I can still remember the day I first had this bruschetta - July 3, 2002. It was my first week on a new job and in celebration of the 4th of July holiday weekend the whole office went to a new (at the time) wine bar and cafe in a great little neighborhood of Phoenix for happy hour. The boss paid, which was even better.
Fast forward a few years and I am no longer at that job, the place is no longer new or just a neighborhood favorite and it's routinely mobbed. The owners have expanded and opened new restaurants, the prices have jumped a few dollars and the parking is absolutely unacceptable, but I still love the bruschetta at Postino Wine Cafe.
A blatant rip-off of one of 10 bruschetta options at Postino, I created this little meal for a lazy Sunday afternoon, sipping some wine and catching up on reading. But let's be honest that the combination of salty prosciutto, sweet figs and creamy cheese is not exactly new...so I don't feel too bad about my copycat.
Make this for your next cocktail/wine party - it's great!
Prosciutto, Fig & Mascarpone Bruschetta*:
Fresh crusty bread
Prosciutto
Dried black mission figs, sliced thinly
Mascarpone cheese
Extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, peeled and sliced in half
Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
Directions:
Slice the bread into 1 inch slices. Rub with garlic clove (just to scent bread). Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and bake at 350 just until warm and slightly crisp. Remove from oven, let cool for a few minutes and then spread with mascarpone. Top with sliced figs, then prosciutto, then another sprinkle of salt and pepper and drizzle of olive oil. Cut into pieces and serve.
* A note about this recipe. Because it is simple and with few ingredients, the quality of ingredients matters A LOT. Buy the best you can find, or substitute something else.
20 comments:
I've been known to grumble about parking, prices, crowds, etc. at Postino, but I must admit their myriad variations of bruschetta, accompanied with a glass of something nice to drink, make a great light meal.
Kirsten,
I recognized the bruschetta as soon as I opened your blog. Many a night have been spent going on first dates, etc., at Postino. :)
I also make a copycat version of their different bruschettas. Also, the rare times that I can find fresh figs, I cut them in half, stuff with a little good gorgonzola, wrap in prosciutto, and drizzle with EVOO. I just love fig, cheese, and prosciutto anything!
Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!
Maureen
Your afternoon sounds lovely and so does this bruschetta.
This sounds fabulous, Kirsten! Everyone's wrapping melon in prosciutto lately, but I like the crunch of the bread here. And the mix of figs and mascarpone? Wow.
I have to say, when it comes to rubbing bread [or meat or anything] with garlic to flavor it, I don't generally notice much effect. What I do in a case like this is to infuse some olive oil with garlic. I just roughly chop a couple/few cloves of garlic and pour some olive oil over it in a bowl or measuring cup. Mash the garlic a little with a fork to release its juices into the oil, then let it stand for a few hours--or even a day. When you brush bread with this infused oil, it imparts a decided garlic taste.
Blatent rip off is the ultimate compliment to the restaurant!
I love this idea! I am having a BBQ on Sunday, and this just went on "the menu" as an appetizer!
Kristen,
Not until a week ago have I started liking prosciutto - I guess I hadn't tried a good one!
What a delicious recipe!
Oh Yum! I had some leftover prosciutto on saturday and we just ate it with some different cheeses we had in the fridge. But this sounds like a much better plan. Definitely going to keep this in the back of my mind for a lazy afternoon! :)
K -
How can I NOT comment on this post? Considering it's one of our absolute favorite happy hour spots, and you posted my favorite variation of their bruschetta...YUM! I assume we will be going for happy hour this week since you've teased me with this! :)
M
Okay, seriously? This looks so, so good! Just when I thought I was full from dinner...:)
Thanks everyone for the comments!!
Terry - re: garlic. I agree. I think here it worked because I really didn't want too much garlic here (thought it would compete with the sweetness of the mascarpone), but I think if I make another kind of bruschetta it would be better to try the garlic oil idea! Thanks!
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Hi Kristen,
I was so glad to find this recipe online after having this amazing bruschetta at Postino. My wife and I would like to try it for our wine party this coming Saturday and since we're not cooks we were wondering what to do with the dried figs. Do we simply slice them and put them on the cheese or do we have to do something to moisten them up? Thanks in advance for your advice.
John
jajajaja, I'm a little bit confuse for the word "Prosciutto", when I search the word in Google I find that is the same that ham.
I did these pieces of heaven last night, they were a hit at my house, my mother in law was speechless, she absolutely loved the bruschetta.
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Thanks for this article, very effective information.
Oh yes!This looks very delicious!
I am so very grateful to you for posting this recipe!!!! I have spent the last 2 years ordering this at least once a month from Postino's. Absolutely my favorite. I have 2 favorites there, but this is my top one. The other is the Country Toast, which you should try if you get a chance (on the brunch menu). Thank you, thank you!
Chris
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