Last weekend we had a cookout to attend and I offered to bring something. My friend needed an appetizer and I was happy to oblige. They joked that evening, “when Maura offers to bring something, you say YES!”. Since my husband and I have been loving our bruschetta with heirloom tomatoes (which are greenhouse from a local farm), we were inspired to try what is growing locally right now in our back yard and came up with this variation. We are starting to harvest strawberries from our garden, albeit in small quantities at the moment, so I did use store-bought strawberries which were actually quite good and sweet. Like tomatoes, strawberries are a fruit and when in season offer the same earthiness and sweetness that can only be experienced when plucked from the vine and eaten right away.
I made two versions, some had prosciutto and some did not. Easy way to make a vegetarian option. So I started with all the ingredients prepped in advance.
From the left, sliced bread to be toasted (this is a ciabatta), ricotta cheese, whole strawberries for garnish, sliced and washed strawberries, basil
prepared in chiffonade ribbons, balsamic vinegar (not shown) and balsamic vinaigrette to
finish everything off.
As the bread is toasting, you can warm the sliced strawberries on the stovetop with a little balsamic vinegar added to the pan (different than the dressing for topping) to reduce it a bit and flavor the strawberries. This takes just a few minutes so that the strawberries do not get soggy.
Once toasted, spread some ricotta on the bread while it is warm, then add the ribbons of prosciutto if using. The ones on the right are the vegetarian. Then using a spoon top each slice with the warmed strawberry slices and then drizzle each with some balsamic vinaigrette to make it glimmery and delicious! Then to add color and flavor, the basil gets evenly distributed for an ‘OMG, those look amazing’ presentation.
Crunchy, creamy, sweet, salty, earthy – LOVELY!
since strawberries are in season, this variation on traditional bruschetta works perfectly for a an appetizer or party nibble
- 2 lbs strawberries
- 1 loaf ciabatta bread anything with a crust and a good chew
- fresh basil leaves
- balsamic vinegar
- 16 oz. part-skin ricotta cheese any type will work
- balsamic vinaigrette to drizzle
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Angle a small sharp knife and cut, in a circular motion, around the green leafy top of the strawberry and into the pale flesh directly underneath. Remove the hull and discard. Reserve ~ 8-10 strawberries with hulls intact for garnish. Rinse all and set aside.
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Position strawberries with the tip side up and slice into ~ 1/4″ slices.
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Score two slices of prosciutto into 8-10 thin strips. Set aside.
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Take basil leaves and stack 4-5 and then roll into a cylinder. Slice into thin ribbons and then separate. Think STACK, ROLL, SLICE. Set aside.
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Preheat oven to 425 deg. Slice bread into 1/2″ slices and arrange on a baking sheet to toast for ~ 10 min. until crisp and lightly browned.
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While the bread is toasting, place the sliced strawberries into a stovetop skillet on low/low medium heat with 1 tsp of olive oil. Soon after, add the balsamic vinegar (not the vinaigrette) and let it simmer a few more minutes until the vinegar has slightly reduce. Remove from heat.
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Spread ricotta evenly on warm toasted bread, layer the prosciutto, and then spoon strawberries evenly on toasts.
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Drizzle with the balsamic vinaigrette lightly and then garnish with the basil ribbons.
- cheeses: garlic herb cheese spread, ricotta, fresh mozzerella, goat cheese, cottage cheese, cream cheese, mascarpone (for more desserty version).
- meats: prosciutto, pepperoni, salami, bacon
- fruits: tomatoes, strawberries, cantaloupe, peaches, any type of berries, pears, etc.
- garnishes: basil, arugula, parsley, thyme, micro greens, etc.
- fruit spreads: fig jam, strawberry jam, peach, etc.
- breads: ciabatta, baguette, sourdough, crusty italian, any bread with a good chew and crust that will make a crunchy base to support all of the toppings without becoming soggy
- dressings: anything that compliments the other choices but I find the balsamic vinaigrette pairs well with most combinations.
- i have made this with peaches, using prosciutto and ricotta.
- an alternative version can also spread some fig jam on the toasts which would pair nicely with prosciutto and cantaloupe, then garnishing with arugula.
- as long as there is some type of cheese, fruit, meat (optional), garnish, and a dressing to drizzle at the end for presentation you will have something amazing to offer your guests or bring to the next summer BBQ!
