Crostini: one of my favorite vessels for hors d’oeuvres. Cute, little pieces of toasted baguette (preferably with olive oil, salt and pepper) ready for the toppings of your choosing. Go savory and classic with tomatoes, feta, oregano and olive oil, or prosciutto and burrata. On the sweeter side, I love brie and raspberry preserves or honey. If you aren’t getting the theme here, crostini is essentially choose-your-own-adventure bread and cheese, and I am here for it! Though I suppose you could go dairy-free if you really wanted to (but why?!)
One of my all time favorite combinations is goat cheese & pesto – on crostini, on a pizza, in life really. Here, I use Trader Joe’s Creamy Goat Cheese. You’ll find it with the cream cheese, not the regular cheese display, past the screaming children, at the end of the shopping cart maze (watch out for those miniature ones!) In all seriousness, it spreads nicely and has a lovely tang, but regular goat cheese would work too. I make my own Basil Pesto, but store-bought pesto would be just fine.
This recipe comes out best if you make the crostini and top them just before serving, though you can toast them a few hours in advance. Just be sure to let them cool completely before storing them so they don’t steam and lose their crunch. Top them at the last minute so they don’t get soggy. I like to finish the platter with lemon zest, micro greens, salt and cracked black pepper for extra brightness and flavor.
Makes about 25 crostini.
Ingredients
- 1 (4.5 ounce) package creamy goat cheese
- ½ cup Basil Pesto
- 1 small loaf French bread, cut into ½ inch rounds
- micro greens
- zest of 1 lemon
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt & cracked black pepper
Method
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Brush sliced bread with olive oil and season with salt & pepper. Toast until golden brown – about three to five minutes.
Top each piece of bread with a layer of goat cheese and a dollop of pesto. Transfer all of the assembled crostini to your serving platter, and finish with micro greens, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
