Make Your Own Bruschetta Bar

This Make Your Own Bruschetta Bar will be the star of the party. It’s easy to put together and there are endless combinations to make!

Need a last minute idea for a Christmas appetizer this year???  Try this make your own bruschetta bar!  It’s extremely easy to throw together and I promise it will be the gathering spot at your party!

There are so many options when it comes to a bruschetta bar and honestly just let your imagination run wild.  The one you see pictured here is a pretty basic one with very familiar ingredients.  So, if you are new to bruschetta take this route.  However, if bruschetta is your thing feel free to substitute ingredients and make it your own!  🙂

I had just as much fun putting this bar together as I did with my cheese board post!  Both of these would be great options for entertaining your guests, I promise!!

Here are a few of my tips and tricks to make this bruschetta bar a success.

• Choose your toppings
  1. The traditional tomato basil bruschetta topping (one of my favs 🙂 )
  2. roasted peppers
  3. sun dried tomatoes
  4. olives of all sorts
  5. marinara sauce
  6. pesto
  7. fruit
  8. honey
  9. marinated artichokes
  10. bacon jam
  11. pepper jelly
  12. cold cuts
  13. the sky is the limit here 🙂
• Choose 2-3 cheeses  ***Remember to allow about 3 ounces of cheese per person***
  1. Parmsean
  2. Fresh mozzarella (a must in my opinion)
  3. Fresh goat cheese (another must)
  4. Blue cheese
  5. Fresh ricotta cheese
  6. Brie
• Choose your wines (optional)
  1. The wines you choose will depend largely on the cheeses you choose.  So, after choosing your cheese, research which wines will pair well.

• Prep Work
  1. Make all of your spreads and toppings the day before that way they have time to combine all of their flavors and so you don’t have to do everything last minute (you can also purchase a lot of the toppings from the store).
  2. Another idea is to ask your guests to bring a different topping or spread.
  3. Create little labels for each topping or spread so your guests will know what each one is.
  4. Things to leave last minute would be things that could turn brown after cutting them such as pears and grilling your bread.
• Set up
  1. Set up your bruschetta bar at least 30 minutes before guests arrive so your cheese has time to come to room temperature and have the best flavor.
  2. Also, go ahead and grill your bread during this time, if you would like it to be grilled.
  3. When setting up your bruschetta bar keep things grouped together and this will help to create a beautiful instagram worthy appetizer board!  I like to fill in the gaps with some of the grilled bread and place the rest in a dish off to the side.  It also just looks more inviting to me.  Another tip to make it look extra inviting is to slice a few pieces of each cheese and lay beside each one.

Also, I would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas!!!!

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Make Your Own Bruschetta Bar

This Make Your Own Bruschetta Bar will be the star of the party. It's easy to put together and there are endless combinations to make!

Author: Countryside Cravings

Ingredients

• Fresh goat cheese rolled in freshly chopped herbs
• Fresh mozzarella
• Prosciutto
• Capocollo
• Salame Calabrese
• Marinara sauce
• Pesto
• Sundried tomatoes
• Traditional tomato and basil bruschetta topping
• Freshly chopped basil
• Grape tomatoes sliced
• Garlic stuffed olives
• Black olives
• Green pears
• Honey with comb
• Ciabatta baguette
• Sourdough baguette
• Olive oil for brushing bread slices to grill

Instructions

1. The day before the party prepare the traditional bruuschetta topping and pesto or just buy your favorite brand from the store.
2. 30 minutes before your guests arrive arrange your bruschetta bar. This will allow for the cheese to come to room temperature and be at peak flavor.
3. If you would like your bread to be grilled do this just before your guests arrive so it will be fresh. Just slice your baguette on a slant so you create more "real estate" for the toppings 🙂 Brush each side with olive oil and place on a hot grill pan. Grill each side for 2-3 minutes or until dark golden marks appear. Use some of the bread slices to fill in the empty spaces in your bruschetta bar and place the rest in a dish to set beside.

Recipe Notes

Remember to figure at least 3 ounces of cheese per guest.
Don't forget the serving utensils, plates and napkins.