Bruschetta Recipe?

[2sammi]

This is one of my favorites. Better late than never.

Honey Pear Bruschetta
Makes 50 Canapés

6 firm pears, small diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup honey
2 - 3 cups sugar
2 sprigs rosemary, minced
2 teaspoons lemon zest
freshly ground pepper to taste
1 pound Brie cheese
1 baguette
1 cup toasted, chopped pecans



To make honey-pear preserves,

1. Combine pears, garlic, honey, 2 cups sugar, rosemary and lemon zest in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until the mixture becomes thick and syrupy. Adjust sugar and season to taste with freshly ground pepper.

2. Cool and reserve. Can be done in advance and frozen for up to one month.


My Notes:

Taste as you go one the sugar, I never use the full amount depending on the sweetness of the pears. I do use all the honey and make the ajustments in the sugar.

I have found the rosemary to be way too strong for me. I add just a little thyme, it seems to let the flavor of the pear be the shinning star.

I have frozen the pear jam............... and it's really good on ice cream !

 

[ChefJune]

Wow! THAT sounds delicious, and very useful for lots of other things besides Bruschetta.

Have you tried using less Rosemary?

I think I'd like it with Lavender.

 

[2sammi]

I did use less to begin with, but rosemary isn't one of my favorites either...BUT lavender, that sounds really good. Have to give that one a try.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Yes, if you research Bruschetta, you will find that it is fire roasted bread, usually a coarse artisian style, that has been either dipped in, or brushed with first pressed virgin olive oil, then rubbed with raw garlic. It was a method for testing the fresh olive oil flavor.

Originally, the stuff we refer to as garlic bread (the bread that has been spread with garlic infused butter) was the "rich man's dish, while bruschetta was for the commoners. But somewhere along the line, bruschetta was tried by the British elite, albeit with some toppings, and it became the wealthy persons dish, while garlic bread became the commoner's version.

Today, the term bruschetta, can reffer to the toppings put on the toasted bread, or the bread itself, prepared with various toppings, or the original form, depending who you are talking to. But for me, bruschetta means liberally brusing coarse bread, such as a crusty French or Itallian bread loaf that has been split lengthwise, with a leafy flavored extra-virgin olive oil, such as Carrapelli, roasted over charcoal with wood, and then the toasted bread used to grate raw garlic on top. It is truly yummy. If I want toppings, I will make crustini instead.

Seeeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North