LAMORINDA WEEKLY | Pass the plate with these fabulously festive holiday crostini


Festive Holiday Crostini Photos Susie Iventosch

`Tis the season for holiday gatherings and here are a few festive crostini ideas to pass around your crowd! I just love the colors in these little appetizers and the flavors are so good, but each very different. Roasted cherry tomatoes pair beautifully with turkey pepperoni, Kalamata olives and burrata, while goat cheese makes the perfect base for a topping of pomegranate seeds, dried cranberries and roasted salted pistachios. Top each with micro greens or small basil leaves for a little extra color. If you are planning Hanukkah festivities, then swap the cranberries and pomegranates seeds out for blackberries, dried blueberries and blanched almonds or macadamia nuts for the perfect blue and white appetizer.

These are so easy to make and you can slice the baguette ahead of time and store it in an airtight container for several days. Then, when you're ready to roll, simply brush the baguette slices with a little olive oil and sea salt and bake in a low oven for about 5-7 minutes to get them slightly toasty. Then spread with your cheese of choice and start decorating away.

I like to roast or grill the cherry tomatoes so you get a little bit of charred color before adding them to the crostini, and the tomato juices are so good on top, but if you're in a hurry, just use raw tomatoes. This step can also be done ahead to save time when you want to serve them.

You can swap out the dried fruit on the goat cheese variety with any dried fruit you like. Apricots or dried cherries would also be delicious and you can pick any nut you like to go with this crostini that pairs well with the dried fruit you selected. This recipe makes about 30 crostini.

INGREDIENTS

Crostini

1 plain baguette, sliced into 1/4-inch slices (about 30 per baguette)

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

Roasted Tomato, Kalamata & Burrata

8 oz. Burrata cheese or goat cheese

50-60 cherry tomatoes, roasted

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper

30 Kalamata olives, cut into quarters

30 slices of turkey pepperoni (can use ham, salami, or any kind of charcuterie that you love best)

Small basil leaves or micro-greens

Goat Cheese, Fruit & Nuts

8 oz. goat cheese, softened to room temperature

1 cup dried cranberries (can use cherries, blueberries, apricots, etc.)

1 cup pomegranate seeds

1 cup roasted and salted pistachios (can use whatever nut you love best)

Small basil leaves or micro-greens for garnish

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400 F. Toss cherry tomatoes with olive oil and lemon pepper. Place the tomato mixture in an oiled or sprayed baking dish and roast for approximately 15 minutes, or until the tops of the tomatoes begin to turn slightly brown and the tomatoes become soft. Remove from oven and reduce oven temperature to 300 F.

Line a baking sheet parchment paper.

Slice baguette into 1/4-inch (or so) slices and lay out on the prepared baking sheet. In a small bowl, mix olive oil with salt and pepper if you like, or lemon pepper, and lightly brush just the tops of the baguette slices. Bake for 5-7 minutes, or just until the bread becomes slightly toasted. Remove from oven.

Spread cheese over the top of each baguette slice and arrange the tomatoes, pepperoni and olives on top, (or the fruit and nuts). Garnish with the greens of your choice.