Bruschetta with fresh cherries, leftover ham and mascarpone
Servings: 4 as a snack
This is a way of using up 3 likely leftover bits from your festive feast: summer fruit, christmas ham, and some kind of creamy cheese. If you haven’t got mascarpone but do have some cream cheese or the like in the fridge, feel free to make the swap – even some thickly slathered butter would do it! Whatever bread you’ve got will do – it’ll liven up a treat once you toast it a little. If you’d prefer to keep yours meat-free, just swap out the ham for some extra salt and pepper… cherries and something creamy on crunchy bread? Yes please! The cherries act like a very fresh chutney, and are perfect for a Boxing Day platter while you watch the cricket. If your cherries are a little lacklustre, it may be worth tossing them with a little pinch of sugar and a splash of balsamic vinegar to macerate for 5 minutes before using.
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Ingredients
- 4 slices of thick cut sourdough bread or thickly sliced baguette
- 2 garlic cloves
- ⅓ cup mascarpone
- 1 cup of rocket spinach or any leaves you have left
- 1 cup of cherries pitted and quartered
- Leftover christmas ham chicken, turkey or prawns
- Olive oil for frying and finishing
Instructions
- Fry your bread with oil in a pan, drizzle with oil and bake in a moderate oven, or toast in the toaster (depending how much effort you’d like to put in). Cook until a desired level of golden brown.
- Rub ½ a garlic clove over each freshly toasted slice. Schmear with a thick layer of mascarpone, followed by rocket, ham, and then a sprinkle of cherries. Finish with a drizzle of oil and a pinch of salt flakes and cracked pepper.
