Strawberry Goat Cheese Bruschetta
Strawberry Goat Cheese Bruschetta is an easy, fresh yet luxurious tasting appetizer that everyone loves! It's a hypnotic symphony of sweet strawberries, tangy smoky, goat cheese, toasted, grilled French bread, and sweet and tangy Balsamic Reduction.
Servings 35 - 40 slices
Ingredients
- 1 pound strawberries chopped
- 5 basil leaves chopped
- 8 oz. garlic herb goat cheese softened
- 1 tablespoon McCormick® Grill Mates® Smokehouse Maple Seasoning
- 1 long French baguette sliced into ¾” slices (approx. 23 inches/11 oz.)
- Olive oil for brushing
- 1 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sugar
Garnish
- basil leaves, chiffonade
Instructions
- Add strawberries and chopped basil to a medium bowl. Stir to combine.
- Add goat cheese and Grill Mates® Smokehouse Maple seasoning to a separate medium bowl. Stir until well combined and set aside.
- Preheat grill to 350 degrees F. Brush baguette slices with olive oil on each side. Grill for approximately 3 minutes per side, or until nicely toasted. Alternatively you can oven broil the slices until toasted.
- Spread each baguette slice with goat cheese then top evenly with strawberries.
Balsamic Reduction
- Whisk balsamic vinegar and sugar into saucepan. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer just until the consistency of syrup, approximately 10-15 minutes, stirring often.
- Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. It will thick upon cooling. As soon as it’s cooled to room temperature, drizzle each piece of Strawberry Bruschetta with Balsamic Reduction. Top with additional basil if desired. Serve.
Video
Notes
Don't miss the "how to make" recipe video at the top of the post!
• Prep ahead. You can chop your strawberries, basil and slice your bread ahead of time. You can also combine your Goat Cheese and Grill Mates Smokehouse Maple Seasoning. I don’t recommend spreading the goat cheese on the bread too far in advance because the goat cheese will look “cracked” after it sits. This is more an aesthetic issue and will still taste wonderful so it is up to you whether or not that bothers you.
• Goat Cheese. Garlic Herb Goat Cheese costs the same as regular coat cheese and comes already packed with goodness! Goat cheese can be found with the specialty cheeses at your grocery store. To soften, leave goat cheese out for about one hour before serving to soften OR microwave at 15 second intervals just until softened.
• Use fresh French baguette. You want to start with soft bread so your grilled bread has the perfect toasted crunch without becoming too crunchy.
• Store Bought Balsamic Reduction. You can purchase "Balsamic Glaze" instead of making balsamic reduction yourself.
• 4th of July Strawberry Goat Cheese Bruschetta. Add a single or multiple blueberries to the strawberries for a red, white and blue appetizer for 4th of July.
• Goat Cheese. Garlic Herb Goat Cheese costs the same as regular coat cheese and comes already packed with goodness! Goat cheese can be found with the specialty cheeses at your grocery store. To soften, leave goat cheese out for about one hour before serving to soften OR microwave at 15 second intervals just until softened.
• Use fresh French baguette. You want to start with soft bread so your grilled bread has the perfect toasted crunch without becoming too crunchy.
• Store Bought Balsamic Reduction. You can purchase "Balsamic Glaze" instead of making balsamic reduction yourself.
• 4th of July Strawberry Goat Cheese Bruschetta. Add a single or multiple blueberries to the strawberries for a red, white and blue appetizer for 4th of July.
Tips and Tricks for Balsamic Reduction
- Prep Goat Cheese Bruschetta first. Don’t be tempted to assemble your bruschetta while you wait for the Balsamic Reduction to cool or it will harden. You want your Bruschetta completely assembled with the grilled bread, goat cheese and strawberries so all that’s left to do is drizzle with Balsamic Reduction.
- Stir often. It will seem like your reduction is taking a while to thicken then out of no where it will start to thicken so keep a careful eye on it and continue to stir so it doesn’t burn.
- Thicken to the consistency of syrup. Continue to thicken until it reaches the consistency of syrup. If you thicken it closer to the consistency of molasses just be aware it will thicken considerably as it cools and you run the risk of it hardening.
- If it hardens. If your Balsamic Reduction is beginning to harden before you use it then whisk in a little water and gently reheat to loosen.