Crostini

Crostini Recipe

What is crostini?

Crostini is an Italian appetizer made of toasted bread with a variety of toppings such as cheese, smoked salmon, caviar, fruit slices, cured meats and/or vegetables.

This amazing appetizer is crisp, light and absolutely delightful to eat, just like blinis.

They are especially popular as a finger food or an appetizer, served at parties or special occasions.

Crostini Bread

Authentic Italian crostini are made from traditional and crusty Italian bread.

If you can’t find Italian bread, you can certainly use store bought French baguette or homemade baguette as the base of crostini.

It’s important that you choose a bread that is crusty and has a bite to it.

To make crostini, use a bread knife to slice the bread into 3/4 to 1-inch pieces.

Brush olive oil on the crostini bread with a brush and lightly toast in the oven. The bread is now ready for toppings.

How to Make Crostini?

You don’t have to go to expensive restaurants for these amazing appetizers. Homemade recipe is better and much cheaper.

First, slice and toast the bread with an olive oil mixture seasoned with salt and black pepper.

The next step is to assemble the topping ingredients and spread on top of each slice of toast. It’s that easy!

Crostini Toppings

You can use a variety of ingredients as toppings. You can mix and match the following ingredients for new dimensions in taste and presentation.

• Use sour cream, creme fraiche or cream cheese as the base. For a more intense flavors, you can use blue cheese or ricotta cheese.
• Cure meats such as prosciutto, salami and pepperoni.
• Seafood such as smoked salmon, shrimp, crab, fish roes and caviar are popular toppings.
• Fruits such as sliced pear, fig, peach, apple,
• Vegetables such as tomatoes (including cherry tomatoes and grape tomatoes), broccoli or celery
• Walnuts, pine nuts and sliced almonds.
• Crab dip.
• Dills, basil leaves and sage are popular as the final touch to the toppings.

I made smoked salmon crostini, with sour cream, caviar and dill as the toppings. They are absolutely delicious!

Cook’s Tips

For the best results, follow my tips below:

• Make the bread and toast in the oven ahead of time, up to a day in advance. Keep them covered or store in a plastic bag.
• Assemble the toppings for the crostini appetizers one hour or thirty minutes before serving.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Make Ahead of Time?

Yes, you sure can. For the freshest taste, make the toast one day in advance or the day before serving.

Cover them up or store them in a plastic bag.

Can You Freeze Leftover Crostini?

I don’t recommend freezing as it’s not ideal to reheat them after freezing.

You can keep the leftovers in the refrigerator by wrapping or covering them up with plastic wrap.

How Many Calories per Serving?

Each crostini is only 84 calories.

What to Serve with this Recipe?

Serve this dish with other appetizers. For a dinner party or special social occasions, I recommend the following recipes.

Fried Calamari

Crab Legs with Garlic Lemon Butter

Baked Chicken Wings

Coconut Shrimp