Peach and Roasted Red Pepper Bruschetta

~Leslie~'s Note:

By Jennifer Mackenzie of Food and Drink, who says: The sunny summer flavours of roasted peppers and juicy peaches give new life to this favourite appetizer. Try the bruschetta mixture on grilled fish or chicken, too. Assemble just before serving for the best texture or, serve the toasts on a platter with the topping in a bowl and allow guests to build their own.

• Total Time: 40 mins
• Prep Time: 35 mins
• Cook Time: 5 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 30 pieces

• 1 red pepper
• 2 peaches , diced
• 1 cup roma tomatoes or 1 cup grape tomatoes , diced and seeded
• 1 garlic clove , minced
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 1 baguette , sliced on the diagonal

Directions:

1. Preheat grill to medium-high or broiler. Roast red pepper, turning often, until well blackened. Place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Leave to cool.
2. Remove skin, stem and seeds from pepper. Finely chop the pepper and place in a medium bowl.
3. Stir in peaches, tomatoes, garlic, vinegar and basil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Marinate for 30 minutes before serving or cover and refrigerate for up to 8 hours.
4. Before serving, bring peach mixture to room temperature. Lightly toast baguette slices on both sides. Spoon peach mixture on top of toasts.

Reviews

[Hanka]

Wonderful different and easy to make! I used nectarines instead peaches and add 1Tbsp. of olive oil. My DH isn't crazy about basil so I used fresh chive. The fruit gives nice sweetness to it. Very refreshing! I spoon some on tasted baguette and some I reserved so serve with grilled chicken breast. Will make it again! Thank you Leslie!

[Thorsten]

Love this different kind of Bruschetta. The sweet flavours of the peaches and the roasted peppers are a different kind of treat. The sweetness is balanced by a little red wine vinegar. And I love the basil here, because peaches go so well together with this herb. The bread is toasted without oil and garlic as known for bruschetta, but I like it that way, because it would dominate the fruity notes too much in my opinion. I couldn't get fresh peaches, so I used canned ones. I should have used a bit more of vinegar to comoensate the sweetnes a bit more. Next time I will use fresh peaches for a wonderful light summer snack or appetizer.