. As you get used to the idea, experiment with Mexican flavors, such as chiles and cilantro, and as you get bolder yet, try the essentially Thai bruschetta given here. To make these bruschette a little more substantial, consider topping them with grilled shrimp.

MAKES 24 BRUSCHETTE

1 long English cucumber, peeled 1 teaspoon sugar

2 dried chipotle chiles, soaked in hot water for 30 minutes to soften, seeded, and chopped 2 

tomatoes, peeled and seeded chopped, and drained for 30 minutes in a strainer

1 tablespoon Thai fish sauce

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar or wine vinegar 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

24¼-inch-thick baguette slices, toasted

24 cilantro leaves

Cut the cucumber in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Slice and then chop in a food processor into ⅛- to ¼-inch pieces. Combine with the sugar, chiles, tomatoes, fish sauce, vinegar, and cilantro. Just before serving, spoon the “salsa” on top of the baguette slices, and garnish with the cilantro leaves.