Adapted from a Pacific Coast Farmers’ Market Association recipe
Jan and I were at our local farmers’ market and Jan spotted a table with piles of free printed recipes. This one appealed to her, so I made it for her. It substitutes cherries for tomatoes, the common base ingredient of brushetta. I took it one step further and used my favorite, Rainier cherries.
Karl’s Cherry Bruschetta
Ingredients
1½ cup Rainier cherries
2 Tbs. red bell pepper, finely diced
2 Tbs. yellow bell pepper, finely diced
1 green onion, sliced finely
6-7 large basil leaves, chiffonade
juice of one lime (about2 Tbs.)
zest of one lime (about 1 tsp.)
1 Tbs. olive oil
pinch black pepper
pinch Kosher salt
1 baguette-style bread
3-4 oz. fresh mozzarella, sliced into thin rounds
Directions
1. Pit and chop the cherries into smallish bits.
Tip: You should have ¾-1 cup of chopped cherries when you are done.
2. Put the cherries in a bowl and add the bell peppers, onion, basil, juice, zest, oil, pepper, and salt.
3. Mix well and let the bruschetta mix meld for five minutes.
4. Cut the baguette into five to six half inch slices per person and lightly toast them.
5. Lay out the bread slices and top each of them with a slice of the mozzarella.
6. Top the cheese with the bruschetta mix and serve immediately as a starter or side dish.