Goat Cheese Toasts
Here, Giada De Laurentiis, author of seven New York Times bestselling books, shares a recipe from her most recent book, Happy Cooking. She explains that both the crostini and the cheese mixture can be prepared up to 2 days in advance of serving them, a huge help for busy hosts. Store the crostini in an airtight container at room temperature, and cover and refrigerate the cheese mixture. Let the cheese mixture stand at room temperature for 1 hour to soften slightly before spreading over the crostini.
Ingredients:
- 36 baguette slices, each 1/2 inch (12 mm) thick
- 3 Tbs. olive oil
- 8 oz. (250 g) soft fresh goat cheese
- 4 oz. (125 g) cream cheese
- 2 tsp. finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 2 tsp. finely grated lemon peel
- Salt and coarsely ground multicolored or black peppercorns
- 1/2 cup (2 1/2 oz./75 g) pitted Sicilian green olives or Kalamata olives, finely chopped
- 2 Tbs. thinly sliced chives
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Arrange the bread slices on two heavy large baking sheets. Brush 3 Tbs. of olive oil over the bread slices. Bake until the crostini are pale golden and crisp, about 15 minutes.
Blend the goat cheese and cream cheese in a food processor until smooth and creamy. Add the parsley and lemon peel. Using the on/off button, pulse just to blend. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Spread the cheese mixture over the crostini. Sprinkle with the olives, chives and pepper. Arrange the toasts on a platter and serve. Serves 12.
Recipe from Giada De Laurentiis, Happy Cooking (Pam Krauss Books, 2015)
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