Crostini are toasted baguette slices topped with light, flavourful toppings. Crostini should showcase the flavours of the spreads, vegetables, and cheeses on top but should not be overpowered; dress the crostini lightly.
Crostini can be appetizers or part of cocktail party fare. Be sure to serve with plenty of napkins, as the toppings can get messy and the bread can get crumbly. Choose a long, narrow baguette to keep crostini (“little toasts”) snack-sized.
Crostini work well with a variety of toppings, from summer-fresh tomato and basil to these seasonal cold-weather offerings. Since the flavours of crostini are simple, only use fresh produce when it is in season. These winter crostini highlight flavourful pesto or tapenade, gooey cheeses, herbs, and dried or preserved vegetables to make the most of the low growing season.
Serve a variety of crostini as hors d’oeuvres or appetizers. They smell delicious while in the oven and will invite guests into the kitchen.
Basic Crostini Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 baguette
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 1-2 garlic cloves
Tip: Purchase non-dairy garlic spread instead of using oil and garlic to make crostini even faster.
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
- Using a bread knife, cut baguette on the diagonal into ½ - inch thick slices
- Brush each cut side of bread lightly with olive oil or garlic spread, and place lying down on baking sheet.
- Bake until lightly golden, turning once.
- Remove from oven and rub with garlic clove, if using.
Crostini Toppings
1) Hummus
For a festive twist, start with classic hummus and:
- Blend in one whole roasted red pepper, or about one half-cup of roasted red pepper strips
- Top with additional minced peppers.
2) Sun-dried Tomato Pesto
Special thanks to Jessica Reingold for this rich, savoury recipe.
Ingredients:
- 1-1/2 cups sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil, plus
- Flavoured oil from the sun-dried tomato jar
- 2-4 tbsp pine nuts (optional)
- 1/4 cup freshly grated parmeggiano-reggiano cheese
- 300 g log chevre (goat cheese)
Directions:
- Pulse together the sun-dried tomatoes, optional pine nuts, parmeggiano-reggiano and goat cheeses in food processor. Do not over-blend.
- Drizzle in reserved sun-dried tomato oil (about 1/4 cup) until mixture reaches consistency of pesto. If needed, supplement with additional good-quality extra-virgin olive oil.
- Spread pesto onto crostini.
- Break chevre into pieces (about 1/2" crumbles) and distribute among crostini.
- Place in 350 F oven and heat through until pesto and chevre is warmed through but not melting.
3) Walnut Cranberry Brie
The classic flavours of baked brie and sweet cranberries sing in this recipe.
Top each baked crostini with:
- a small slice of brie
- a small dollop of whole berry cranberry sauce
- One small pecan or walnut half
Warm through in the oven until the brie is just beginning to melt.
4) Green Olive Tapenade
Christmas appetizers require a little bit of green. Purchase a classic green olive tapenade made from green olives and a touch of olive oil and salt. Anchovies sometimes make an appearance in tapenade, so check the ingredients carefully.
- Top baked crostini with a thin smear of green tapenade
- Garnish with diced tomatoes
