Black Olive Bruschetta with Cashew Cream
This fabulously delicious recipe is from Color Me Vegan; Colleen also demonstrates how to make it in her video for this amazing appetizer, featured below and here.
This is a beautiful and delicious appetizer. The contrast between the white cashew cream and black olives is striking – and even more so if you serve it along with traditional tomato bruschetta.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves fresh garlic, finely minced
2 shallots, finely minced
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup pine nuts, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup pitted black olives, finely minced
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1 whole grain baguette, sliced
Olive oil for brushing
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely minced
1 tablespoon fresh basil, finely minced
Cashew Cream (see below – advanced preparation required)
Directions
Preheat oven to 400, and line a baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper. Add the oil to a large sauté pan, along with the garlic, shallots, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat until the shallots begin to glisten, about 5 minutes. Stir in the pine nuts and olives, and sauté for 3 minutes more. Stir in the balsamic vinegar, and turn off heat.
Lightly brush both sides of the bread slices with oil. Arrange on the prepared baking sheet, and bake until the ends of the bread begin to turn golden brown and crispy, about 5 to 7 minutes.
Remove from the oven, and let cool for 10 minutes. Spread a generous amount of cashew cream on each bread slice, and carefully spoon the olive mixture on top. Sprinkle with some minced parsley and basil, and arrange on a pretty serving platter.
Cashew Cream
1 cup raw cashews 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus additional oil for brushing
1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon yellow/light miso
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon water
Soak the cashews overnight in just enough water to completely cover them. The next day, drain and rinse the cashews. Set aside. In a medium sauté pan, sauté the onions in the 1 tablespoon of oil until translucent and tender, about 5 to 7 minutes.
Place the soaked cashews, sautéed onions, miso, lemon juice, and water into a blender and process until smooth.
Yield: 20 servings, depending on size of baguette
Did You Know: Bruschetta means “roasted bread.”
Compassionate Cooks Tip: You can make your olive mixture ahead of time and refrigerate it in an airtight container. For that matter, you can also prepare your bread ahead and store in a separate airtight container, then assemble right before you serve them.
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5 Comments for this Post
December 21, 2011 at 10:49 am
Love this recipe. Looks delicious. All y favorite flavors – olives, balsamic, cashew. I keep seeing cashew cream recipes…might have to make it soon. Thx! Happy Holidays!
January 25, 2012 at 2:46 pm
I made the Black Olive Bruchettas with Cashew Cream today, and they tasted delicious! I will for sure make them again!
Thanks!
February 3, 2012 at 2:37 pm
I made this for a party I had and it was a hit !!! I didn’t have parsley so that got left out. I bet this would even be great with green olives mixed in too… perfect excuse to make this again. Thank you Colleen for an amazing recipe!
February 27, 2012 at 2:22 pm
I have made this many times and it’s fabulous! I’m am a new vegan, only 1year, and Colleens recipies have made the transition effortless. I have also used this cashew cream as a base recipie and have added roasted garlic, fresh herbs ect… & my meat eating friends think its a cream cheese spread.
Thank you Colleen for being such a wonderful mentor.
April 3, 2012 at 12:11 pm
I LOVE this recipe. I first made it for myself to try out, but it’s become a staple for when I have company for dinner or family events. I tend to make it with just Kalamata olives as I’m a huge fan, but I any way you do it would be fantastic.