3 Creative Crostini Recipes for Easy Entertaining - Forks and Folly (2024)

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These three creative crostini recipes taste delicious, but are oh-so impressive too! Perfect if you’re gearing up for an Academy Awards themed soiree or just having friends over for a few beers on the weekend. Mix and match your favorites for a winning party appetizer!

Coming up with a dinner party menu is usually pretty easy for me, but I sometimes find myself scrambling for new appetizer ideas. And you gotta have a snackie-poo in casefor when you fall behind schedule.

As I was purging my fridge prior to a grocery trip I stumbled upon a half-used container of ricotta. What to do with this? Never one to throw something away when it can be turned into something amazing, I decided it would be the perfect starter ingredient for a fun new post.

3 Creative Crostini Recipes: Something to file away (or pin!) and pull out when you just don’t want to serve hummus one. more. time.

I always keep a container of toasted baguette slices in my pantry. If you don’t have them, they are pretty easy to DIY as well.

Simply preheat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange fresh baguette slices on rimmed baking sheets; brush both sides with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Bake until golden, 15 to 20 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through (if undersides are not browning, turn crostini over once during baking).

Now it’s time to dress these guys up for the party! I happened to have all of my ingredients on hand (you should see my pantry). But, feel free to swap out spices and flavors for what you like or have. No rules here.

Recipe 1: Crostini with Lemon Ricotta, Honey, and Black Salt

Recipe 2: Crostini with Guava Goat Chese, Strawberries, Aged Balsamic and Thyme

Recipe 3: Crostini with Whipped Cream Cheese, Lemon Zest and Lavender Buds.

3 Creative Crostini Recipes for Easy Entertaining - Forks and Folly (6)

Creative Crostini, Three Ways

Yield:

Whether you're gearing up for an Academy Awards themed soiree or just having friends over for a few beers on the weekend, these three creative crostini recipes taste delicious, but are oh-so impressive too! Mix and match your favorites for a winning party appetizer!

Ingredients

  • Crostini from local bakery or homemade (with recipe below)
  • Recipe 1 Ingredients: Lemon Ricotta, Honey, and Black Salt
  • 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
  • zest of one lemon
  • 3 tablespoons honey,
  • Salt and Pepper
  • Recipe 2 Ingredients: Guava Goat Cheese, Strawberries, Aged Balsamic and Thyme
  • 4 ounces guava infused goat cheese (or stir jelly of choice into room temperature goat cheese)
  • 4 large strawberries, finely diced
  • 2 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
  • Recipe 3 Ingredients: Whipped Cream Cheese, Lemon Zest and Lavender Buds.
  • 1/2 cup of whipped cream cheese
  • zest of one lemon
  • 1 tablespoon lavender buds
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

To make your own crostini: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange fresh baguette slices on rimmed baking sheets; brush both sides with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Bake until golden, 15 to 20 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through.

Recipe 1 Directions: Lemon Ricotta, Honey, and Black Salt

  1. Stir together the ricotta cheese, lemon zest and salt and pepper to taste. Spread one tablespoon of cheese mixture onto prepared crostini. Drizzle with honey and top with "fancy" salt, if you like. Garnish with chives, if desired.

Recipe 2 Directions: Guava Goat Chese, Strawberries, Aged Balsamic and Thyme

  1. Bring goat cheese to room temperature. If adding your own flavor to the goat cheese, select a fruit jelly flavor of your choice and stir in one tablespoon. Spread goat cheese onto crostini. Top with diced strawberries, then drizzle with vinegar and sprinkle with thyme.

Recipe 3 Directions: Whipped Cream Cheese, Lemon Zest and Lavender Buds.

  1. Spread whipped cream cheese onto each crostini. Garnish with lemon zest and lavender buds. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.

Which one of these three creative crostini recipes are you most excited to try?

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3 Creative Crostini Recipes for Easy Entertaining - Forks and Folly (12)

About Katie

Katie Harding has been blogging since 2010. What originally started out as a platform to discuss new parenthood, her blogging now focuses on her passion for cooking: creating recipes and sharing tips for entertaining friends and family of all ages. Outside of the kitchen you’ll find her with her family (three boys, one husband, multiple exchange student daughters, and Hank the pup), or gallivanting around the world with her fork in tow.

3 Creative Crostini Recipes for Easy Entertaining - Forks and Folly (13)

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3 Creative Crostini Recipes for Easy Entertaining - Forks and Folly (2024)

FAQs

What is the rule of thumb for adding crostini toppings? ›

The bread can be toasted a few hours in advance of serving. I would not recommend adding the toppings until 10-15 minutes before serving. This way, the bread won't get soggy from the toppings. If you are planning a party where guests will be arriving at different times, you can always make a crostini bar.

What's the difference between a crostini and a baguette? ›

Crostini are generally made with white bread, such as a simple Italian loaf or a baguette, sliced evenly, and toasted just to crisp it up, not to darken it unduly. In Italian crostina means crusty, and crostini means toasts. Even though there are clear Italian definitions, that there are exceptions seems unavoidable.

What is the difference between crostini and canape? ›

Canape: A canape is a type of hors d'oeuvre, or small, single-bite food, that is traditionally made with a base of a small piece of bread with some sort of topping. Crostini: The Italian word means little toasts. The thin slices of bread are toasted, drizzles with olive oil, and served warm.

How do you keep crostini from getting hard? ›

To avoid hard crostini, don't overcook the bread slices. They should be crisp on the outside edges but still just slightly tender in the middle. If your crostini seem a bit too hard, put the toppings on a bit in advance. The topping will soften the crostini.

Why are my crostini tough? ›

Toast them for just the right amount of time.

Bake at 375°F. for 7 - 8 minutes, turning over halfway through until golden brown. The crostini should be crispy on top but the inside should be tender. If the oven temperature is too low, the bread slices will bake and become too hard.

What part of the meal is crostini typically served? ›

Crostini use suggestions: canapés with toppings, for dips (especially excellent with Baked Brie), side dish for meals such as Acqua Pazza (Italian Fish in Tomato Sauce), dunking into Soups and stews! “Crostini” means “l*ttle crusts” (ie.

What can I use instead of bread for crostini? ›

Thick, round slices of apples make a quick and crispy alternative to bread. They pair well with cheese, slices of beef, herb yogurt spreads, and even a simple drizzle of honey. Best of all, they can be prepared ahead of time or right when your friends arrive.

What is the difference between crostini and bruschettini? ›

The main difference between these two toasts is that crostini is often thinly sliced, while bruschetta is usually served in thicker slices and drizzled with olive oil before it's toasted. The standard topping is diced tomato mixed with olive oil, garlic and Italian herbs—delicious, but a little boring.

What is another name for crostini? ›

Toast By Any Other Name is Crostini or Bruschetta...

What do French call appetizers? ›

An hors d'oeuvre (/ɔːr ˈdɜːrv(rə)/ or DURV(-rə); French: hors-d'œuvre [ɔʁ dœvʁ]), appetiser or starter is a small dish served before a meal in European cuisine.

What is crostini in english? ›

Translation of crostino – Italian–English dictionary

crouton [noun] a small piece of fried or toasted bread, served in soup etc.

How do I use crostini on my Chromebook? ›

It's easy to set up Linux, aka Crostini, on ChromeOS. First, go to Settings, expand the “Advanced” menu and go to “Developers”. Then “Turn on” Linux: 1: Enable Linux from Chrome settings.

What's the difference between crostini and bruschetta? ›

Crostini is usually toasted because the bread is much smaller and thinner than bruschetta. Therefore, not much is required to get the bread to a crispy level. For bruschetta, the main method of choice is grilling. After all, bruschetta is derived from the Italian word meaning “to roast over coals”!

How long can you keep crostini and how do you store? ›

To store, keep the crostini in an airtight container or ziplock bag at room temperature for up to 1 week. You can freeze the unbaked or baked crostini, too. Store them in a freezer-safe container or bag for up to 3 months. Bake as normal from frozen, or warm the already baked crostini for a few minutes in a 350ºF oven.

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