Kim’s Bruschetta assortment

Kim made a delicious and beautiful assortment of four bruschettas for Marissa’s bridal shower. All flavors in the variety are inspired by the bruschetta menu from the ever-popular (since its opening in 2001) Postino Wine Cafe. Kim didn’t have recipes to give me, since she just throws these babies together organically and naturally. But don’t worry, I’ve written up recipes for you. There are no specific quantities, make as many or as few as you need.

At Postino, French bread is used as the base and then the slices are cut in half after they are topped. For the shower, Kim used baguettes to make smaller, more individual-sized pieces.

Bread

• 1 baguette, cut into 3/4-inch-thick slices
• Olive oil
• 3 peeled garlic cloves, flattened

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Drizzle bread slices with olive oil and bake at 350 just until warm and slightly crisp.  Remove from oven and rub with garlic cloves let cool for a few minutes before topping.

Prosciutto, Fig & Mascarpone

• Prosciutto
• Dried black mission figs, thinly sliced
• Mascarpone cheese
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Olive oil

Spread warm bread slices with mascarpone. Top with sliced figs, then prosciutto, then sprinkle of salt and pepper, and drizzle with a little more olive oil.

Pesto and Smoked Salmon

• Purchased pesto
• Thinly sliced smoked salmon
• Crème fraîche
• Chopped chives

Spread cooled bread slices with pesto, top with a salmon, dollop, and crème fraîche, and sprinkle with chives.

Roasted Red Bell Pepper & Goat Cheese

• 1 large red bell pepper
• 4 ounces soft goat cheese, room temperature

Char bell pepper over a gas flame or under the broiler until blackened on all sides. Enclose in paper or plastic bag to steam for at least 10 minutes. Peel and seed pepper; cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips.

Spread goat cheese on toast. Top with red pepper strips.

Mozzarella, Tomato & Basil

Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• Olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 8 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into thin slices
• Salt
• Fresh basil leaves

Roasted Tomatoes: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Place tomato halves, cut sides up, in 1 layer on a baking sheet. Add garlic and thyme sprig to the baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Place on the middle rack of preheated oven and roast until tomatoes are slightly browned, about 25 minutes. Discard the thyme sprig and set it aside.

While the bread slices are still warm, divide the mozzarella slices among them and season lightly with salt. Divide the roasted tomatoes evenly over the mozzarella. Tear the basil leaves into bite-size pieces and sprinkle over the tomatoes.