Summer Peach & Dark Cherry Bruschetta

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Summer Peach & Dark Cherry Bruschetta - a bruschetta born from my inability to resist buying all the summer produce. But seriously, I went a little crazy at Trader Joe’s during my weekly grocery shopping trip (proof you should never go grocery shopping when hungry), and now I’m on a mission to use all the produce from my latest haul before it turns. When it’s time to get a little creative with the produce on deck, & the goal is to use as much as possible in one dish, bruschetta is always my go to.

The thing I always remember about bruschetta is that all the things that would taste so good in a salad are perfect combos on top of a baguette with melty cheese. Cherries + peaches + walnuts would be perfect over a bed of arugula for a main course, & taking the lettuce out of the equation for a carby snack is just yummy. Definitely moreIndulgent than a salad, but yummy!

Fruit bruschetta is SOOOOOO good, & moreover fruit + mascarpone bruschetta is the ticket. Mascarpone is like butter cheese. So smooth and creamy, & honestly not that flavorful in that sense that it doesn’t have a sharp cheese flavor that so many other soft cheeses do. It’s super velvety -it spreads on easier then cream cheese and the texture reminds me of that margarine that comes in a tub - the kind that’s smooth & creamy & so good just slathered on a piece of bread. Marscarpone is just like that!

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& mascarpone melts just like butter. When the mascarpone is spread on a warm baguette, it melts into the all the little nooks and crannies of the bread. Just that creamy little bite that tastes so good with cold & crisp peaches and cherries. That cheese is just so creamy and so rich that it’s perfect with some fresh fruit.

Even with the cheese & the bread, this is a sweet brushcetta. We ate it alongside a summer salad for our main course, but it’d even be good for dessert. It’s finished with a honey drizzle for an added sweet kick, and then sprinkled with some crushed walnuts for little crunch. & it was so delish we made it twice. I threw it together on Tuesday, & it was such a hit Jordan requested it a second day in a row. Round 2 was brought by Jordo - he got a brief cooking lesson on quality bruschetta making & now we can both whip up this summer-y treat, which I’ll chalk up as a win.

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For the bruschetta

  • 1 French baguette

  • 1 peach, thinly slice

  • 1/4 c. cherries, pitted and chopped

  • 2 tbsp walnuts, roughly chopped

  • Mascarpone cheese (at least 1/4 cup)

  • Honey (for drizzling)

Heat your oven to 375. Halve your baguette, & place it in the oven for 5-7 minutes. You want it to be slightly toasted & golden brown in color. As it cooks, you can chop your fruits & walnuts.

Remove the baguette from the oven. Slather is with mascarpone, and you want to be generous. You want to see that layer of cheese on the bread. Put on too thin of a layer, it will just melt right into the bread. Top with peach slices, cherries, and sprinkle with walnuts. Drizzle with a bit of honey, and you’re ready to go.

Lesley Zehner