I started making this cherry bruschetta as a riff on my peach version, but roasting the cherries completely changes the dish. It's great as an appetizer, or even a dessert. A little olive oil and balsamic and about 15 minutes in the oven turns them soft, jammy, and just savory enough to balance the sweetness.
I spoon them over toasted bread with honey lemon whipped ricotta, then finish with pistachios and fresh mint. It's the thing I like having out on the counter when people are over - cold ricotta, warm cherries, something crunchy on top.
If you've made my peach bruschetta, you'll recognize the whipped ricotta and pistachio-mint topping. This one just trades the peaches for warm balsamic cherries, and I still can't decide which I like better. For a bigger summer spread, put my Southern Fried Green Tomatoes with Whipped Goat Cheese out next to it.
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Ingredients for Cherry Bruschetta
Most of this is already in your kitchen. See recipe card for quantities.
- Fresh cherries: Sweet dark ones, pitted and halved. Above all, they're the whole point.
- Balsamic vinegar: As it roasts, it reduces down into the syrup that makes this.
- Olive oil: For the cherries and for brushing the bread.
- Ricotta: Whole milk, because part-skim whips thin.
- Honey: Some goes into the ricotta, and the rest goes over the top afterward.
- Lemon: The zest only, so you want a real one.
- Salt: A pinch in the ricotta, plus a pinch in the crumble.
- Fresh mint: Chopped with the pistachios, rather than sprinkled on separately.
- Pistachios: Shelled, minced fine.
- Baguette or crusty bread: Sliced on the bias so you get more surface.
Why You'll Love This Cherry Bruschetta
Cherries go on sale in July and this is where mine end up.
- Roasting the cherries changes them. Everyone eats cherries raw. Sixteen minutes in the oven with balsamic turns them sweet, tart and almost savory, thick enough to spoon.
- It works as an appetizer or a dessert. I've put it out before dinner and I've put it out after dinner. It disappears either way.
- One oven temperature. The cherries and the bread both go in at 400°F, so you're not babysitting two things.
- It looks like more work than it was. Deep red cherries on white ricotta on gold toast, mint over the top. Nobody needs to know it took twenty minutes.
How to Make Cherry Bruschetta
The oven does most of this. Here's the order I go in.
Roast the Cherries
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Pit 20 cherries and slice them in half. Add them to a roasting pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil and 2 ½ tablespoons balsamic vinegar and toss to coat well. Roast for 16 to 18 minutes.
Toast the Bread
Brush the sliced bread with olive oil and place it in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes, until golden brown.
Chop the Pistachios and Mint
Chop the pistachios and mint together on the same board, mincing both very fine, then combine with a pinch of salt.
Whip the Ricotta
Blend the ricotta, honey, and lemon zest for about 2 minutes, until light and fluffy.
Assemble the Bruschetta
Spread the whipped ricotta on the toasted bread, then spoon the roasted cherries and their syrup over the top. Finally, drizzle with honey and finish with the pistachio mint crumble.
Substitutions
A few swaps that don't change what this is.
- Goat cheese or mascarpone for the ricotta: Goat cheese goes tangier against the balsamic, while mascarpone goes richer. Either way, both work.
- Basil for the mint: Less bright, more herbal. Still, chop it in with the pistachios the same way.
- Almonds or walnuts for the pistachios: You lose the green color, but you keep the crunch.
- Frozen cherries when fresh are gone: Thaw and drain them well first, then roast the same way. They release more liquid, so give them a few extra minutes.
Variations to Try
Other directions to take it:
- Grill the bread instead of toasting it. Char it over medium-high for 2 to 3 minutes a side. In fact, smoke against sweet roasted cherries is very good.
- Use hot honey. Swap the drizzle for hot honey and the whole thing turns sweet-heat.
- Add prosciutto. A torn ribbon under the cherries turns it into a real first course, especially before dinner.
- Finish with flaky salt and cracked black pepper. Pepper on fruit sounds wrong, but it isn't.
- Skip the bread entirely. Spoon the ricotta into a shallow bowl, pile the cherries on, and serve it as a dip with the toasts on the side.
Equipment
Nothing complicated here - just a pan, a pitter, and something to whip ricotta in.
- Rimmed sheet pan or roasting pan: The cherries need a pan with sides - that balsamic reduces down to syrup and you don't want it running off onto the oven floor. Premium: Nordic Ware half sheet pan. Budget: non-stick baking sheets.
- Cherry pitter: Twenty cherries takes about two minutes with one of these and about ten without. It's the one tool here I'd actually go buy. Premium: OXO Good Grips cherry pitter. Budget: KitchenDao cherry pitter.
- Hand mixer or food processor: Whipping the ricotta light and fluffy takes about 2 minutes with either one - use whichever is already out on the counter. Premium: hand mixer. Budget: mini food processor.
- Serving board: A big wood board turns this from a snack into a spread, with room to fan the bruschetta out so nobody's fighting over one tray. Premium: walnut serving board. Budget: acacia serving board.
- Microplane zester: For the lemon zest in the ricotta - a fine zester keeps you off the bitter white pith. Premium: stainless microplane. Budget: basic zester.
Storage
Store the parts separately and this holds up fine.
- Store: Keep the roasted cherries and the whipped ricotta in separate airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3 days. Keep the pistachio mint crumble covered at room temperature for up to 2 days. Don't assemble until you're serving - the bread goes soft within the hour.
- Reheat: Warm the cherries gently in a small saucepan over low heat. Otherwise, just let them come to room temperature. Re-toast the bread at 400°F for 3 to 4 minutes to bring the crunch back.
- Freeze: The roasted cherries freeze well for up to 3 months - thaw overnight in the fridge. Don't freeze the whipped ricotta; it separates and goes grainy.
Top Tip
Chop the pistachios and the mint together, on the same board, in the same pile. Running the blade through both drags the mint oil into the nuts, and the crumble comes out fragrant in a way it never does if you chop them separately and stir them together after. Mince both as fine as you can stand - the finer they are, the more you taste them.
FAQ
What people ask me every time I make this.
Roast the cherries and whip the ricotta up to 3 days ahead and keep them in separate containers in the fridge. Chop the pistachio mint crumble the day of. Toast the bread and assemble right before serving so nothing goes soggy.
Yes, and it goes faster than you think. A cherry pitter handles 20 cherries in about two minutes. If you don't have one, cut around the pit with a paring knife and pop it out with your thumb.
Sweet dark cherries - Bing, Lapins, or Rainier. Sour cherries work too, but add a little more honey to balance them.
Both. Served before dinner it's an appetizer. Served after, with the honey drizzle doubled, it's dessert. Someone told me it tasted like dessert and I've been serving it both ways since.
More from Whisk & Wine
A few more recipes worth putting on the table this week.
More Summer Appetizers
More small plates for the warm months, all of them easy enough for a weeknight.
Cherry Bruschetta Recipe with Honey Whipped Ricotta
- Total Time: 28 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
Balsamic roasted cherries spooned over honey lemon whipped ricotta on toasted bread, finished with a pistachio mint crumble - a 20-minute summer appetizer that could pass for dessert.
Ingredients
- 20 fresh cherries, pitted and halved
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for brushing bread
- 2 ½ tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 cup ricotta
- 2 tablespoons honey, plus more for drizzling
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Pinch of salt
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
- ½ cup crushed pistachios
- 1 baguette or loaf crusty bread, sliced
Get Recipe Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Pit 20 cherries and slice them in half.
- Add the cherries to a roasting pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil and 2 ½ tablespoons balsamic vinegar.
- Toss to coat evenly.
- Roast for 16 to 18 minutes, until the cherries are soft and the balsamic has thickened. Remove from the oven.
- Brush the sliced bread with olive oil and place it in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes, until golden brown.
- Chop the pistachios and mint together on the same cutting board, mincing both very fine.
- Add a pinch of salt to the pistachio-mint mixture and stir.
- Blend the ricotta, 2 tablespoons honey, and the lemon zest for about 2 minutes, until light and fluffy.
- Spread the whipped ricotta on the toasted bread.
- Spoon the roasted cherries and their thickened syrup over the ricotta.
- Drizzle with honey.
- Top with the pistachio mint crumble and serve.
Notes
Chop the pistachios and mint together, not separately - running the blade through both releases the mint oil into the nuts and makes the crumble far more fragrant. Mince them as fine as you can.
The roasted cherries and whipped ricotta can be made up to 3 days ahead and stored separately in the fridge. Assemble right before serving so the bread stays crisp.
Goat cheese or mascarpone works in place of the ricotta, and basil is an easy swap for the mint. Want a smoky version? Grill the bread over medium-high for 2-3 minutes per side instead of toasting it.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 18 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Roasting
- Cuisine: Italian
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