Many of us enjoy the combination of sweet and savory, but not all sweet ingredients work equally well in a bruschetta recipe — whether it’s Caprese-inspired or a fresh tomato bruschetta with basil. Honey, however, is the key to reinventing your bruschetta.
“Adding honey to classic bruschetta really helps to bring out and highlight the sweetness of a lot of the components normally found in bruschetta,” Joshua Frias, executive chef at Naples Ristorante e Bar in the Downtown Disney District in Anaheim, California, told Food Republic. “Tomatoes, which are naturally high in sugar, can sometimes not read as being very sweet due to [their] acidity … A little honey can really help to cover the acidity of the tomatoes and allow their natural sweetness to come through. Honey will also highlight the sweet notes in basil, accentuating its … slightly licoricey flavor. Surprisingly, honey also brings out the sweetness in garlic, toning down its raw peppery and astringent flavors.”
That gentle sweetness helps mask any sourness from the tomatoes while emphasizing umami-rich tasting notes. Plus, honey enhances each of the other ingredients, bringing balance to the entire dish — especially when paired with a rich balsamic vinegar.
That said, moderation is key. “There is a sweet spot, usually consisting of a very light drizzle over the top, where the sweetness in the honey … [won’t become] dessert level sweet[,] leaving you with something that really doesn’t fit into any part of a meal,” Frias noted.
Selecting the perfect honey for your bruschetta
When selecting the right honey for your bruschetta, several great options exist, depending on the flavor profile you’re aiming for. “Wildflower honey is a popular natural honey variety that will work great on bruschetta and give a nice neutral sweetness that pulls all the flavors in the mix together,” Joshua Frias said. Just note that wildflower honey is different from raw honey — among other things, its flavor varies depending on the hive’s location.
For those looking to add a citrus note, Frias recommends orange blossom honey, which brings a bright, fruity element to complement the tomatoes and spices in bruschetta. “Avocado honey is another great option,” he suggested, “giving a somewhat buttery flavor along with sweetness.”
If you’re after bolder flavors, infused honey can add a unique twist. A rosemary or thyme-infused honey pairs easily with bruschetta and its herbs, but you can go even further. “My favorite infused honey is Datil pepper infused honey made from peppers grown in St. Augustine Florida,” said Frias. “This infusion adds a sharp complex peppery spice, along with sweetness, which in my opinion takes the bruschetta game up multiple notches.”
Complementary pairings for bruschetta topped with honey
Pairing honeyed bruschetta with the right ingredients and accouterments can create an even more exciting flavor experience. “There are many things you can add to bruschetta to complement the sweetness from whatever honey you decide to use,” Joshua Frias noted. “Crispy lardons of guanciale or smoked applewood bacon will add a salty and savory counterpoint to the sweetness of the honey.”
For a creamier, richer bruschetta, he recommends avocado combined with queso fresco, explaining that it “incorporates a rich unctuous texture, mixed with salty queso fresco to complement the sweetness of the honey for a south-of-the-border version of bruschetta.”
A more sophisticated option involves spreading a layer of rich, tart cheese beneath the bruschetta mixture. “My favorite is a spread of sharp, high-quality goat cheese under the bruschetta mix, with a drizzle of honey on top. The savory and salty flavor of the goat cheese, mixed with the cool vegetal tomato mix, is perfectly complemented by a drizzle of a nice wildflower or clover honey to bring in some sweetness to counter it all.”
For those who enjoy a bit of crunch, toasted nuts like almonds or walnuts add texture and depth, pairing well with both the honey and the fresh tomato mix. A sprinkle of red pepper flakes can also introduce a hint of spice, creating a more complex sweet-salty-spicy bruschetta experience.
