A quick confession:
If I could, I would eat appetizers all day long.
And nothing else.
I’m not kidding.
Obviously, this would be incredibly unhealthy, so I try not to do it.
At least not every day…😃
Honey Mascarpone & Tomato Bruschetta: The BEST Appetizer
Ok, but in complete seriousness, I really do love to snack, and my ideal day would consist of eating delicious appetizers throughout the day.
Like my amazing Honey Mascarpone & Tomato Bruschetta.
Do you know the difference between crostini and bruschetta?
I only looked it up recently after using the two terms pretty much interchangeably for forever.
In a nutshell: crostini are small toasts, while bruschetta are more the size of your average piece of toast.
And that’s it.
Simple Ingredients, Big Flavor
Crostini, bruschetta, you could use either one as the base of this addicting appetizer, really. But personally, I like the ratio of this honey mascarpone and tomato topping on bruschetta more than on a smaller crostini.
And these toppings! So simple and so delicious.
Whisking honey, sea salt, and garlic powder into the mascarpone infuses this mild and creamy Italian cheese with flavor. It’s so good. And again, so simple to make.
You could easily substitute the mascarpone with vegan cream cheese (and sub the honey with maple syrup or agave, if you don’t eat honey) to keep these bruschetta vegan.
And these tomatoes are so gorgeous and delicious, you’ll be tempted to eat them straight out of the pan after they caramelize. But I promise, it’s worth it to wait until you’ve compiled the bruschetta.
Honey Mascarpone & Tomato Bruschetta: Make These!
Toast the bread, spread the honey mascarpone, and spoon on the tomatoes, and you’ve got the perfect appetizer for spring and summer!
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Mostly, I resist the urge to snack on appetizers all day. But when these Honey Mascarpone and Tomato Bruschetta are on the table, I admit, it’s a losing battle.
A Few Things!
Yep, as you probably guessed, when a recipe has so few ingredients like this, it’s extra important that they’re all really good.
You can use pre-made crostini, but I highly recommend using your favorite loaf of good bread from the bakery, and toasting it yourself to make bruschetta. By far, my favorite bread to use for these bruschetta is the Sperlonga bread at Whole Foods. It just toasts amazingly well in the oven. You won’t be disappointed!
Also, use a really good olive oil to cook the tomatoes in. My favorite is PJ KABOS. Have I mentioned before that I could drink this stuff?
Well, it’s still true.
Straight from the vineyards of the Panagiotopoulos family in Greece, this olive oil never disappoints. I use it for everything, and I particularly appreciate it in recipes like this, or whenever I make salad dressings or dips.
You can find PJ KABOS olive oil here on Amazon [aff. link].
Honey Mascarpone and Tomato Bruschetta
Ingredients
For the bread:
- 1 loaf of really good bread, (I like using the Sperlonga from Wholes Foods; you could also use a French baguette and make crostini, or even use pre-made crostini, but I like the ratios better here with a bigger slice of bread.)
For the honey mascarpone:
- 16 oz mascarpone
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp honey
For the tomatoes:
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 12 oz cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced in half (about 1 ½ - 1 ¾ cup tomatoes)
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp basil, chiffonade (plus more for garnish)
Instructions
Make the bruschetta
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Slice the bread to thin pieces. I like each piece to be just under ½ inch thick.
- Brush each piece of bread with a little olive oil, if desired. (I usually don’t use olive oil for this recipe—there’s enough flavor in all the toppings for the bread to be toasted plain.)
- Lay the bread out on a baking sheet, giving each slice enough room to lay flat. (Depending on how many slices of bread you make, you may need to do this step in two batches.)
- Bake the bread at 375 degrees for 5-6 minutes, until lightly toasted.
- The bruschetta is done, set aside and prepare the mascarpone and tomatoes.
Make the honey mascarpone
- Add the mascarpone, salt, and garlic powder to a small mixing bowl. With a fork, whisk everything together, until the salt and garlic powder are incorporated and the mascarpone is smooth.
- Now add the honey, taking care not use more than 1 tsp. If you use too much honey, the mascarpone will get too runny.
- Whisk in the honey until it’s completely incorporated, and set the honey mascarpone aside.
Make the tomatoes
- Drizzle the olive oil into a skillet. Turn the heat on to medium, and let the oil get warm, about 30 seconds. Now add the tomatoes and sea salt. Flip everything with your spatula a few times.
- Let the tomatoes cook for 7-9 minutes over medium heat, flipping occasionally, until they have released their juices, but haven’t completely broken down. The tomatoes should still be a little firm.
- Turn the heat off under the skillet, and add 1 tsp of the basil to the skillet. Gently toss the basil into the tomatoes.
Compile the bruschetta
- Take a slice of the bruschetta, and spread some honey mascarpone over the top, all the way out to the edges of the bread. (I like to use about 2-3 tsp of mascarpone per slice of bruschetta.)
- Spoon the tomato mixture over the top. (I try to get some juice, and about 4-5 tomatoes per slice of bruschetta.)
- Note: if you will not serve the bruschetta immediately, don’t add the tomatoes just yet. Wait until you plan to serve, re-heat the tomatoes for a few minutes in the skillet, then spoon over the bruschetta, and follow the next steps.
- Repeat until you run out of ingredients. (This will vary depending on the size of your bread loaf, but I generally get 10-12 bruschetta from this recipe.)
Serve and enjoy!
- Lay the bruschetta out on your serving platter, and lightly drizzle some honey over the top. (You can omit this step, or do it on each individual bruschetta slice, if you prefer.)
- Garnish with more basil chiffonade, then serve the bruschetta immediately, and enjoy!
6 Responses
I wouldn’t’ve though to put honey on these, but I’ll bet it’s delicious! I love your appetizers-all-day idea! I’ll bet with some creativity, you could make it work!
Thanks Jeff! The honey adds such a great texture and flavor, I’m crazy about it these days. 😋 Haha and I’m glad I’m not alone with the appetizers-all-day dream! 😄
Ah, I love bruschetta! In fact, I just bought a container of mascarpone yesterday…although that one is fated for tiramisu. But I think mascarpone needs to go back on the grocery list for next week now. This is such a fun flavor profile for a classic appetizer! I wonder if you could grill the bread? We often make bruschetta by brushing it with olive oil and then grilling it for 1-2 minutes per side. It adds such a unique underlying flavor. This entire recipe is making me excited for summer tomato season!
Thanks David! Oh for sure, if I had a grill, I’d definitely grill the bruschetta, classic style! 😋. Haha me too, I am so excited for all the delicious spring and summer flavors we have to look forward to!
What? How did I miss this amazing bruschetta – one of my favourite things ever?! Well, I hope you still have a few pieces for me 🙂
I love using mascarpone + honey combo in bruschetta, but it usually goes with berries or stone fruit. Tomatoes though? Awesome idea! I love the combination of sweetness, saltiness, and acidity – I bet the bruschetta is bursting with flavour!
Thanks Ben! It’s so fun to pull the mascarpone both sweet and savory here. It’s such a versatile ingredient, isn’t it?