Bruschetta with Fig & tomato chia jam
I’ve been thinking a lot about the holiday’s lately, with holiday parties, family dinners, and happy hours with our favorite people. With that said, as a vegan, I definitely get a bit anxious around this time of year because social events means lots of food, and often, there isn’t a ton of options for those who are vegan or who have food allergies. This inspired me to make The Best Guest series over on TikTok and Instagram thats filled with the best party food to bring, or serve to your next holiday party or family dinner. Essentially, it will make you the best & most loved guest anywhere!
This appetizer is one of the BEST. It’s obviously a remake of a crowd favorite but majorly upgraded with plant based ricotta, balsamic glaze, lemon zest and the best part… a fig and tomato chia jam! Oh yeah. You can make the jam ahead of time so it’s super simple to put together come party time. I use the ricotta from my cookbook, but you can use any plant based ricotta you like!
This dish is:
plant based.
perfect for those with a dairy allergy.
simple & easy recipe.
DELICIOUS!
A serious crowd pleaser.
Save this recipe and don’t forget to tag me @chef_bai over on instagram when you make this!
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Makes 10 large/20 small toast points
The Goods:
4 large tomatoes
8-10 figs, chopped
1/4 cup coconut sugar
1/2 cup water
1 sprig of rosemary
1/4 tsp salt
12 oz vegan ricotta (one from my cookbook is amazing!)
1 seeded baguette, sliced into toast points
lemon zest
basil leaves
balsamic glaze
The Method:
First up, blanch your tomatoes. To do this, fill up a small pot (make sure your tomatoes can fit inside) with 3/4 of the way with water. Turn on medium heat until it simmers. While it’s heating up, grab your tomatoes and core out the center and make an X slice on the bottom. Also, on the side, grab a bowl and get an ice bath ready for your tomatoes.
Add the tomatoes to the simmering pot of water and let cook for about 2 minutes or until you see the skin start to peel off. Pull the tomatoes out with a slotted spoon and let sit in the ice bath until cool for 1-2 minutes. Remove the tomatoes from the ice bath and transfer to your cutting board.
Peel the tomatoes, cut in half and remove the seeds. You’ll have the meaty part of the tomato left over - this makes the perfect jam consistency! Once you have them prepared, give the tomato a quick rough chop and add to a cold saucepan with the figs, coconut sugar, water, rosemary and a pinch of salt.
Cook on medium heat for 10 minutes while stirring or until the mixture starts to boil and you lose about 50% of the liquid. With your wooden spoon or rubber spatula, smash the fruit. When its been about 10 minutes of cooking the jam, add the chia seeds, stir well, turn off heat and set aside. This will be the jam.
If you making homemade ricotta, this is a great time to prep it.
Now take your toast points, and cook on broil in the oven for 5-7 minutes, or until golden brown.
When your toast is crispy, remove from the oven and place all the pieces of bread onto a large plate. Now it’s time to create magic!
Grab a toast point, and spread a generous dollop of ricotta onto the top, then a generous spoonful or two of jam. Garnish with basil leaves, lemon zest, and a balsamic drizzle. Repeat until you have all your bruschetta made.
Serve on a platter at your next get together. Best served warm.
Thanks so much for checking out our recipes! I hope you find something here that satisfies your cravings or encourages you to try something new. Make sure to check back every week to see our new recipes!
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