Strawberry Basil "Bruschetta"

We've previously discussed my OCD, ADD, and ICDT. Let me add to this list of issues, my "I.R.E." problem.

“It’s really easy.”

Greg: “Stop saying that.”

“What?”

Greg: “You keep saying, ‘It’s really easy,’ but I don’t think that phrase means what you think it means.”

“Inconceivable.”

Greg says several of our mutual friends laugh about my penchant for tossing off IRE's every time I share recipes. It's possible that my perception of what is "hard" and what is "easy" is warped. I am, after all, the weirdo who made her first quilt in 24 hours; who baked a wedding cake 24 hours before the wedding; who allowed 28 hours of her life to lapse watching "Battlestar Galatica"; who has just this moment realized that she will be baking 2 birthday cakes and catering for forty people at 3 separate parties in the next 5 weeks; but I think this has more to do with the OCD and ICDT and maybe also because I am brave by reason of stupidity (that is, I'm not smart enough to realize that just because I can do something doesn't mean I should).

But I promise you, this recipe really IS easy. It's as simple as toasting bread, cutting it, smearing it with mascarpone and topping with a strawberry. This is the dessert you pull out when you need to make something sweet, fast. With a cookie cutter, a pastry bag and a star pipe, you can make it a high end petit four.

The original recipe apparently came from Ted Allen on an episode of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy -- "sweet bruschetta." Naturally, I've revised it.

It's really easy.

Strawberry Basil Bruschetta

Ted's originally recipe can be found here

Ted's version calls for lots of honey and mint. My version is less honey and basil. I substituted basil when I first tried this dish and discovered the magic of the strawberry-basil combination. I'm so enamored of the melange that I am planning to test a strawberry-basil parfait with this week's batch of egg yolks.

My version:

2 slices cinnamon raisin bread
1/4 cup mascarpone
3 T honey
4 large strawberries, rinsed and hulled, cut in half
1 T fresh basil leaves, chopped into a fine chiffonade

Toast the slices of bread, then cut diagonally for four toast "points." (Alternatively, you can use a round cookie cutter and cut out toast rounds; cutting diagonally simply prevents waste)

Mix together mascarpone and honey. Pipe or spread honey mascarpone mixture onto bread. Sprinkle with basil chiffonade. Top with strawberries and remaining basil.

Makes 8 1-bite servings.

Comments

[Stephanie]

See? We *are* alike! I so rarely think a recipe is difficult, even if it calls for twenty-five steps, and requires three days to make it.

I mean, I got the dish made, didn't I???

So, did you watch the mini-series, and then the full first season? We did the same, but because we have a child who (darn it all) requires our attention, had to break it up into a few weekends.

[Cath]

Stephanie: oh yeah, we gotta meet. Maybe we should meet at a restaurant so we don'' feel compelled to start cooking in your kitchen...

We watched the mini-series, Season 1 and the first half of Season 2 in 2 days. Then we downloaded episodes we hadn't seen on our Macs and watched on our Macs. Actually, we watched on one Mac while the other was downloading a new episode, then we'd switch off. Occasionally Hubby has the same OCD tendencies. I wonder if you can get OCD by proxy?