Entertaining is easy if you can offer three different toppings to go onto ready-prepared bruschetta. All three toppings may be made ahead of time. They may be served either as snacks with drinks, or as an appetizer before the main course. With vegetarians in mind, we have included a veggie topping which is super delicious. Makes approximately 20 canapés of each topping.
Bruschetta
2 – 3 French loaves, cut into slices, or sour dough bread, cut into slices and then strips. Olive oil for brushing cut bread slices, grill or bake in a very hot oven (220ºC/200ºC fan/Gas mark 7) for 8 – 10 minutes, until golden and crispy.
Topping One: Rocket, Parma Ham, and Pecan-Nut Ricotta
- 250 g ricotta cheese
- 125 g cream cheese
- ½ red chilli, finely chopped
- 50 g pecan nuts, finely chopped
- Freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
- 250 ml rocket
- 10 – 12 slices Parma or prosciutto ham, cut in half
Topping Two: Feta with Grilled Red Peppers, Basil and Balsamic Glaze
- 200 g feta cheese, crumbled
- 100 g cream cheese
- 50 g Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 large egg, beaten
- Sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
- 30 ml chopped, fresh basil leaves
- 2 large red peppers, cut into halves, grilled, and skin removed
- 45 – 60 ml balsamic glaze
- Fresh basil leaves
Topping Three: Rare Fillet of Beef on Blue Cheese with Caramelized Pears
- 150 g beef fillet, in one piece
- Olive oil
- Sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
- 100 g cream cheese
- 30 g Blaauwkrantz cheese or similar blue-veined cheese
- 2 pears, peeled and poached for 20 minutes with 1 cinnamon stick, and 1 red chilli
- 125 ml granulated sugar and water, to cover
Rocket, Parma Ham and Pecan-Nut Ricotta
- Place ricotta, cream cheese, chilli and pecan nuts into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the double-knife stainless-steel blade. Process until smooth.
- Add seasoning to taste.
- Place approximately 10 – 15 ml ricotta mixture on each toasted bruschetta; top with a little rocket, and wrap around each one about half a piece of Parma or proscuitto ham.
Feta with Grilled Red Peppers, Basil and Balsamic Glaze
- Preheat oven to 180ºC/160ºC fan/Gas mark 4.
- Mix feta, cream cheese and Parmesan cheese together; add in the egg and seasoning.
- Gently mix in the chopped basil leaves.
- Grease a 24 x mini-muffin pan or two 12 x mini-muffin pans.
- Fill each pan almost to the top. Smooth the tops, so mixture is even.
- Bake for 25 – 30 minutes, until golden brown.
- Cool; remove carefully from muffin pans, and set aside. Refrigerate until required.
- Grill red pepper halves; remove charred skin, and cut into strips.
- Place one baked feta round onto each bruschetta. Top with a slice of charred red pepper. Drizzle with some balsamic glaze, and top with a basil leaf.
Rare Fillet of Beef on Blue Cheese, with Caramelized Pears
- Roll beef fillet in olive oil and in seasoning.
- Heat a frying pan over medium heat; sear fillet for two minutes on each side, including the ends; about 10 minutes in total. (When pressed with the finger, the meat must feel spongy; it must not be firm to the touch).
- Set aside to cool, and place in the refrigerator until required. Slice into wafer thin slices when ready to assemble.
- Thinly slice the cooled, poached pears.
- Combine cream cheese and Blaauwkrantz cheese. Spread over the bruschetta base.
- Top with a wafer-thin slice of beef, and finish with a slice or two of poached pears.
Variation:
- Add some poached peach slices, or fresh fig slices to the rocket, Parma Ham, and Pecan-Nut Ricotta