Creamy blue cheese combined with sweet fresh figs makes this bruschetta a scrumptious appetizer at a dinner party, a picnic, as part of a cheese board or even as a simple yet delicious light meal all on its own.
Fresh figs have something unique. The cone shaped fruit with colours ranging from green to deep purple exposes a deep red hue when cut open. The inside is moist, soft and full of seeds that are so small that it adds to their unique texture. Ripe figs are beautifully sweet which makes them an ideal fruit to pair with a variety of flavours like salt, bitter and spicy.
Fresh figs are so versatile they can be either eaten raw, roasted, grilled or fried. Due to their natural sweetness, figs are often used to make desserts, cakes and jams. Personally, I love to use them mostly in savoury dishes to balance out other bold flavours. Have you already tried this fresh fig and feta salad?
Which ingredients to use when making this bruschetta
Fresh fig and blue cheese bruschetta is really easy to make with just a handful of ingredients.
- Bread: To make a good bruschetta, the bread should be good for grilling and preferably have a hard crust. It should also be easy to cut in even slices. Most people will use baguette, ciabatta, Tuscan loaf or rustic farm bread. I felt like this recipe needed a nice flavoured bread, so I used a multigrain loaf which worked out great.
- Fresh figs: Make sure to only use fully ripe fruit for this recipe. Ripe figs are deliciously sweet and have a nice smooth texture.
- Blue cheese: I have used gorgonzola cheese, but feel free to use any type of blue cheese you like.
- Olive oil: Grill the bruschetta with a good quality extra virgin olive oil for that extra Mediterranean aroma.
- Fresh basil leaves: Garnish the warm fig and melted blue cheese bruschetta with some fresh basil leaves. Not too much, but just enough to give it a hint of freshness.
How to make warm fig and blue cheese bruschetta
Note: All the exact quantities of the ingredients can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Before assembling the blue cheese and fig bruschetta you will need to first grill the slices of bread. There are various options for grilling, one of the fastest ways being to just use a toaster. But to keep it rustic and as authentic as possible, I would preferably use one of the following options:
In a grill pan: Drizzle or spray the bread slices with olive oil. Put a grill pan on medium heat and grill the bread 2 minutes each side until lightly toasted and grill marks are visible.
In the oven: Place the slices of bread on a baking sheet after coating them with olive oil. Preheat the oven to 400°F or 200°C and put the tray in the oven when it’s at temperature. Grill each side 4 minutes.
Put the grilled bread aside to cool for a moment, then preheat the oven to 365°F or 185°C. Now spread or crumble the blue cheese evenly over each slice of toasted bread. Thinly slice the fresh fig and layer over the blue cheese. Count on 1 fig per slice of bread. Place the slices on a baking tray and put it in the oven for 10 minutes until the cheese is melted and the fig slightly roasted. Serve warm or cold with freshly chopped basil leaves.
How to serve fig bruschetta with gorgonzola
This bruschetta recipe can be served as an appetizer at a dinner party. In that case I would use smaller slices of bread to make it easier to eat as finger food. Your guests will definitely love the scrumptious combination of the lovely roasted figs with the creamy blue cheese. This recipe can also be served as part of a cheese board.
I love to eat this warm fig bruschetta with gorgonzola as a light and healthy lunch. Count 2 nice slices of a hearty loaf of bread per person when serving this for lunch. It can be served alongside a tomato salad or this fresh mango salsa.
Blue cheese and fig bruschetta
Ingredients
- 4 slices Multigrain loaf or baguette cut ½ inch (or 1 cm) thick
- 4 ounces (or 100 grams) blue cheese
- 4 fresh figs thinly sliced
- 4 teaspoons olive oil extra virgin
- fresh basil leaves
Instructions
For grilling the bread slices
- Drizzle or brush a teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil on each slice of bread (1 teaspoon for both sides).
- If you are grilling in a grill pan: Put a grill pan on medium heat and add the bread slices. Grill until both sides are lightly toasted. Count on about 2 minutes per side. Set aside to cool.
- If you are grilling in the oven: Preheat the oven to 400°F or 200°C. Place the bread on a baking sheet and grill each side 4 minutes. Set aside to cool.
For the blue cheese and fig bruschetta
- Preheat the oven to 365°F or 185°C. Put the toasted bread on a baking tray. Spread or crumble the blue cheese evenly over the toasted bread slices. Put a layer of sliced fig on top and bake in the oven for 10 minutes.
- Serve with some cut fresh basil leaves.
Notes
- I have used multigrain bread to make this bruschetta, but feel free to use your favourite loaf of bread. You can use for instance baguette, rustic farm bread, sourdough bread, and many others.
- Use your preferred way of initially toasting the bread; in the oven, grill pan, on the barbecue or even in a regular toaster, as long as it is just lightly toasted, since the bread will get toasted a second time in the oven to melt the blue cheese and roast the fresh figs.
- Use your favourite blue cheese. I have used gorgonzola cheese in this recipe.
Did you make this recipe? I’d love to hear how it turned out! Leave a comment with rating below and share a picture with the hashtag #thetastychilli and tag me on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter.
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Oh wow 1 this is so original and it look sooooo delicious !
Blue cheese and fruit is such a classic combination. Your bruschetta looks amazing.
I love figs and I generally buy them for myself and finish them all wondering what to make with them 🙂 but this time I will definitely love making bruschetta. Maybe I will get few lesser figs to eat but that fine. Absolutely love the use of figs.
I adore the combination of figs and blue cheese (I also use gorgonola!). This is a perfect appetizer for a holiday dinner, so I’m adding it to my meal plan!
This looks delicious! I love figs and they are perfect this time of year too. Yum!
I am just beginning to like blue cheese and love figs, so I must try this recipe! I’m sure it’s a wonderful combination. Lovely pictures too btw.