Bruschetta with Jerte Picota Cherries, Serrano Ham, and Goat Cheese

Monday 30 July 2018

Post in collaboration with Jerte Picota Cherries

Perfect for a light lunch or as a canape, crunchy melba toast is topped with salty Serrano ham, piquant goats cheese, seasonal Spanish Jerte Picota Cherries and a sticky balsamic cherry drizzle. Cherry Bruschetta is an ideal quick and easy seasonal nibble for a Summer party.


I'm back with more seasonal Jerte Picota Cherries for which I make absolutely no apology about. These delicious fruity treats are only around for a short six week season so you need to make the most of them whilst you can. Following on from my recipe for Bulgar Wheat Salad with Cherries, Feta and Pistachios I'm once again channelling my savoury tooth and forsaking the traditional cherry and chocolate or cherry and almond combinations. The Flavour Thesaurus tells me that cherry and goat cheese are a perfect match - so who am I to disagree? 

The unseasonal heatwave has thrown so many of us off kilter with what to eat. For me its all about the picnicky nibbly bits, salady stuff, holiday food and pretty much constant grazing rather than three large meals a day. This recipe for Cherry Bruscheta with Serano Ham, Goat Cheese and Cherry Balsamic Dressing fits the bill perfectly for hot and humid days. I used a wholemeal seeded bread to make the melba toast as I personally like the added texture and crunch it provides but feel free to use whatever is in the breadbin. I've kept things Spanish with Serrano Ham and opted for a soft fragrant goat cheese. But if that's just too 'goaty' for you then a cream cheese would also work. Keeping with all things Spain, a chilled glass of Cava would go down a treat with these.


We're halfway through the season now but there's still time to grab some PDO Jerte Picota Cherries from Sainsburys, Tesco, Morrisons or Aldi. These juicy Spanish gems are handpicked into chestnut baskets with their stalks left behind on the branches. The variety is native to the beautiful valley of Jerte, in northern Spain where they have been cultivated since the 17th century. Their journey to our plates is steeped in tradition and history with growing methods and harvesting techniques being handed down through the generations. The flavour is a real taste explosion - sweet, perfectly ripe with a slight crunch. 


Bruschetta with Jerte Picota Cherries, Serrano Ham, Goat Cheese & Cherry Balsamic Drizzle
Makes 16 

250g Jerte Picota Cherries
100ml Balsamic vinegar
4 slices wholemeal seeded bread
70g Spanish Serrano ham slices
125g Soft goat cheese

To make your cherry balsamic drizzle, blitz together 50g of stoned Jerte Picota Cherries in a blender or food processor along with the balsamic vinegar. 
Boil the resulting liquid in a small pan until the quantity has reduced to a couple of tablespoonfuls. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.
Meanwhile, preheat your grill and toast the bread on each side.
Use a serrated knife to cut off the crusts and carefully slice horizontally through the toast to give two thin slices. 
Cut each slice diagonally in half then toast the uncooked side of the triangles until crispy 
They will curl up a little at the edges but this is normal.
Spread each slice of melba toast with goat cheese, top with torn Serrano ham and a couple of stoned and halved Jerte Picota Cherries.
Drizzle with the cherry balsamic and serve.


For further Jerte Picota Cherry inspiration have a look at these delicious newly created recipes from my fellow food bloggers




♥ Pin me for later...
www.foodiequine.co.uk Perfect for a light lunch or as a canape, crunchy melba toast is topped with salty Serrano ham, piquant goats cheese, seasonal Spanish Jerte Picota Cherries and a sticky balsamic cherry drizzle. Cherry Bruschetta is an ideal quick and easy seasonal nibble for a Summer party.

Disclosure: This is a commissioned post for Jerte Picota Cherries. As always, all views expressed are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands who make it possible for me as a passionate Scottish Food Blogger to continue to share my Edible Food and Travel Adventures with you. I’m super choosy who I work with and promise to bring you only the cream of the crop.

8 comments

  1. What a wonderful idea and a great way to show case cherries.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The cherries are gorgeous. My friend Andrew has been eating them for lunch a lot.

    Your bruscheta we always called melba toast and now I am craving some!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I looove the look of this. I adore that sweet savoury combination, especially of beautiful ripe fruits with hams and cheeses. Yum!

    ReplyDelete
  4. These look so elegant! I love balsamic with fruit, and the goat's cheese sounds perfect with it too!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Oooh - what an unusual, but totally delicious combination. Some of my favourite flavours in this recipe!! Thanks for linking up to #CookBlogShare. Eb x

    ReplyDelete
  6. Seriously good flavour combo here - sweet with creamy and salty - love it!

    ReplyDelete
  7. That looks amazing!! Love the flavour combination too! #cookblogshare

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe! i love it

    ReplyDelete

Foodie Quine. Design by Mimi Hammill. Powered by Blogger.