Baked Grapes and Whipped Feta Bruschetta

This super easy baked grapes and whipped feta bruschetta recipe is my celebration of national toast day. But honestly these baked grapes are just so juicy and sweet they should have a celebration day all of their own!

Would you believe it, today, the 27th of February is National Toast Day. Oh how I love a special foodie day and the excuse to eat more of something I love, toast!

International Toast Day was first started in 2014 just because toast is something so many of us enjoy and February can be a bit of a dull month, so why not have a day to celebrate something so ordinary but so very nice – toast!

So go Italian with your toast and turn it into bruschetta with these baked grapes and whipped feta.

Toast!

We don’t really think much about toast and yet most of us start the day with it.

Whether you like your toast with nothing on it at all (called dry toast), with butter or with a savoury topping like peanut butter, marmite, cheese, baked beans or sardines.

Or sweet with jam, jelly, chocolate spread, honey or lemon curd, or with fruit and veg like sliced avocado or apple.

Toast with just about anything is a great snack or breakfast.

• Toast dates way, way back to Ancient Egyptian times when workers on the pyramids (no they were not all slaves) were often paid in bread. Now the bread would tend to go off very quickly due to the heat but they found that if you baked the fresh bread (toasted it) it would last longer, toast was created!
• The name Toast comes from the Latin word ‘Tostum’ meaning to burn or scorch. The Romans liked toast too!
• In Medieval times a Trencher was a piece of stale bread that was actually used as a plate on the table for your food. Your meat and veg would be served on the trencher and by the time you’d eaten that the juices would have soaked into the Trencher making it tasty and edible. No bread was ever wasted!
• The very first electric toaster was invented by a Scotsman called Alan MacMasters in 1893 but it was a bit dangerous so didn’t take off. It was years later than an American tried again and the mordern idea of a toaster machine was born.

Why does toast always fall buttered side down?

This is because when you are holding a slice of buttered toast your hand tends to be at a slight angle and your hand is less than 4 feet from the ground. Therefore when the toast falls it only has to do half a turn to land on the ground buttered side down.

Bruschetta

Now, I really think I would be pushing my luck if I just chucked a few photos up here and gave you a ‘recipe’ for toast, oh no, we can do way better than that. Let’s go all Italian with said toast and call it Bruschetta. Bruschetta comes from the word ‘bruscare’ meaning ‘to roast over coals’.

Traditionally bruschetta is served as toasted bread rubbed with garlic with olive oil and crushed tomatoes. However, the Italians are a versatile nation and serve it in many ways.

I have taken quite a few liberties here by introducing whipped feta cheese, gorgeously baked grapes and toasted pine nuts to my bruschetta.

Since I rubbed the toasted bread with garlic first I’m hoping I’m still on the right track with the bruschetta, I’m just opting out on the tomato front this time.

Ingredients;

• Small bunch of grapes, I used red but white will just give you a different flavour
• 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large slice wholemeal bread
• 1/2 clove garlic peeled
• 1 tbsp Greek yogurt (check out my recipe for making your own Greek yogurt)
• 1 tbsp Feta cheese (yes I even have a recipe for making your own homemade feta cheese here too!)
• 1/2 tsp lemon zest
• 1 tbsp pine nuts
• Basil leaves torn
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method;

• Preheat oven to 180C
• Place the grapes (keep them on their little vine) on an oven tray and drizzle over the olive oil making sure all grapes get some
• Bake in the oven for approximately 25 minutes till they are blistered and oozing that gorgeous juice
• Toast the pine nuts in a dry pan for about 1 minute till they are just turning golden and letting lose that lovely nutty aroma. Remove from hot pan immediately or they will continue to cook and burn
• Break up the feta in a small bowl with a fork and beat in the Greek yogurt till smooth and stir through the grated lemon zest
• Toast the bread lightly and rub on one side with the cut side of the garlic clove
• Spoon the whipped feta on to the toast and top with the blistered grapes
• Scatter on the toasted pine nuts
• Season with some salt and pepper and add some torn basil leaves

Celebrate in style

So that’s my wee celebration for National Toast Day, go all out for toasty taste with my baked grapes and whipped feta bruschetta. If you have never thought of baking grapes in the oven before you will now be a convert. Baked grapes are a revelation!

Looking for more super easy toast recipes? Then check these out before you go;

cherry tomatoes balsamic bruschetta

Super tasty steak toasts

Finnan fingers

Fluffly eggs on toast

Finally, if you do try this recipe don’t forget to leave a comment/star rating below as I just love to hear from readers. Want more Larder Love? Then follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter and sign up for my newsletter too of course.