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Melted Mozzarella Caprese Crostini Toasts

Whether you take the fancier route and name them crostini, or keep it real and call them toasts, these Italian crostini caprese appetizer bites with roasted tomatoes, prosciutto, and melted mozzarella cheese on sliced baguette are so easy to whip up everyone will be calling for more.

Melted Mozzarella Caprese Crostini Toasts | foodiecrush.com #appetizer #crostini #caprese #recipes

This recipe is brought to you by Cache Valley Cheese

Today I’m taking two favorite recipes (caprese and grilled cheese) and combining them for a simple finger food twist for the old appetizer plate.

This bite-sized appetizer is one of those that you’re going to come back to making time and time again. And here’s why:continue to the recipe… about Melted Mozzarella Caprese Crostini Toasts

Nectarine and Wisconsin Burrata Bite Crostini

Nectarine and Wisconsin Burrata Bite Crostini | foodiecrush.com

This past weekend I allllmoooost could have posed as a hipster. If I was 15 years younger and dressed a whole lot cooler. I mean hipper. I mean I don’t know what is better, cooler or hipper to say these days. And if I had a full blown beard—thank God it hasn’t come to that, YET. And liked to listened to those bands that like to harmonize as if they’re stuck in a time warp and have just emerged from 1976 retromania ala Crosby Stills and Nash.

No, I wasn’t in Brooklyn or Venice, CA. That is soooo two weekends ago.

This past weekend I was in yet another favorite haunt of all things hip yet no need to be humble, the great city of Austin, Texas for the Blogher Food blogging conference. Not that EVERYONE in Austin is a glorified hipster, but it certainly has its fair share mixed in thanks to the outrageously delicious food trucks, crazy good music scene and a few traditional cowboys along the way.

Food bloggers vs. hipsters vs. cowboys. Not sure who won the sterotype title for the weekend but it sure was fun eating and greeting my way through it.

Nectarine and Wisconsin Burrata Bite Crostini | foodiecrush.com

I’ll have a more visual recap of the conference on my Friday Faves post this week, but I wanted to get this recipe out because a lot of people have been asking about it. It is that good.continue to the recipe… about Nectarine and Wisconsin Burrata Bite Crostini

Fig Spread and Cheese Crostini Appetizer + Korin Giveaway

Fig and Cheese Crostini || FoodieCrush.com

Are you tired of me saying it yet? Talking about how much I adore salty paired with sweet? I hope not, because you’re in for a big dose of it today.

This past weekend we made our way to our friend’s annual holiday company Christmas party. No, I’m not moonlighting on the side for their business—Lord knows I’ve tried—but we’ve been really good friends for a few years and somehow we’ve weaseled our way into getting an invite each year.

Maybe it’s because we’re helpers in the kitchen—during that last minute flurry of panic before the guests start rolling in, lending a helping hand. But since they always have it so well put together, I think its just because we are so much dang FUN! And these guys, well they go all out so it definitely isn’t a chore to whoop it up and have a good time.

Fig and Cheese Crostini || FoodieCrush.com

This year I was asked to give my opinion on the menu. Now, Sherrie is an amazing cook and party giver, so she really doesn’t need any help from me. But since I’m a bone fide food blogger (ahem, cue smoke and mirrors) people seem to think I know what works when it comes to food.continue to the recipe… about Fig Spread and Cheese Crostini Appetizer + Korin Giveaway

Baked Peppered Ricotta Crostini with Roasted Tomatoes

FoodieCrush-Baked_Ricotta-Crostini-2

I’ve been feeling a bit DIY these days. And I blame it all on fall.

Homemade pizza dough, fresh baked bread from MY oven and even making tofu from scratch (a blog post is coming soon, I promise you won’t want to miss it!)

So after trolling through several recipes for homemade ricotta, I pulled up my bootstraps, dashed to the store for a new aka un-cracked candy thermometer and gave it a whirl.

May I just say, in my best Giada voice with a trill of the ‘R’, “REEE-COOOAAA-TA!” Seriously? Making ricotta is THIS EASY? And THIS QUICK? It takes me more time to put on my makeup in the morning. Why have I never tried becoming a cheesemaker before?

Next time I’ll experiment with the amount of time I let the cheese drain in the colander—similar to the tofu pressing process—and see what sort of variety I get in the cheese’s texture. Maybe a bit creamier, maybe a bit firmer. Either which way, I know I’m going to love it.

Baked Ricotta Crostini | Foodiecrush.comIf you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment below or take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.

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Baked Peppered Ricotta Crostini with Roasted Tomatoes

Fresh and easy appetizer for any occasion.

Ingredients

Fresh Ricotta Cheese

  • from Donna Hay magazine
  • makes 1 1/4 cups
  • 6 cups 48 fl oz full cream milk
  • 2 T white vinegar
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • In a saucepan adjust a candy thermometer to side and cook milk over medium heat to 176 degrees F. Remove from heat, add vinegar and let sit for 5 minutes until curds form. Line a colander with cheesecloth and place over a bowl. Using a slotted spoon, Carefully transfer curds to the colander and allow to drain for 5 minutes. Spoon ricotta into a glass or ceramic dish, cover and store in refrigerator for up to one week.

Baked Peppered Ricotta Crostini with Roasted Tomatoes

  • inspired by Donna Hay magazine
  • serves 4-6 as an appetizer
  • for peppered ricotta crostini
  • 1 1/4 cups fresh ricotta cheese
  • 1/3 cup grated pecorino or parmesan cheese
  • 1 clove garlic pressed
  • kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp fresh cracked pepper
  • 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
  • 8 slices french or sourdough baguette
  • Preheat oven to 250 degrees. In a bowl combine ricotta, parmesan, garlic, salt and pepper. Spoon ricotta into 2 large ramekins or other bake-to-serve vessel (6 oz) and bake for 30 minutes until bubbly and golden. While ricotta is baking, lightly oil baguette slices and toast. To plate, serve baguette slices topped with baked ricotta mixture, roasted tomatoes* and sprinking of fresh thyme leaves. Serve additional ricotta on the side for extra dipping opportunities.
  • *for roasted tomatoes
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes
  • olive oil
  • kosher salt
  • Preheat oven to 250 degrees. In a bowl toss tomatoes with a few drizzles of olive oil, just enough to coat. Cut tomatoes in half and place seed side up on a foil-covered cookie sheet, sprinkle with kosher salt and roast in oven for 2- 2/12 hours, depending on size of tomatoes. Remove when edges are crisped but tomatoes still have some plump. Store in olive oil for up to one week.

And now, for a little more cheesey appetizer goodness.

FoodieCrush Dishing Up Delights Ricotta and Fig photo > Dishing Up Delights

With just a 5 ingredients, making sure they’re at optimal freshness is the secret to Dishing Up Delights’ come-together-in-five-minutes Figs with Fresh Ricotta and Pistachios appetizer. For a creamier cheese texture, next time give marscarpone a try.

FoodieCrush Bellalimento Fried Olives Stuffed with Ricottaphoto > Bell’alimento

Bite size poppers from the homemade ricotta queen herself, Paula shares Bell’alimento’s Fried Olives Stuffed with Cheeses and Herbs of which she has annointed “the incredibly addictive app”. I’m puckering already.

FoodieCrush Five and Spice Zucchini Ricotta Frittersphoto > Five and Spice

When Amy described her Zucchini and Ricotta Fritters as “sizzling little guys practically grow legs as they come off the griddle and go leaping right into your mouth” it was a no-brainer that this recipe from Five and Spice was going to put my zucchini garden straight out of business.

This Wednesday will be our Family Food Flashback with a round-up of childhood faves. If you have a fave you’d like to submit to the Flashback, e-mail me by Tuesday, Oct.4 by 3 p.m. with a link to your post or link to your post on Twitter with the hashtag #familyfoodflash.

We’re ramping up for debut issue of FoodieCrush magazine. When will November 15 get here already? If you’re interested in advertising and partnership opportunities, contact me at heidi at foodiecrush dot com.

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  • Memorial Day menu goal day 1 ✅ Last night we grilled the best ever garlic burgers always with extra pickles on French bread instead of buns because that’s how you do it at the famous @cotton_bottom_inn . Check out what else is on our list of what I’m cooking this weekend in the link in my profile https://www.foodiecrush.com/memorial-day-recipe-ideas/ #foodiecrush #burger #cheeseburger #recipes #grilling #memorialdayweekend #huffposttaste #eeeeeats #thefeedfeed #feedfeed #instafood #instagood
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