Fresh fruit, caramelized onions, bright flavors, and an abundance of crostini. That is what I call the perfect crostini board. Simple ingredients that require more assembly than cooking is a delicious way to start your party! 
This past weekend was my mom’s birthday and I wanted to make it special for her. This is the first time in 8 years we got to spend her actual birthday with her. What made it more special is she had all three of her grandchildren with her, including the newest addition, Baby Shyam. One of my favorite appetizers are crostini. They are so easy to make, you can get creative with the toppings and flavors or keep it classic. I did a little of everything for my board.
My dad loves caramelized onions and I had just picked up some fresh figs from the Farmer’s Market. I knew I had to pair these together. I also picked up these beautiful peaches from the Farmer’s Market which I paired with ricotta cheese so the sweetness of the peaches could really shine. As for the third flavor, you know I have to keep it classic with the bruschetta flavors. I did change it up a little and added fresh mozzarella to the mix. The fresh mozzarella was so delicious, I definitely think that will be making its rounds again.
When I was at the market, the farmer convinced me to try out a basket of the green figs. I have had many turkey and mission figs but I had never eaten these luscious green figs. They are sweeter than the brown figs but I feel are more suited to use in cooking rather than eating on their own. (You’ll notice in the pictures, both green and brown figs made their way into this recipe. We started eating before I was done with my pictures and finishing touches. Oops!). I would highly recommend you try out the green figs. They are so beautiful and delicious!
As for the peaches, they were so sweet and just perfectly ripe. Quite large for peaches too but Sanaya has been eating them every single day so I have to make sure I get more!
Caramelizing onions is very easy. Also a little time consuming. But oh so yummy! The trick to perfectly caramelized onions is low and slow. Keep the flame on low and just let it cook slowly. I started with the onions and while they were doing their thing, I worked on the assembly of the rest of the ingredients.
I hope you like these crostini as much as we did! If you’re looking for more appetizer recipes, check these out:
Rosemary Caprese Skewers with a Balsamic Glaze
Fresco Carpaccio
Farmer’s Market Crudites Platter with Hummus Two Ways
Sriracha Deviled Eggs
Stuffed Mushrooms
How to Build a Cheese Board
Crostini 3 Ways
Ingredients
- 2 baguettes
- Honey to drizzle or balsamic reduction
For the Fig and Caramelized Onion Crostini:
- 2 large yellow onions, sliced
- 1 c figs, sliced
- 4 oz goat cheese
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
For the Peach and Pistachio Crostini:
- 1 peach, thinly sliced
- 1/4 c ricotta cheese
- 1/4 c pistachios, roughly chopped
For the Classic Bruschetta:
- 2 c tomatoes, chopped
- 1/2 c fresh basil, chopped
- 2 Tbsp Parmigiano Reggiano, shredded
- 4 oz fresh mozzarella, chopped into chunks
- 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp Olive Oil
- 1 tsp Balsamic Vinegar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
For the Fig and Caramelized Onion Crostini:
- On medium flame in a non-stick skillet, heat Olive Oil.
- Add in the sliced onions and let cook 3-5 minutes until they are translucent.
- Add in the salt and sugar and mix well. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 25 minutes, stirring every 5-7 minutes.
- The onions will have a beautiful golden brown color to it when they are done.
- Remove from heat and let cool.
- Meanwhile, spread the goat cheese on the baguette, then top with caramelized onions followed by the figs.
- Drizzle honey or balsamic reduction over the top.
- Serve right away
For the Peach and Pistachio Crostini:
- Spread the ricotta over the baguettes.
- Top with peach slices then sprinkle pistachios over the top.
- Finally drizzle honey over the crostini.
- Serve right away.
For the Classic Bruschetta:
- Combine the tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, minced garlic, basil, Parmigiano cheese, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper in a bowl and toss to mix well.
- Top each baguette slice with bruschetta mix then drizzle with balsamic reduction.
- Serve right away.
Here are the tools I used for this recipe:
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