Strawberry Bruschetta

The days are getting warmer and my garden is really starting to come along.  The tomatoes are starting to bloom and I even have a few small, green tomatoes coming on.  I honestly cannot wait until the tomatoes are bright red and ready for picking.  Oh, the amounts of sliced tomatoes, salsa, bruschetta, and caprese I will consume.  

But, it’s not quite tomato time.  Yet.  So, in the meantime my strawberries are thriving.  I mean, honestly more that we can eat.  I’ve picked and picked and picked.  And picked some more.  We are literally in strawberries up to our eyeballs.  And they are still coming!

I’m not complaining.  They are absolutely amazing.  Like nature’s candy.  They are perfect.  Red, juicy, sweet.  And they are right in my back yard just waiting to be consumed.

Since I have a plethora of strawberries at my fingertips, the recipes including strawberries haven’t been lacking.  From baked goods, dips and even in main dishes, I’ve added strawberries to them all.

Since I spotted those tiny tomatoes on the vine it got me to thinking about bruschetta.  I love the stuff.  But, the tomatoes are ready and the strawberries are so I decided to make that favorite, summertime appetizer of mine using fresh strawberries and basil from my garden!

These strawberries were sweet and juicy, but I added just a touch of sugar to the mix to really get those juices going.  Then rolled up some basil and sliced it in strands and folded it in the berry mixture.  Mint would be a delicious alternative too.  I left it with just these three ingredients but a drizzle of balsamic would add another layer of flavor, sweetness and tartness.  Goat cheese would be oh, so amazing too.

Instead of just lightly buttering the bread as I do with traditional bruschetta, I made a cinnamon-brown sugar butter and lightly spread it on the bread.  It really made it more of a dessert type bruschetta, but could still easily be enjoyed as an appetizer.

So if you have an abundance of strawberries, or just can’t wait for those tomatoes to ripen on the vine try out this amazing fruit version of this classic.

Strawberry Bruschetta

Ingredients:


2 Cups diced strawberries
1 Tsp sugar
1/4 Cup loosely packed chiffoned basil

For the bread-
1 Baguette, thickly sliced
3 Tbsp lightly salted butter, room temperature
1/4 Tsp cinnamon
1/2 Tsp brown sugar

Directions:


Fort he bread-
Preheat oven to 300.

Combine butter, cinnamon and brown sugar and mix until combined.  Thinly spread over bread sliced and arrange on a baking sheet.  Place in the preheated oven and bake until the bread is lightly toasted, crispy on the edges and slightly tender (not gooey from melted butter) in the center.  Remove and allow to cool completely.

Meanwhile, combine the strawberries, sugar and basil and stir to combine.  Cover and place in the fridge until ready to serve.

Place strawberries in a bowl and surround with toast and serve.

Recipe source: A Lynsey original