Crostini with Sun-Dried Tomato Tapenade and Herbed Goat Cheese
Toasty toast, topped with creamy herbed goat cheese and a DELICIOUS tapenade. This Crostini with Sun-Dried Tomato Tapenade and Herbed Goat Cheese recipe is a lovely, easy, elegant entertaining solution.
I am generally not picky. Not too picky anyways. I do admit I am particular ..and yes, there is a difference.
My particular-ness is usually about preparing food …yes, salt your pasta water very well; no, do not cut into your meat to see if it’s done; yes, use only unsalted butter — things like that. But there are very few foods that I won’t eat or that I don’t like at all. …Except my list. You have a list don’t you? The list of those foods that you do not like but really wish you did? My list is as follows: lamb, eggplant, sashimi, mango, and all stinky cheese.
You read that last one correctly – all stinky cheese. That includes blue, Stilton, brie, and goat cheese. I can hear the gasps already. Trust me, I want to love all these foods. I really really do! And I do on occasion find ways to work with them like in this pretty appetizer here.
So what did I do for this recipe? I simply took some plain, mild goat cheese and added some fresh herbs to brighten it up and cut through the pungency and a touch of oil marinade from the jar of sun-dried tomatoes to calm the flavor down.
Then, with just a thin layer schmered on a toasted crostini and topped with a delicious Sun-Dried Tomato Tapenade, it all came together into a beautiful appetizer I would serve anywhere. So, if you love goat cheese, you will absolutely love this recipe. If you’re on the fence about goat cheese, just give it a try. Like me, you may be converted.
Ingredients
- 1 long skinny baguette sliced into 1-inch slices on a diagonal
- 4 oz plain goat cheese
- 1 T chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley
- 1 T fresh oregano leaves chopped
- ½ c chopped sun-dried tomatoes in oil plus 1 t reserved oil
- ¼ c chopped kalamata olives
- 2 T capers
- pinch kosher salt
- pinch fresh cracked pepper
- ¼ t fresh lemon zest
- 1 T very finely diced onion
- ½ T extra virgin olive oil plus more for brushing the bread
Instructions
- Heat the oven broiler. Place the bread slices on a large baking sheet. Brush both sides with olive oil. Toast lightly under the broiler, turning once (watch them, they will cook quickly!)
- In a small bowl, combine the goat cheese, parsley, oregano, and 1 t oil from the jar of sun-dried tomatoes. Set aside.
- In another small bowl, combine the tomatoes, olives, capers, salt, pepper, lemon zest, onion, and 1 T olive oil.
- Take each toasted crostini and spread a thin layer of the goat cheese mixture. Top each with tapenade.
