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Tomato Crostini
My girlfriend, Sallie, made this appetizer for me in
the summer of 2015. As I was eating it I said, "Sallie, you've changed my life!" After we ate all of the crostini, I even smooshed
up the little leftover bits on the plate and licked them right off my fingers. Tacky I know, but even the droppings were good. This is
one of my favorite appetizers ... super delicious, wonderful textures, and a colorful eye-catching presentation. It's
actually a Barefoot Contessa recipe that I altered just a bit to make the
cheese spread a bit more flavorful and the tomato mixture a bit less tangy. I've given this recipe to friends more times than I can
count so I've finally added it to my website.
Cheese Spread
1 8-oz package cream cheese
8 ounces feta cheese, already crumbled, not a chunk
1 teaspoon Penzey's Fox Point seasoning (see note below)
1 teaspoon fresh parsley, finely chopped or snipped
Tomato Mixture
1-1/2 cups chopped cherry and heirloom tomatoes (any combination)
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped and tightly packed
3 green onions, finely sliced (the white base and 2 inches of green stems)
2 teaspoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon crushed red chili peppers
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted (reserve a tablespoon for garnish)
Bread
1 French baguette (tastes better than sourdough in original recipe)
Slice the baguette on a sharp diagonal into 1-inch thick slices. Toast in a toaster oven until nicely browned. Set aside.
Combine the cold cream cheese and cold feta cheese in a glass bowl. Microwave for 45 seconds. Add the Fox Point seasoning and the parsley.
Mash everything together with a fork until it's very well combined (or use an electric mixer if you prefer a smoother consistency). Set
aside.
Cut the tomatoes into very small bite sized pieces. I cut a small grape tomato in fourths. This is a good size for the rest of the tomatoes.
Not necessary but as I'm cutting them up, I put the tomatoes in a colander with large holes to let the seeds and juices run out. Combine all
of the tomato mixture ingredients (except the pine nuts and a tablespoon of basil) in a medium sized bowl. Stir well. Set aside.
Toast the pine nuts in a small frying pan on high heat. You don't need to use any oil, there's enough oil in the nuts themselves. Stir
constantly and remove from the heat just when the nuts start to brown. Immediately transfer them into a small bowl. Don't leave them in the pan
even for a minute. They'll burn. Set aside.
Assemble the crostini just before serving so the bread doesn't get soggy. Arrange the toasted baguette slices on a pretty,
relatively large platter. Generously spread the cream cheese mixture on the baguette slices. Mix all but a tablespoon of the pine
nuts into the tomato mixture. Then using a small slotted spoon, generously heap the tomato mixture evenly on top of the slices, using as
little liquid as possible. Sprinkle the crostini with the reserved basil and pine nuts.
Note re Penzey's Fox Point Seasoning
This is a combination of salt, shallots, chives, garlic, onion, and green peppercorns. You can add a bit of each on your own, or you
can order Fox Point Seasoning from Penzey's. I buy all of my spices from Penzey's.
What a find! If you're lucky enough to live near or travel near a Penzey's store, stop in. It's a really fun shopping
experience.
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