NTTC #2: Strawberry Bruschetta

My sister has always been a romantic. She and my mother can spend hours watching old Audrey Hepburn movies together. I’ve never been as into the classic romances: I consider them kind of trite and have always been much more of a realist.

However, my sister has a way of adapting romances into her daily life that I envy: when her movies are over, my sister likes to adapt little bits and pieces from them into her life. She takes quotes, costumes, quirks from classics like Annie Hall, Sabrina, and Breakfast at Tiffany’s and makes them so her own that you would never know that they weren’t completely her idea.

In fact, if I had not been watching Kate and Leopold with her when she came up with this idea, I never would have known that her breakfast of choice came from the movie.

“Nine grain toast, strawberries, and mascarpone cheese. It’s apparently low in poly-unsaturates.”

Hugh Jackman, playing 19th century Leopold, offers this breakfast to 21st century Kate one morning. My sister makes it because she loves the idea of Hugh Jackman making her breakfast (OK… I wouldn’t say no to that either), but I adopted it because, when my sister made it for me, I realized how delicious the combination is.

It is, indeed, quick enough for breakfast, even a 21st century breakfast, but I used it as inspiration for dessert.

I took fresh bakery bread and toasted it lightly. I then spread it with ricotta cheese (you can use mascarpone if you like, but I prefer ricotta) and added freshly cut strawberries and powdered sugar (a little extra sweetness never killed anyone). I also sometimes add fresh basil before serving. It’s a great, simple summer dessert, especially following a heavier meal.

It’s also a very sweet idea for breakfast in bed. You know, if you’re into that sort of thing.

This quick and easy recipe is my submission for the second round of No Time to Cook. I was really excited about the first round of this event, and I’m really glad that it’s back! You can submit your own quick and easy dessert recipes until April 25th. Details can be found at Gel’s Kitchen.

Strawberry Bruschetta

fresh strawberries
ricotta cheese
fresh bread
fresh basil
powdered sugar

Toast the bread lightly in the toaster. Meanwhile, slice the strawberries. Spread the toast with ricotta cheese and arrange the strawberry slices on top. Coarsely rip the fresh basil and scatter over the top. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve immediately.

Make ahead tip: to make serving even quicker, mix the strawberries and basil ahead of time and add granulated sugar to the mix. Keep in a bowl on the countertop. The sugar will force the strawberries to release their juices, and you will have a much runnier topping that you can scoop over the bruschetta just before serving.