Hay Hay it's Donna Day #4 Round Up - Brilliant Bruschetta

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Tuesday 1st August 2006

Wow!! What a lot of Brilliant Bruschetta!

I've been so thrilled with the response to my first attempt at hosting a Food Blog Event, the much loved Hay Hay it’s Donna Day, round #4. Not only have the number of entries taken me by surprise, but the quality and quantity of bruschetta and crostini within every entry! You really took my suggested theme on board!

What a gorgeous and stunning selection of sweet and savoury toppings I've seen over the last few days, each and every one a sight to behold. Thank you all so much!

So without further ado, please feast your eyes below on the ...

2006 Food Blogging Collection of the World's Most Brilliant Bruschetta!!

The first Brilliant Bruschetta to arrive in my inbox was Peabody’s contribution. Hailing from Seattle, Washington, Peabody ‘concocted’ and posted two deliciously colourful and textured bruschetta, Drunken Melon and Raspberry Bruschetta with Chive Scented Cream Cheese and Marinated Cauliflower, Celery and Red Onion Bruschetta on her blog Culinary Concoctions by Peabody.

Tami from Altanta, Georgia, with her blog Running with Tweezers wooed us with her romantic duo of Smoked Salmon, Fennel, and Goat Cheese Bruschetta and Bruschetta with Honey Ricotta and Strawberries. Both of Tami’s Bruschetta scream bubbles and love to me, and I'm sure they would make a perfect combination for a champagne breakfast.

The next Brilliant Bruschetta email to arrive was from Dolores at Chronicles in Culinary Curiosity Dolores is based in the San Francisco Bay Area, California and themes her bruschetta on a refreshing "Sushi-Style" with a smoked salmon, meyer lemon crème fraîche and avocado bruschetta and a spicy tuna sashimi salad, crème fraîche and ikura bruschetta.

Stephanie from Dispensing Happiness in "mucky hot humid" Tennessee, went all out offering 4 brilliant bruschetta 2 savoury, 2 sweet! Keeping us happy the whole day through with a brunch bruschetta of Avocado, Creamy Scrambled Eggs, and a Smoked Salmon A Sun-dried Tomato Pesto Bruschetta - and to satisfy our sweet tooth, a Nutella and Hazelnut version, and a Chocolate-Peanut Butter bruschetta!

Barbara, the founder of this popular 'Hay Hay it’s Donna Day' event, from Winos and Foodies lives in Auckland, New Zealand, where the weather is considerably cooler. Barbara made two gorgeous bruschetta combinations to tempt us with: Pear and Bacon, and Zucchini and Feta!

Emma from Brisbane Australia, also affectionately known as Little M made HHDD#4 her food blogging event debut on her new blog Gustoso. Little M made two totally tempting and brilliant bruschetta Caprese Bruschetta with buffalo mozzarella, cherry tomato and basil and an Olivade Bruschetta, tapenade without capers or anchovies and roasted capsicum strips.

Josh from Malyern, Victoria in Australia and fellow food blogging event first timer, made his event debut on The Day of the Expanding Man with ’The Ricotta Stud’, a scrummy breakfast bruschetta with a ricotta, sour cream, pistachio, muscatel mixture topped with crushed pistachio praline and Bruschetta alla Romana e Genovese with pesto and artichokes.

Amanda and her sidekick Tyler from San Diego, California were inspired to participate and share the brilliant bruschetta they were eating on What We’re Eating. Amanda made two absolutely delicious and exquisite looking bruschetta Serrano Ham and Kiwi Bruschetta, and Heirloom Tomato Bruschetta.

Daniela from Salerno in Italy is currently living in Paris. On her blog Calme et Cacao she shared more Brilliant Bruschetta, with toppings of caramelized tomatoes on pecorino cheese and Bruschetta with Edamame, Cherry Tomatoes and Parmigiano.

Sam wowed us all by blogging 24 hours on Becks n Posh, running with the San Francisco "Food Runners" delivering food to the homeless, spending a whole night on the town, visiting a Farmers Market and also managed to produce 3 different Crostini: French Butter, Radish and fleur de sel de Geurand salt Crostini ~ Peach with Sea Bean and Almond Crostini and her favourite - Marinated Courgette Ribbons with lemon, olives, feta and mint! I hope you have been able to catch up on some sleep Sam?! Great job in raising over US$ 2,500 for the San Francisco "Food Runners"!!

Paul from eatnz is just down the road (about 50 kilometers) from me here in Canterbury, Mainland New Zealand in the ‘Garden City’, Christchurch. He produced two rather scrummy looking Bruschetta - a savoury Malaysian Inspired Whitebait Bruschetta and a sweeter Strawberry, Kiwifruit and Mint Salsa on Fruit Bread Bruschetta.

Anni from North Bay Area in Northern California at Life Is a Banquet contributed an amazing 5 delicious combinations Bruschetta with Smoked Sardines and Toscana Bean Salad ~ Gorgonzola, Carmelized Onions and Fig Crostini ~ Boquerones en Pan Tostada ~ Figue and Provençal Tapenade Crostini ~ Pickled Herring Rollmops on Black Bread.

Haalo from Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once across the Tasman from me in Melbourne, Australia shared a gorgeous 'pairing', a sweet Pear, Almond and Ricotta Bruschetta and a savoury Mixed Mushroom & Goat Cheese Bruschetta.

Ximena is from Madrid in Spain and her Lobstersquad food blog has one point of difference, she doesn’t take photos! Instead she includes the most delightful drawings on her blog and a wonderful descriptive post for her contribution of Goat cheese and onion jam bruschetta and tosta de piquillos y ventresca, 'tosta' being the Spanish version of bruschetta.

Jennifer in Spokane, Washington blogs on Taste Everything Once where she shared the most luscious looking sweet styled bruschetta with Ricotta, Black Mission Figs and Honey.

Andrew from Henley-on-Thames in the greater London area blogs on SpittoonExtra, where he contributed two bruschetta beauties, one topped with nectarine, mascarpone and prosciutto. The other mozzarella coupled with half a cherry tomato and a little herbed ricotta. Naturally Andrew matched this bruschetta with a little vino.

Béa lives in Boston, and her gorgeous blog La tartine gourmande delights us with four Brilliant Bruschetta, which are more affectionately known to Béa as 'Tartines'. Broiled Eggplant with Baked Tomatoes on a Bed of Ricotta Cheese ~ Piquillo Pepper and Avocado Slices on a Bed of Ricotta Cheese ~ Marinated Fennel with Radishes, with a Slice of Piquillo Pepper ~ Bruschetta with Pink Lady Apple and Blueberries.

Lara is also in Seattle, Washington state. With her fabulous photo blog Cookbook 411, Lara sneaked in at the last minute with a superb offering of Fava, Olive & Anchovy Bruschetta.

UPDATE:

Emma another fellow Kiwi in Wellington, New Zealand has been away on hoilday (lucky sod!) and unfortunately missed the end date for HHDD#4. However Emma still contributed her take on Crostini on her blog The Laughing Gastronome tempting us not only with 4 different toppings, but 4 ways to flavour the crostini bread itself. Plain with Peppered Mackerel, Garlic with Onion Jam, Black olives and a bit of anchovy, Mushroom with a feta and yoghurt paste and a little truffle oil and finally a spiced version topped with a kumara tahini mash.

Wow!! Aren't they all just too fantastic?!! Hmmm - how to select a winner...

Luckily I don't have to, because that's your job! I'm not sure if you are all up on the "regular routine" of the Hay Hay it's Donna Day Event, but normally the person who hosts the event was the winner of the previous round. However, I am the first ever exception to this rule, as I was not the winner of round #3. I simply stepped up to the plate, when Round #3* unfortunately dragged on, eventually concluding without a roundup or vote.

With this in mind we now must decide the host of round #5 and for that we need your help in picking a winner! So please vote for your favourite bruschetta entry in the poll below. Voting has closed 5pm Friday the 11th of August New Zealand Standard time.

Thanks again to everyone who entered and helped make this such a wonderful and successful event, and my very special thanks again to Barbara, the driving force behind this wonderful event.

UPDATE: See Barbara's post on meeting up with Donna Hay at The Food Show in Auckland, *and a mini roundup of HHDD #3!

Thanks again everyone

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