Caramelized Onion and Cherry Bruschetta

Looking for that appetizer to please a crowd and add a beautiful color to your table? Here is your answer! The sweet, caramelized onions add a great savory backdrop for the bold cherries and bring the whole bite together in a perfect combination that will quickly become a new favorite!

Can’t rush perfection! When it comes to caramelizing onions, the trick is really low heat, and frequent stirring. Once you get this technique, there are few things that can beat the natural sweet that comes out of a great onion, and the way it brings out the flavors of all the other ingredients. Because this dish has fresh and crisp qualities from the cherries and jalapenos, having this rich and fragrant base makes everything pop, and well worth the time spent!

Opposites attract. With a lot of the flavors involved in this dish, I felt it needed that element of contrast to bring it all together. Feta cheese brings an almost aged flavor with just enough bite that it stands out without being overpowering. Because so much of this dish is sweet, I found it brought a perfect amount of contrast to add feta. While the jalapeno adds a spicy kick, the actual flavor stays fairly silent to give way to the others. Another option may be a goat cheese here. I did not use basil ribbons on my plate as I was trying to keep it outside of my traditional bruschetta flavors, but that may be a great addition! If you use other variations, I’d love to hear about them!

This recipe was from a Tour of the Market ingredient challenge, where I try to make creative dishes out of seasonal ingredients. If you haven’t been following, check out the previous posts here!

Looking for other ways to use cherries? Try out this salsa!

Jalapeno Cherry Apple Salsa

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Caramelized Onion and Cherry Bruschetta

Hannah

This take on a classic bruschetta combines savory and sweet for a delicious appetizer sure to be a crowd pleaser!

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine French, Italian, Mediterranean

Servings 2

Equipment

• Kitchen knife
• Skillet
• Mixing bowl

Ingredients

  

• 1 small Onion
• 1 loaf French Baguette
• 1 cup Fresh Cherries
• 1/4-1/2 small Jalapeno (spice level of preference)
• 1/4 cup Feta Cheese
• 2 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1/2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 clove Garlic
• 4-5 leaves Fresh Basil (optional)
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

 

• In skillet, add a little oil and the thinly sliced onion. Stir frequently on low until a light brown color and very tender. Turn off heat and set aside.
• While onion is cooking, sliced cherries, jalapeno and garlic and add to mixing bowl. Toss in olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper.
• Using the skillet, lightly toast slices of the baguette until there is a slight char starting on the edges.
• To assemble, place bread on plate and top with a generous portion of caramelized onions. Top with the cherry and jalapeno mixture, and finish with crumbled feta cheese.

  Variation: you could slice basil leaves in ribbons and sprinkle over top or incorporate into the cherry and jalapeno mixture.

  Variation: for a more subtle garlic flavor, you could also toss this in with the onion to give a light sauté and tame the raw flavor.

Keyword Cherry, Fresh