Bruschetta with Tomatoes, Arugula, and Burrata

As you may know, I recently purchased some Burrata, made a few different dishes with it, and now I am here to share the recipes and photos!

I put together this appetizer, fully knowing that I am not a huge fan of tomatoes - but - I need to start eating more foods that I don't usually eat, so added them to the dish.  Guess what?  I enjoyed them.

Any baguette type of bread will do, but Safeway had this Artisan Kalamata Olive Bread that looked delicious, so I tried it - and loved it!

This would also be good with a slice of fresh mozzarella instead of the burrata - I hope you'll try it and share back with me your thoughts!

Bruschetta with Tomatoes, Arugula, and Burrata
Serves 6-8 as an appetizer

1 loaf of baguette style bread - the kalamata olive loaf I used was wide, so cut the pieces in half
8 ounces of Burrata, sliced (one slice for each piece of bread)
Small bunch of arugula - stems removed
4 ounces of cherry tomatoes, sliced
Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar - for drizzling

Arrange the slices of bread on a large serving platter.  Layer the ingredients on the slices of bread with the Burrata first, then 1-2 leaves of arugula, then 3-4 slices of the cherry tomatoes.  Drizzle each piece with a little bit of extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Serve immediately.

Bruschetta with Mozzarella and Puréed Peas

I figured this would be a great recipe when I first read it, after making a few modifications (to make it easier on myself of course!) it was delicious!

The original called for fresh fava beans to be shelled and cooked.  These were not steps I really wanted to do nor did I have the time to do the day I prepared the dish - so I made some changes.  I was even fortunate enough to score some fresh mint out of my next door neighbor's organic garden! Thanks, friend!

Below you will find my modified version of the recipe - many of my friends tasted this one and I received lots of positive feedback! This is a great summer appetizer - light, fresh, and even a little healthy.  Please give this one a try and let me know what you think!

Bruschetta with Mozzarella and Puréed Peas
Serves 10-12
Adapted from Food & Wine Annual Cookbook 2012 - An Entire Year of Recipes

15 ounce can of sweet peas (no salt added), drained
3 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 baguette, sliced
1 pound fresh mozzarella, sliced
Aged balsamic vinegar, for drizzling
6-8 fresh mint leaves, thinly sliced
Thin slices of lemon, for garnish

Place baguette slices on a cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil.  Broil until golden brown.  Remove from oven.

In a food processor, add peas, 2 tablespoons olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, and salt/pepper to taste. Pulse until you have a coarse purée.

Spread the purée on the toasts and top with a slice of mozzarella.  Drizzle the toasts with the balsamic vinegar and scatter the mint on top.  Serve immediately.  

Kalamata Tomato Bruschetta - Even for the Olive Haters

My little one's preschool is celebrating Week of the Young Child! and today's theme was "Teacher's Matter Celebration".  I was happy to participate in this and provide the teachers with a tasty and healthy snack! 

I wanted to make a traditional bruschetta - with a twist - and remembered I had some Kalamata olives in my fridge and thought those would add a nice salty flavor to the tomato mixture.  People are either olive lovers or olive haters.  I think that even the haters might enjoy this dish!  They are diced small, like the tomatoes!

This is a great dish to serve to a crowd and very easy to prepare.  Thanks to those teachers who have taught both of my sons at this preschool over the years!

Kalamata Bruschetta
Serves 10-12

2 French baguettes, sliced
Olive Oil
Chiffonade of 12-15 basil leaves
8 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced small
1 cup Kalamata olives diced small (same size as the tomatoes)
4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
Pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Place the sliced baguette in a single layer on a cookie sheet and drizzle each slice with a small amount of olive oil.  Bake in the oven until slightly golden and crunchy.

In a large bowl combine the basil leaves, tomatoes, garlic, and olives.  Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, stir to combine.  Add pepper to taste.

Serve the tomato mixture in a bowl alongside the toasted bread.

Brie, Raspberry, and Chocoloate Bruschetta

I love different variations of bruschetta – this one was something I had not tried before.  The original idea came out of an edition of Sunset magazine from this summer and I made just a couple of modifications to it. 

This dish combines creamy brie cheese, fresh raspberries, and grated bittersweet chocolate – perfect for serving as either an appetizer or a dessert! 

I chose to grate the chocolate over the finished product, if you also go this route, it will create a bruschetta that is a little less sweet – which is OK by me!  You could also use chocolate shavings or curls of chocolate to top each piece if you are looking for more of a chocolaty bite!  If you decide to go with the curls, use a thicker bar of chocolate to make it easier for you – at least it would have for me!  I struggled with a thin bar so went with the grated chocolate!  To make the curls, microwave the chocolate bar with the smooth side up in 5 second increments until slightly softened.  About 20 seconds total.  Pull a vegetable peeler across the bar. 

This one is worth a try – the presentation alone is awesome!  Let me know what you think!

 

Brie, Raspberry, and Chocolate Bruschetta

16 slices (serving 8 as an appetizer or dessert)
Adapted from Sunset Magazine, June 2012

¼ pound firm Brie cheese, at room temperature

16 baguette slices, brushed with olive oil and grilled
16 large raspberries, washed, dried, and halved
1 bar of bittersweet chocolate (to either grate, make chocolate shavings, or chocolate curls)

Slice the Brie cheese into pieces that will fit the baguette slices and place one slice on each toast. Add two raspberry halves to each toast and finish with your choice of chocolate topping.

Roasted Red Bell Pepper Bruschetta

Many of you know how I feel about tomatoes..not a huge fan...but, I'm actually OK with them as bruschetta.  However, I'm also VERY fond of roasted red bell peppers so decided to make those in place of tomatoes for my bruschetta appetizer I served tonight!

This dish is quite tasty and a nice change of pace when you are serving bruschetta!  I hope you give it a try and let me know what you think!

Roasted Red Bell Pepper Bruschetta
Serves 4-6

6 large red bell peppers
3 cloves garlic, minced
10 basil leaves, chiffonade
1 tablespoon olive oil (I used Queen Creek Olive Mill's Tuscan Estate Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (I used Queen Creek Olive Mill's White Balsamic Vinegar)
Salt & pepper to taste

To Serve:
Baguette, sliced and toasted
Crackers

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Roast peppers on a baking sheet for 15 - 20 minutes until blackened.  Remove from oven and let cool for about 5 minutes.  Put the roasted peppers in a large zip top bag - this will make it easier to remove the skins.  Let them sit into the bag until cooled.  Once you are ready to prepare, remove the skins from the peppers, remove seeds, drain any excess liquid, and dice.   Once you have the diced peppers in a bowl, drain off any excess liquid.  To the bowl of diced peppers, add the garlic, basil, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper.  Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.  Serve with baguette slices and crackers.