Bruschetta Three Ways

Since I was the loser of the "Best 3 Out Of 5 Qwirkle Tournament" on Wednesday night, I was in charge of dinner on Friday. And while I really do love to cook, Friday nights I'm usually looking for an easy option. Complicated and involved dinners tend to fall more on Saturday or Sunday nights. So tonight for dinner we had bruschetta three ways: classic tomato basil, roasted garlic spicy shrimp and a goat cheese strawberry with a balsamic vinegar reduction.

Wednesday night we had a caprese salad, so the classic tomato basil was an obvious choice. I toasted the baguette with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. When it came out of the oven, hot, I rubbed it with a little roasted garlic. Then I topped the bread with gorgeous summer tomatoes, fresh basil, olive oil, the little bit of left over mozerella and drizzled with balsamic vinegar. Basic. Classic. Simple. It's the super ripe summer tomatoes that make this over the top!

For the shrimp, I used the same toasted bread. I put a heavier smear of roasted garlic on the toast. I halved some shrimp and cooked it for a minute in olive oil and lots of red pepper flakes. Very fast, Very simple. Very good!

(I did have an idea for a Mexican shrimp ceviche bruschetta while I was making this. I would marinate the diced shrimp in lime juice & zest, red onion, jalapeno, cilantro, olive oil, diced tomato and salt and pepper. Then over the toasted bread, add guacamole and top with the ceviche mixture. YUM!! I'll blog it if I try it. Sounds de-lish to me! Great Mexican meal appetizer!)

And for the "dessert" bruschetta, I combined a heaping cup of chopped strawberries, a dash of olive oil, a splash of balsamic vinegar that I reduced even further on the stove top until it was very thick and sweet, lots of black pepper and about 5 basil leaves. I did this in the morning and let it macerate all day. It was a sweet, delicious "jam" by dinner time. I toasted the baguette plain and then let them cool. I added a generous smear of goat cheese and topped it with the strawberry mixture. YUMMY!!

A bruschetta bar is a perfect summer snack, complete meal or fun party food. The toppings can be made ahead and varied depending on the ingredients you have on hand. If you are out grilling by the pool or having a hamburger cook-out, you can toast the bread right on the grill. Summer party indoors? You could buy crackers or crostini and skip the heat all together. (The rest is cook/oven/heat free.) Set the toppings out in bowls and put the bread in a few baskets. Then let people mix and match and build there own bruschetta. Add some fresh fruit, maybe a cheese board with two or three cheeses, a little crumbled bacon or prosciutto. Toast some bread with cinnamon and sugar and make a peach or pineapple topping for a light, sweet bruschetta. Fig and goat cheese with a drizzle of honey.....the list could go on and on. There will be something for everyone at the party: dairy-free, gluten free (Note: gluten free bread toasts up very nicely), vegetarian, dieters & grazers, sweet, salty, you name it. Your guest can be as simple or creative as they like.

I highly recommend bruschetta for dinner!