Crostini with Prosciutto
Crostini with Prosciutto are crispy toasted slices of baguette topped with prosciutto, tomato, and Boursin garlic and herb cheese. Finished with Herbs de Provence and sea salt, these elegant prosciutto appetizers are so easy to prepare that you can show your sophisticated side no matter your cooking skill level. Perfect and impressive every time.
I have got to give a huge holla to these tasty bites of love right here. A little Italian with the prosciutto, a little French with the Boursin and Herbs de Provence, and the combination is so perfect I just can’t even.
Crunchy toasty bread, smooth prosciutto, juicy tomato, and dreamy butter Boursin cheese. then finished with the sophisticated herb blend Herb de Provence with just the slightest hint of lavender, and a shot of salt from a sprinkling of sea salt.
These impressive Crostini with Prosciutto are just superb. Each flavor is special in its own way, and then, together, they are harmoniously matched for each other.
What is prosciutto?
Prosciutto is a classic, beloved, cured meat in Italy. A dry-cured ham that is not cooked (because it is aged and cured and I guess that takes care of things), prosciutto de parma is delicious. It is delicate, kinda fatty in a perfect way, and super elegant.
Some foods scream “special occasion” and prosciutto is one of them to me. Though I think Italians might eat it every day, I dunno.
What is Herbs de Provence?
Herbs de Provence is a mixture of dried herbs from – what for it – Provence, France. The mix includes herbs such as thyme, basil, rosemary, tarragon, savory, marjoram, oregano, and bay leaf.
And in the US, the Herbs de Provence we find in our grocery stores includes lavender leaves. It is just this touch of lavender that makes me love Herbs de Provence in my crostini with prosciutto.
What is Boursin cheese?
This is well covered territory with me – just see my post here for a full explanation. I have had a long-standing, serious relationship with Boursin and I am not shy to admit it.
Do you love Boursin too? Check these out
Ingredients to make Crostini with Prosciutto
- A long skinny baguette.
- Extra virgin olive oil. I am going to channel Ina Garten here and say to get the best quality olive oil you can manage.
- Boursin Garlic and Herb cheese. Find it in the grocery section with the specialty cheeses.
- Prosciutto de Parma. You have two options here: you can go to the deli counter and spring for the really good stuff that is ~$25 per pound, or do what I do and just grab the less expensive pre-sliced prosciutto from the deli section. That prosciutto is delicious also. Just choose depending on your budget.
- Roma tomatoes.
- Coarse sea salt.
- Herbs de Provence. Find Herbs de Provence in the herbs and spices section of the grocery store, but if it is not available, dried or fresh thyme leaves is a good substitute.
If Boursin is not available, you can substitute whipped garlic and herb cream cheese, but why would you want to honestly. That is still tasty (and I would be lying if I said I had not done it myself), but a better option is to make your own knock-off, and I just happen to have a Mock Boursin recipe right here.
How to make these prosciutto appetizers
Here is where things get ridiculously easy.
First, slice your baguette in 1/4 to 1/2-inch slices. On the occasion I made this recipe to take photos, I sliced a little thick (like, 3/4-inch) and they were admittedly a little harder to eat. So do as I say and not as I do, and keep them under 1/2-inch.
Brush both sides of the baguette slices with olive oil… and by brush, I mean brush well. We want that beautiful fruity olive oil all in that bread’s business.
At this point, I will even intentionally let the bread sit a bit and Soak It In.
Next, we toast the bread under the oven broiler on both sides until golden and toasty. Mine cook in less than a minute per side, so WATCH them. They cook quickly.
Fun fact: at this point, we can start calling the baguette slices “crostini” just so you know.
Top each crostini with a schmere of Boursin and prosciutto. Finish with a sprinkling of Herbs de Provence and course sea salt.
Tips
Literally the only challenge in making this recipe and the only place where something could potentially go wrong is in toasting the bread. In my oven, each side toasts up in less than a minute, so I stand right there with the oven cracked to watch like a hawk.
Also in my oven, the crostini in the center of the pan toast faster, so I end up moving the pan around to get the ones around the outskirts of the pan to toast and keep the ones in the center from burning.
These prosciutto appetizers are intended to be served at room temperature, so they can be fully cooked and assembled up to an hour in advance of serving. As long as the bread was nicely toasted, though the Boursin and tomato will soften the bread underneath as they sit, the edges and bottom will remain toasty.
That said, beyond an hour, the bread can be toasted hours in advance but I recommend waiting until closer to serving to put on the toppings.
For the prosciutto, simply tear off roughly a quarter of a slice and mound on top of the tomato. There is no shaping, no perfection – the perfection is in it looking rustic and imperfect.
Go easy on the sea salt. We want those obvious bites of salt, but not too much. I am a heavy salter (I love salt), but not everyone is like me. I suggest making one, see how you like it, and adjust more or less salt from there for the rest.
For another finger food that looks so pretty with these crostini, I also recommend my Tuscan Mushroom Ricotta Mini Tarts.
Crostini with Prosciutto
Ingredients
- 1 long skinny baguette sliced into ¼- to ½-inch slices
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 (5.2 oz) pkg Boursin Garlic and Herb cheese
- 8 slices prosciutto de parma (~3 oz) cut or torn into quarters
- 4 Roma tomatoes sliced into ¼-inch slices
- 2 tsp coarse sea salt
- 2 tsp Herbs de Provence
Instructions
- Heat the oven broiler.
- Brush both sides of each bread slice generously with olive oil and place on bake sheet. Broil ~1-2 minutes per side until toasted on both sides, flipping once.
- Spread ~1 tsp layer Boursin on each crostini. Top each with prosciutto and a slice of tomato.
- Sprinkle sea salt and Herbs de Provence on top of each crostini. Yields 30-32 appetizers.