This is Sarah Leah Chase’s favorite recipe in her New England Open-House Cookbook—the one she makes when she wants to bowl over a crowd that shows up for her book signings. It’s a bruschetta descended from heaven—baguette slices topped with a divine combo of quartered figs, blue and mascarpone cheeses, sliced almonds, and pancetta!
Ingredients
- 2 ounces pancetta thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons almonds sliced
- 6 ounces blue cheese creamy, at room temperature
- 2 ounces mascarpone preferably from Vermont Creamery
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cream sherry
- 5 figs fresh, black, stemmed and quartered lengthwise
- 20 rounds of French bread sliced 1/4-inch thick from a skinny baguette, lightly toasted
Servings: servings
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375° F. Line 2 baking sheets with heavy-duty aluminum foil or parchment paper.
- Arrange the pancetta slices on a prepared baking sheet in a single layer. Arrange the almonds on the second prepared baking sheet. Bake the pancetta until nicely crisped, 10 to 12 minutes. The almonds will have to be watched more closely and will take a few minutes less time. Transfer the pancetta slices to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Set the almonds aside. Increase the oven temperature to 400° F.
- Place the blue cheese, mascarpone, and sherry in a small mixing bowl and mash them together with a fork until thoroughly combined. Spread the cheese mixture generously over each toasted bread round and arrange the rounds on a fresh parchment-lined baking sheet. Nestle a figu quarter into the cheese mixture in the center of each toast round. Crumble the crisp pancetta into small shards and stick the shards and the almonds into the cheese surrounding each fig quarter, as if it were a pincushion. Bake the toast rounds until the cheese is bubbling. 4 to 5 minutes. Serve hot or warm.
