One may be tempted to skip the port reduction sauce. Trust me when I say that would be a mistake. It ties the recipe together and really takes it to another level.
For the crostini
- 1 baguette (one of the long, skinny ones or two shorter ones)
- 1 small wheel of brie
For the bruschetta
- 1 cup bing cherries, washed, pitted and diced
- 2 peaches, pitted and diced
- 1 tbsp port
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon sugar
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
For port reduction sauce
- 2 cups ruby port
- 2 heaping tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp whole green peppercorns
- 4-5 fresh mint leaves
- 1/2 cinnamon stick
Preferably, the night before slice baguette in thin pieces and place on a cookie sheet in the oven to dry out. To make: Preheat oven to 350 and bake bread until toasty, flipping once. About 10 minutes. Pull out of the oven and let cool slightly. Toss ingredients for bruschetta and set aside. In the meantime, top each slice of toast with a thin slice of brie and pop back in the oven just long enough to melt. Mix port and spices in a two-quart stock pan and set over low heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Pull off heat and using a kitchen match light on fire. Let the flames burn out. Remove bread from oven and let cool slightly before topping each piece with a tablespoon or so of the bruschetta. Once the flames die out, return port to eye and turn heat up to medium, stirring often until thick. Timing is important here. You don’t want it to thicken before you’ve topped the bread. Once the sauce is reduced, pull the spices and discard. Immediately drizzle over the assembled crostini.
Notes: For cooking we use cheap port, which is quite sweet. If you’re using the good stuff… well the good stuff’s for drinking… but if you are using higher quality, consider increasing the sugar to your taste.
You must be psychic – just got back from the store with beautiful peaches and cherries and now something to do with them!
Ha, I aim to please!
I love this – and if the peaches are switched out later, it sounds perfect for the winter. Yum.
Definitely a versatile one.
Yes, please. 😀
I want to come eat at your house! Do you think this would work with sherry? I have half a bottle that I need to find a use for. Any ideas?
I think it would work well in the peaches. (We used it in the marinated tomatoes.) But as for the sauce, not sure how it would taste compared to port.
Ooooh! This looks fabulous. Last week we made something similar but used goat cheese and jicama (instead of peaches). It was tasty and savory. I like this version with the port sauce. Do you think goat cheese would work just as well? Hubby won’t touch brie.
I think any soft cheese would work well. Katherine was so happy. She found brie for 99 cents at the store.
Just when I think I’m through with cherries, you pull me back! These bruschetti do look amazing! A really great way to take advantage of the fruits of the season.
Ha, I did think of you when I was pitting those cherries.
Love it! Would this be for dinner or dessert, or both?
Dessert or an appetizer. Or in our house lunch.
Wow. Like nothing I have ever heard of! Though the flavours sound amazing.
I am a massive port fan – have you been to Porto [It is wonderful!]?
My stepdad is Portuguese, from Madeira. Each year at christmas a lot of portuguese based liquors come out for a game of which is our favourite… any excuse to raid my stepdad’s amazing spirit collection!
I urge you to visit Porto anyway if you have not already!
Ah great recipe – but like Laura above – when do you eat this?! [I’m almost thinking indulgent midnight snacking…]
It was lunch on a Sunday for us. We had a late, light dinner.
Oh and no we haven’t been to Porto, but would love to. We usually go places we can taste something, scotch, wine… bourbon.
Looks very good.
Beautifully prepared and presented. A wonderfully fresh taste which would go well with that rather tasty looking fizz in the background.
It was a great combo with the bubbly.
They look stunning and I love the fruit & cheese combination. Gorgeous photo with the beautiful glasses – hope you drank them up before the bubbles went flat!
Of course!
Great looking bruschetta Greg. More people need to drink fortified wines. I love port and sherry and madeira but in general it seems that some people consider them very “unfashionable” these days 😦
Thanks, that’s funny. One of our dream vacations is to do the sherry coast. How could that be unfashionable? If it is oh well. There are some food trends we just never catch onto.
What a clever idea of making crostinis! The reduction recipe is superb: port, green peppercorns, and mint!! Wow!
It was really nice without being too spicy. We have so much fresh mint too!
I would not skip on thing ever that you suggest!
Ha, thanks Maris!
Incredible! It has been a long time I haven’t seen such original, sophisticated toasts… I can only imagine how great they tasted.
Thanks, Sissi.
Fantastic! Just love the combination of ingredients and have to try the Port – very curious how it tastes. You’re absolutely right, I would have skipped the reduction so I’m glad you specified not to – I will do this as specified – sounds very worthwhile. Your photo is beautiful. I love champagne and it’s a perfect pairing here.
We had it both ways, took a little bite while the sauce was cooking and the difference is really amazing.
Oh. My…. They just leap off the screen! I think I need to invite people over just so I have an excuse to make this…
Sunday lunch was our excuse!
How fancy! Looks great for a party, or a tasty simple supper. I just discovered the goodness of port this summer. I should totally try this.
Maybe with that chocolate pudding you made the other day.
Whoa, now you’re talkin’!
Um, cherry…yes, peach…yes, brie…heck, yes! By the time I got to the port reduction sauce I was already a goner!
Ha, thanks Judy.
A beautifully presented fabulously tasty snack. With a glass of bubbly on the side – even nicer.
Have a super weekend.
🙂 Mandy
Thanks, Mandy. You too!
What a lovely recipe! And colorful too 🙂
Thanks, Amy!
Ooh, how fancy! I’m a fan of any recipe that includes a port reduction. And, I’ll take a couple of glasses of champagne as well!
We hadn’t made a port reduction in ages.
Your right- if it weren’t for your Note to not skip the reduction sauce I might would be tempted to but I will take your word for it! The crostinis look amazing and perfectly light and delicious
We wouldn’t have thought to note that if we didn’t have it both ways!
I’ve seen a lot of bad ideas on the internet, but this recipe isn’t one of them. Amazing recipe…great job my friend!
Ha, I didn’t know where that one was headed. Thanks! I’m just loving the football recipe series!
Wow, I forget to check your website for a few days and look what I’ve missed! I’m coming over, there better be some left! hahaha, just kidding… it looks so yummy!
It’s gone so bring some peaches. We’ll make more!
What a beautiful celebration of fresh produce (and I think that’s what I love about your blog so much). I have a question about Port. Is it like regular wine where you have to use it all in a couple of days or does it last a little longer? The problem is I don’t really drink alcohol, I just like to cook with it.
Good port needs to be consumed within a few days, but we’re buying the stuff that you don’t really want to drink. The good stuff gets sediment. This stuff, well if it does just strain it. We have our cooking alcohol and our drinking alcohol and never the two should meet. Even if you don’t drink having some stuff to play with, that will stay on a shelf for awhile is fun.
This looks absolutely gorgeous! I have brie just sitting in the fridge, and I think this would be the right way to take it!
This looks amazing AND it’s peach season in Ontario AND I have a triple cream brie in the fridge…all I need is a good French stick and some port…I think I will have to get some on my way home tonight. I think I might grill the bread on the BBQ for added flavour. Thanks for sharing.
Oh grill the brie on there too. (If that’s not what you meant.) Perfect!
Yum!
What a great combination of flavors! Incredible, as always!
Thanks Ginger!
I SPY A ROOSTER! Very sneaky and subtle. Anyways, this bruschetta looks delicious. Love the flavor combo.
We were just at a party and a guy about our age was talking about his grandma’s odd fixation with roosters in the kitchen! Katherine found it funny, but she didn’t fess up.
HA! That’s too funny. I’m all about the roosters, so keep ’em coming. I’ve turned it into a game, kind of like Where’s Waldo.
Ha, you are psychic, can’t say why!
This looks amazing! What a wonderful combination of flavors! Great photo.
Thanks, Jamie!
you forot to mention that you have to drink the champagne whilst preparing this truly delicious little morsel.. mm c.. man my grocery list is getting long!
So true! And we only chilled the one bottle, what were we thinking?
That looks delicious!! What a great idea to use up peaches and cherries! 🙂
I trust your judgement completely and would not adjust this recipe in any way! This will be so cool to serve to guests with the flambéing of the sauce. I could see this using fall fruit too later on. Great recipe!
I don’t think you’d skip a port sauce either!
I love the colour combination..such an amazing appetizer
Beautiful! Can’t wait to try it.
The brushetta itself looks incredible! Add the reduction sauce and brie….oh man! 🙂
Yum! This looks lovely and it’s pretty much a combo of all my favorite things in one bite.
Looks and sounds fantastic. The port sauce would be yummy on so many things.
wow, yet another fabulous recipe from rufus et al. nice work!
cherry & peach bruschetta w/ ruby port – sounds fancy.
Wow. This looks absolutely peach-a-licious. Am heading to Napa in the next month and plan to pick up a Raymond Burr Port (seriously, yummy on it’s own) With this recipe, I think I may never have to travel again to find perfection!!!!
Oh we went to his winery two years ago. Great choice. We wouldn’t cook with that, be to busy drinking it.
Another great recipe. Where have you two been all my life? 🙂
Wow this is a treat, fruity crostini, I am in. Now wheres my bubbles.
You know with my love of cherries this one will be a keeper….RaeDi
Ok im loving the idea! And I want some! Now 🙂
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This looks so delicious!!
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