• 5 slices of bacon, cooked crispy and chopped
• 2 Tbsp. salted butter, divided
• 1 pint Cherry Berries
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. white sugar
• 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
• 1 whole-wheat baguette, 20 slices needed
• 5.2 oz. container of garlic & herb soft cheese
• (1/2 container needed)
• 1/2 cup green onions, diced

• Cook bacon in a frying pan until golden brown on both sides. Remove from frying pan and place on to a paper towel lined plate to drain and rest. Once cooled, chop bacon and set aside.
• Rinse Cherry Berries under cool water. Slice each Cherry Berry in half vertically. Place in a medium bowl, then add sugar and smoked paprika. Toss until each tomato is well coated.
• Slice baguette into 1/4 inch thick pieces. Take one slice of whole-wheat baguette, and spread a generous amount of garlic and herb soft cheese on to the slice. Repeat until you have 20 slices (about 1/2 of the baguette will be used). Toast until bread is crispy and cheese is slightly melted (about five minutes). (Note: If serving the appetizer at room temperature, do not toast the soft cheese mixture.)
• In a medium frying pan on high heat, add 1 Tbsp. of salted butter. When butter melts (about 30 seconds), add half the bowl of sugar/paprika coated Cherry Berries to the pan. Sauté on high for three to five minutes until tomatoes turn golden in color, begin to sweat and caramelize. Once the tomatoes are candied, remove from the frying pan and place in a clean bowl. Repeat this step for the other half of the sugar paprika coated tomatoes.
• Arrange appetizer by spreading one slice of whole-wheat baguette with garlic and herb soft cheese and place three or four caramelized Cherry Berries on top. Top with chopped bacon and green onions. Repeat until all 20 baguette slices have been filled. Serve and enjoy.
• Bacon may be omitted for vegetarian guests.

• This recipe was created by Katie Jasiewicz of Katie’s Cucina. This sweet and savory appetizer is sure to please any guest’s pallet.

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