Nectarine Bruschetta with Agave Cream Cheese

This Nectarine Bruschetta is a delicious, crowd-pleasing appetizer that everyone will devour. Bring it to your next get-together, then prepare to be the most popular person at the party.

Yesterday was my dear friend Kelly’s birthday. When we moved to North Carolina back in 2012, she was one of the first people I “clicked” with at my new job. She’s caring, thoughtful, (most importantly) a little weird, and we get along smashingly.

Kelly & Baby Dylan at the lake house on Thanksgiving 2015.

Kelly grew up right down the street from our house here in Lake Norman. Her mom still lives there, so we often get together at their lake house for birthdays, holidays, and just about every sunny weekend during the summer. We even had Dylan’s baby shower here, so needless to say that this place holds a very special spot in my heart.

There’s a big group of us during these gatherings, so we each bring a dish to share with everyone. I am usually in charge of the appetizers, and I have to admit… I really outdid myself on this one!

Bruschetta is an easy crowd-pleaser, and during the winter I make a Butternut Squash Bruschetta that is to die for – check it out here. Not only was this seasonal variety pretty to look at, but the flavor combinations are outstanding! You get a nice crunch from the toasted baguette, fresh flavors of summer from the Nectarines and Basil, then finish with a creamy (and oh so dreamy) combination of whipped Agave Cream Cheese. It is seriously, DELISH. 🙂

The next time you need to bring a tasty and memorable appetizer to a party, I suggest you make this dish. It stands up well at room temperature, and you can use any leftover fruit as a topping for grilled meats. Talk about versatile!

To Print:

Nectarine Bruschetta with Agave Cream Cheese

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

For The Topping:

2 Nectarines
10 Cherry Tomatoes
15 Basil Leaves
1 tbsp. Olive Oil
¼ tsp. Garlic Powder
¼ tsp. Salt

For The Agave Cream Cheese:

8 oz. Whipped Cream Cheese
1 Tbsp. Agave Nectar

For the Toasted Baguette:

1 Baguette Loaf
Olive Oil, as needed
Salt + Pepper

Instructions

Set oven to 425F. Slice Baguette into smaller, individual-sized slices and place on a greased cookie sheet. Drizzle with Olive Oil and sprinkle with Salt + Pepper. Bake for 7 minutes, flip, and bake for an additional 5 minutes. Remove from heat immediately and set aside.
While Baguette slices are toasting: Cut Nectarines, Tomatoes and Basil into bite-sized pieces. Place in a large bowl and mix together with Olive Oil, Garlic Powder and Salt. Set in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve. Note: We used purple Basil because we have a huge plant in our backyard. Green Basil works well with this recipe too.
In a smaller bowl, whip together the Cream Cheese and Agave Nectar. Set in the refrigerator until you're ready to serve.
If eating immediately, evenly spread Cream Cheese mixture over toasted Baguette slices. Top with Nectarine mix and enjoy.
Note: If you are bringing this appetizer to a party, I like to serve it as a "build-your-own" Bruschetta bar. Display each element in separate bowls and allow guests to build-their-own bruschetta when they are ready to try one. This guarantees that your friends will get crunchy bread, as this dish would get soggy sitting out for long periods of time.