Recipe courtesy of Williams-Sonoma Kitchen.
A versatile Italian antipasti, crostini lend themselves to endless variations. Here, we top the grilled bread slices with creamy goat cheese and roasted red pepper pesto.
Ingredients
- 1 baguette, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
- 1/4 cup plus 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled
- 2 red bell peppers, roasted, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped
- 2 tablespoons slivered almonds, toasted
- 3 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
- Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
- 4 ounces goat cheese
Preparation
- 1 Preheat an electric panini press according to the manufacturer's instructions.
- 2 Arrange the baguette slices on a baking sheet and brush lightly on both sides with the 1/4 cup olive oil. Working in batches, place the bread slices on the preheated panini press and cook until light golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a baking sheet. While the crostini are still warm, rub the top of each one with 1 of the garlic cloves. Set aside.
- 3 In the bowl of a food processor, combine the red peppers, the remaining garlic clove, the almonds, cheese, 3 tablespoons of the parsley, the lemon juice, the 2 teaspoons olive oil and the cayenne pepper. Pulse until a coarse puree forms. Season with salt and black pepper.
- 4 Preheat an oven to 350°F.
- 5 Place the crostini in a single layer on a baking sheet. Spread about 2 teaspoons of the goat cheese on each crostini. Bake until the cheese is slightly soft and the crostini are warm, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a platter and top each with about 1 tablespoon of the red pepper pesto. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon parsley. .
- 6 Makes 24 crostini.
