crostini

Dinner last night... kebabs (a summer favorite!), corn on the cob (it was the 4th, afterall), and a tasty variety of crostini.  I had made roasted grapes last week to go over tilapia (which was a new creation and very good - the sweetness of the grapes paired well with the tilapia), and also had sundried tomato jam leftover in the fridge, making these crostini pretty easy to make.  If you had to start from scratch and make the roasted grapes or other toppings, you could go with just one kind to keep things simple.  Multiple kinds would be a good option for hosting...

roasted grape, tomato.basil, and sundried tomato.onion crostini

Roasted grape crostini:

grapes (as many as you'd like)

olive oil

salt & pepper

goat cheese

multi-grain baguette

Drizzle grapes with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Roast at 400 for 10-15 minutes until they have started to "pop" and are tender and juicy.

Bake thin slices of a multi-grain bageutte at 400 (could bake while the grapes are roasting) for about 10 minutes, or until just starting to turn golden brown.  Top with roasted grapes and crumbled goat cheese.  Bake for another 3-5 minutes until goat cheese has softened. 

Basil tomato crostini:

2 roma tomatoes, diced

1 T basil pesto

1 clove minced garlic

drizzle of balsamic vinegar (about 1-2 tsp)

shredded or grated parmesan cheese

multi-grain baguette

*this was enough tomatoes for 4-5 slices of bread

 Top thin slices of a multi-grain bageutte with parmesan cheese and bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes until crispy and golden brown.  While the bread bakes, combine diced tomatoes with pesto, garlic and vinegar.  Once the bread has baked, top with tomatoes and enjoy!

Sundried tomato crostini:

sundried tomato jam **

goat cheese

multi-grain baguette

Bake thin slices of a multi-grain bageutte at 400 for about 10 minutes, or until just starting to turn golden brown.  Top with sundried tomato jam and crumbled goat cheese.  Bake for another 3-5 minutes until goat cheese has softened. 

** recipe here - my modifications were 1/2 the sugar, spicy oregano instead of thyme (thyme is good too, just didn't have any), no extra olive oil (just used the oil from the sundried tomatoes) and a handful of pine nuts after it was done cooking.  You can also use all water if you do not have chicken broth on hand.