Cranberry Pomegranate Brushetta

This Bruschetta is packed with flavor, delicious crunch, sweet, salt, orange zest, and all these ingredients screams Christmas. This is a beautiful and bright, fresh appetizer. Besides being delicious as a bruschetta topping it’s also fantastic spooned over a block of cream cheese or a log of goat cheese. Add a sprinkle of finely chopped fresh parsley and you’ve got a appetizer that is perfect for the holidays. Serve this with crisp crackers. 

Oh, and if you’re looking for a way to dress up every-day chicken this crimson relish will do the trick. Use it as a festive, healthy topping for grilled or pan-seared boneless chicken breasts. With fresh cranberries, pomegranate arils, honey, ginger, orange zest and a splash of heat it’s sweet, and bursting with amazing flavor. I am so glad I found this recipe and will be making this time and time again..

• For the cranberry-pomegranate relish:
• 1 pound fresh (or frozen) cranberries, washed
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh ginger, don't worry about chopping it too fine at this point
• 1 cup sugar
• ¼ cup honey
• ½ cup roughly chopped fresh parsley
• zest from one orange, reserve a bit for garnish
• ¾-1 cup pomegranate arils, plus reserve a few for garnish
• finely chopped fresh  parsley, for garnish
• For the crostini:
• 1 thin, good quality baguette, sliced about ¼ inch thick
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place the cranberries, ginger, sugar, honey  in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse on and off several times till cranberries are coarsely chopped. Don't process too much.
2. Add parsley and pulse a few more times. Not too much, you want parsley bits to be visible and mixture to be a bit chunky.
3. Transfer to a storage container and add pomegranate arils* and orange zest. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or till ready to use.
4. For the crostini, preheat oven to 350˚F. Line 2 sheet pans with foil or parchment paper, if desired for easy clean up.
5. Place baguette slices on prepared pans. Brush lightly with oil. Sprinkle lightly with salt and a grind of pepper.
6. Bake for 14-18 minutes or until golden, rotating pans halfway through baking time.
7. To assemble bruschetta, whisk cream cheese until creamy. Spread about ½-1 tablespoon on each crostini. Top with a scoop of the relish. Garnish with a bit of orange zest, if desired.

recipe adapted and photo from:http:http://thecafesucrefarine.com/2013/12/cranberry-and-pomegranate-bruschetta/