Bruschetta "Pesto" Trio
Often times, I believe I could be diagnosed with Foodie Sickness. While other people think about work, school, television, etc. I think about food. And sometimes, I am inspired by really random things. Most people, when they see a three part dish at CB2 they really want to buy solely because it's so inexpensive but can't think of a real use for, they leave it there and never think about it again. Me, I leave it there, but don't stop thinking about it. Too shallow for things like sauces and condiments, too small for things like nuts. What could I possibly do with it?
And then as I am walking home, I think hmm...that dish would be cool for a "trio" of something. But what? And then (follow the train of thought here), I recall reading about the Royal Foodie Joust hosted by the Leftover Queen and it all makes sense. A trio of bruschetta, of course! Oh, and, for the record--I didn't go back and buy the plate.
This month's royal foodie joust called for the use of dried fruit, nuts, and cheese in a dish. Hmm. I like all of these things (though not always together). My immediate thought was a sundried tomato pesto (tomatoes are fruits!), so I went with it. Then, I decided to sort of mimic the idea of the three ingredients and the "pesto" in the other two.
Remember how when you were freshman in highschool, it was educationally valid to start your papers with "Webster defines (whatever your paper is on) as....?" Well, I am going to slip back into that for a second and say that Webster (or some other linguist) probably defines pesto as a puree of basil, pine nuts, garlic, cheese and olive oil. But for the purposes of this essay...I mean, blog entry...I am going to define it as a puree of nuts, garlic and cheese. And why not? And while we are on the topic of definitions, most people think the tomato topping adorning bruschetta is actually called "bruschetta." But bruschetta is really just toasted bread, typically rubbed with garlic. Okay so I only rubbed one of the breads with garlic (the French) but I did toast them all. :)
So after all those random musings, I bring to you, the trio of bruschetta "pestos."
The first of the trio is a "pesto" made with toasted pistachios, rosemary, goat cheese and dried figs on ezekiel bread. My friend Cara had a great idea to do this on rosemary bread but since I was working with what I had, I went with the ezekiel and added some fresh chopped rosemary to the mixture. This bruschetta is drizzled with honey.
The second of the trio is a sundried tomato pesto made from my basic pesto sauce and the addition of sundried tomatoes. Some sauted mushrooms top it, as does a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. It's on your standard French baguette.
The final bruschetta is a "pesto" made from toasted pecans, cream cheese, dried cherries, a pinch of sugar and a splash of vanilla. It's on top of cinammon bread and brushed with some chocolate.
All of the toppings were made in a mini food processor. I don't really have recipes for these because I just sort of added the above ingredients to the mini food prep and tasted as I went along. It's really up to your tastes and the consistency you are going for. These are just some ideas if you are looking for a new way to enjoy bread with cheese and really, who isn't?
I'm really looking forward to seeing what everyone else comes up with for the challenge. If you think my idea is good, please feel free to visit the forums and vote for me :)
Oh, and sorry for the dark pics. My crappy kitchen lighting is not conducive to food photography :)
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