Cranberry Pesto Crostini with Chevre’
Makes about 24 appetizers
This takes only about 20 minutes to prepare!
What you’ll need:
½ cup Chevre’ (French for goat cheese) at room temperature, 4 oz.
¼ cup cream cheese at room temperature, 4 oz. (You can use Neufchatel)
¾ teaspoon coarse kosher salt, divided
1 large clove garlic, peeled
1 cup sweetened dried cranberries
1 ¼ cup fresh basil leaves
¼ cup toasted walnuts
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
½ cup Parmesan cheese, preferably freshly grated
¼ cup coarsely chopped Italian flat leaf parsley
¼ cup best-quality extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly cracked pepper, to taste
Baguette slices, about 24, toasted
Steps:
- Mix the cheeses together in a small bowl. Stir in ¼ teaspoon salt. Set aside.
- Make the pesto: Pulse the garlic in food processor until finely chopped. Add cranberries and pulse until roughly chopped. Add basil, walnuts, and red pepper flakes, process until blended but still chunky.
- Place mixture in a bowl, stir in the Parmesan cheese, parsley, oil, pepper and the remaining ½ teaspoon salt until blended.
- Spread 1 teaspoon cheese mixture on each baguette slice and top with 1 tablespoon of the cranberry pesto.
