Author and chef Ashton Keefe shares recipes from her cookbook, "Lemon & Salt: A Modern Girl's Guide to Culinary Revelry."
Toast is in. This so-called trend is mystifying; doesn’t everyone know that carbs make everything better? I’m not one to argue with toast. And crostini is the toast-of-choice for entertaining: crostini. Elevate your basic crostini with the best of this spring’s farmers market -- or whatever you have in your fridge!
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Treat it like a tiny, bit size open-faced sandwich. Start with good bread, liberally dressed with olive oil and salt. Top with cheese, vegetables and meat and repeat. Now, that’s a great start to a party!
Basic Crostini
Makes 2 dozen crostini
Crostini is a perfect start to any party. Each of these recipes can top 1 dozen crostini, but feel free to mix and match.
- 1 baguette, cut into 1/4” thick slices
- Extra virgin olive oil, as needed
- 1 - 2 garlic cloves, whole
Preheat oven to 350° F. Place baguette slices in a single layer on a sheet tray and drizzle or brush generously with olive oil. Cook until toasted, about 8 minutes. Remove and rub with garlic clove to infuse garlic flavor.
Cherry Tomato Crostini
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 2 cloves garlic, whole
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
Preheat oven to 325° F. On a sheet tray toss together olive oil, tomatoes, garlic, salt and sugar. Cook for 35 - 40 minutes, shaking the pan every 15 minutes or so until tomatoes begin to pop but don’t lose their shape completely. Remove and discard garlic cloves. Place tomatoes in a bowl and stir to combine, adding more olive oil as desired.
Pear and Goat Cheese Crostini
- 1 - 2 ounces goat cheese, room temperature
- 1/2 pear, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 - 3 tablespoons toasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped
Spread crostini with goat cheese. Toss pears with lemon juice and salt. Top crostini with pears and hazelnuts.
Mushroom Crostini
- 1 cup assorted mushrooms, cooked
- 1 - 2 sprigs thyme
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- Maldon sea salt
- Extra virgin olive oil
Top crostini with mushrooms and season with thyme, zest and salt. Drizzle with olive oil.
Asparagus and Bacon Crostini
- 2 - 3 ounces blue cheese
- 6 slices bacon, cooked
- 10 - 12 asparagus, blanched
- Extra virgin olive oil
Top crostini with blue cheese, then bacon and asparagus. Drizzle with olive oil if desired.
Ricotta and Radish Crostini
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 3 - 4 radishes, thinly sliced
- Maldon sea salt
- Slather ricotta on crostini and top with sliced radishes. Season with salt.
Avocado Crostini
- 1 avocado
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
- Extra virgin olive oil
Cut avocado in half and remove pit. Cut into large slices and toss with lemon juice, salt and red pepper flakes. Top crostini and finish with a drizzle of olive oil. Serve immediately to prevent oxidation.