Appetizers

Bruschetta and crostini’s can be made with countless types of indulgent toppings.

For bruschetta we’ve compiled 2 different recipes including a fresh pesto and tomato bruschetta. We also have a recipe for roasted tomato and basil bruschetta. Both of them are absolutely divine!

For crostini’s, we have a few recipes that include savory prosciutto, cheese, arugula, sweet fig jam and raw apples.

How to make crostini bread

1. Slice baguette into rounds that are ~1 cm thick.
2. Brush baguette slices with olive oil.
3. Toast baguette slices for 2 min on broil high in the oven.
4. Remove baguette slices from the oven and set on a serving plate.
5. Top crostini bread with toppings.

Prosciutto and Cheese Crostini Topping

Prosciutto and cheese crostini topping is made by topping your crostini’s with your favorite slice of gouda or Havarti cheese. A few sprigs of arugula are added on top of the crostini along with a folded piece of prosciutto. The crostini is garnished with a bit of balsamic reduction.

Roasted Cherry Tomato Bruschetta Recipe

Roast cherry tomatoes in a bit of olive oil in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove them from the oven and mix with fresh basil leaves. Rub the crostini’s with a half cut garlic to put a hint on garlic on the crostini. Top the crostini with the roasted tomatoes and basil. Grate fresh parmesan cheese for the top of the crostini and serve.

Raw Apple and Prosciutto Crostini Topping

Raw apple and prosciutto appetizer is made by putting a bit of fig jam onto each of the baguette slices. Next, a basil leaf in placed on top of the fig jam. Thinly sliced apples are layered on top of the basil. Prosciutto is folded on top of the apple slices. To garnish the crostini, top with a bit of balsamic reduction.

Pesto Bruschetta Crostini Topping

Make a fresh batch of pesto, the flavor is much more powerful and fragrant than store bought. Dice a tomato with a little bit of onion. Mix the pesto together with the tomatoes and onions. Spoon the tomato pesto mixture on top of crostini’s and grate parmesan cheese on top. Toast for a couple of minutes for the cheese to warm up.

Ricotta Crostini Toppings

Ricotta crostini toppings can be made by adding a thin layer of ricotta on a freshly made crostini. You can top your ricotta crostini’s with the following individual toppings:

• bacon
• blueberries
• cucumber slices and fresh mint leaves
• sliced strawberries
• sliced pears with walnuts and a drizzle of honey
• sliced apples with pecans and a drizzle of honey
• sliced peaches, pancetta, basil, honey, and balsamic glaze recipe

Garlic Shrimp and Avocado Crostini Topping

Garlic shrimp and avocado crostini is made by mashing avocado with a bit of lime juice, salt and pepper. Spread a layer of avocado on top of the crostini’s.

Fry the shrimp in a skillet with some garlic, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper. Top the avocado crostini with a freshly cooked garlic shrimp and serve.

Watermelon Bruschetta

Watermelon bruschetta has creamy undertones, mixed with refreshing watermelon and sweet balsamic reducion.

Watermelon bruschetta is made by whipping together feta cheese and ricotta cheese.

Baguette slices are toasted and then a layer of the whipped ricotta and feta cheese is spread on top.

Watermelon is cubed into small pieces, and placed on top of the creamy layer.

Add a little freshly chopped chives, basil leaves, and ground pepper to the bruschetta.

Drizzle with balsamic reduction and your watermelon bruschetta is ready to be served.

Goat Cheese and Apricot Crostini Topping

Goat cheese and apricot crostini topping is made by spreading a thin layer of whipped goat cheese on top of a freshly made crostini.

Top the goat cheese with a spoonful of apricot preserves. Sprinkle with a few cut up pistachios and freshly sliced mint leaves.

Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese Crostini Topping

Smoked salmon and cream cheese crostini’s are made by creaming together cream cheese, goat cheese, garlic, dill and pepper.

Spread a thin layer of cream cheese mixture onto the crostini.

Add thinly sliced layers of radishes and cucumber on top of the cream cheese.

Place a small piece of smoked salmon on top of the crostini. Garnish the crostini with a few fresh dill sprigs and a bit of freshly ground pepper. 

Blackberry Goat Cheese Crostini Topping

Blackberry goat cheese crostini topping is made by creaming together cream cheese, goat cheese, olive oil and a bit of pepper.

Spread a thin layer of cream cheese mixture on a freshly made crostini. Add 2-3 blackberries on top of the cream cheese layer.

Top the crostini with freshly sliced pieces of basil. Drizzle a little honey over the crostini. Add a little bit of lime zest to the crostini to garnish.

What is the difference between a crostini and bruschetta

A crostini is a piece of bread that is brushed with olive oil and toasted. The crostini is topped with fresh toppings.

Bruschetta is made by using a crostini, or a fresh piece of bread. Bruschetta can be made using fresh or roasted tomatoes. Bruschetta can be toasted after the toppings have been added if using fresh ingredients.

Crostini appetizers are crunchy, flavorful, and can be made many different ways to mesmerize your taste buds.

Prosciutto is a sweet, smooth meat that goes well on top of crostini’s. Prosciutto appetizers are generally paired with spicy jams, jelly’s, and herbs to enhance it’s flavor.

To make crostini appetizers prepared with prosciutto, balsamic reduction is typically drizzled on top to add a sweet finish to the appetizer.

The balsamic glaze adds a beautiful, professional look to the prosciutto crostini appetizers.

Prosciutto Havarti Crostini

Prosciutto Havarti crostini is made by adding a thin layer of red pepper jelly on top of a freshly baked crostini.

A layer of Havarti cheese is placed on top of the red pepper jelly.

Arugula leaves are added on top of the Havarti.

Prosciutto is layered on top of the arugula, and then is topped with balsamic reduction for this colorful and flavorful crostini appetizer.

Prosciutto and Apple Crostini

Prosciutto and apple crostini is made by adding a layer of fig jam on top of a freshly prepared crostini.

A fresh leaf of basil is added on top of the fig jam.

A thin slice of apple is added to the crostini along with a strip of prosciutto.

The prosciutto appetizer is topped with balsamic reduction to give it a sweet finish.

Prosciutto Crostini with Balsamic Glaze

Prosciutto crostini with balsamic glaze is made by adding a slice of burrata cheese on top of a prepared crostini piece.

Prosciutto is layered on top of the cheese, and then balsamic glaze and honey are drizzled on top.

The crostini appetizer is garnished with a couple strips of fresh basil leaves.

Prosciutto Goat Cheese Crostini

Prosciutto goat cheese crostini is made by spreading a thin layer of goat cheese on top of the prepared crostini.

Fig jam is layered on top of the goat cheese, adding a bit of sweetness to the crostini appetizer.

Take a slice of prosciutto and a basil leaf and put them together.

Then roll them up and place them on the crostini and serve!

The rolled prosciutto crostini appetizer makes them look professional and eye catching.

Peach and Prosciutto Crostini

Peach and prosciutto crostini appetizer is made by first creating an herbed ricotta mixture.

Ricotta cheese is placed in a food processor until smooth. To make it extra rich, heavy cream is added to the ricotta cheese.

Fresh basil and parsley is added to the ricotta mixture for the first layer of the crostini appetizer.

Next, the prosciutto is crisped in a frying pan for a couple of minutes.

This will give the prosciutto a crunchy texture for the appetizer.

To assemble, add a layer of the ricotta mixture on the crostini.

Add a slice of peach on top of the ricotta cheese.

Place a few small pieces of the crisped prosciutto on top of the peaches.

Add a fresh basil leaf, a drizzle of balsamic glaze, and olive oil to top off the crostini appetizer.

Peach Crostini with Herbed Ricotta & Crispy Prosciutto

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Prosciutto appetizers are best serve with cheese to make them both filling and satisfying. Prosciutto appetizers are simple to make and only take a couple minutes of preparation.

Prosciutto appetizers with cheese will impress your guests and your taste buds! The red pepper jelly makes this simple appetizer have a bit of a bite to it, but it’s not too overdone. If you wanted to make it even spicier, you could add a leaf of Thai basil to it.

The balsamic reduction that is added to this prosciutto appetizer tones down the spiciness of the red pepper jelly. Balsamic reduction is much sweeter than balsamic vinegar, therefore the flavors of the appetizer are balanced in harmony.

What kind of cheese goes best with prosciutto

Cheeses that go best with prosciutto are:

• parmesan
• gouda
• Havarti
• brie
• mozzarella

How to serve prosciutto as an appetizer

Prosciutto can be served in many different ways as an appetizer, including:

• prosciutto wrapped asparagus
• prosciutto with cantaloupe with a toothpick holding it together
• prosciutto with mozzarella with a toothpick holding it together
• prosciutto with mozzarella on top of bread with fresh basil leaves
• crackers served with cream cheese and prosciutto on top
• bread with prosciutto, cheese, basil, and pesto
• in a kebab with cantaloupe, mozzarella, prosciutto, basil, and balsamic reduction

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Our simple guacamole recipe is made using one avocado so it’s perfect for serving 2-3 people. You can add guacamole to tacos, or eat it with nachos. It’s plenty guacamole for a single meal for a couple.

Guacamole tends to not store very well. It forms a skin on it, then you have to mix it well to see the light green come through again. Guacamole the next day is never as good, that’s why it’s best to make fresh for each time you’re serving it.

This particular simple guacamole recipe with one avocado will become your go to recipe when you need a little guac for your next meal!

What to add to guacamole to make it taste better

If you want your guacamole to taste better you can add the following spices to it to make it more flavorful:

• paprika
• freshly minced garlic
• more lime juice
• more salt
• red pepper flakes
• a small amount of diced jalapeno
• cumin
• chili powder

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Homemade salsa made with canned tomatoes is a refreshing mild-medium salsa that has a hint of garlic and cilantro.

Homemade salsa is made using a food processor at home to “pulse” the salsa together.

See video here.

You only need a couple of cans of tomatoes and a few fresh herbs to create fresh salsa right at home.

Homemade chunky salsa goes well with steak tacos and tortilla chips.

How do you make salsa more flavorful

You can add a few ingredients to your salsa to enhance its flavoring.

Add more minced garlic, lime juice, salt or sugar to your salsa.

Add these ingredients only a little at a time and taste test to make sure you’re happy with the flavoring of your salsa.

How do you make salsa mild

To make your salsa mild, you can start by only using about 1/4 of diced jalapeno.

Make sure not to use any seeds in making your salsa. Simply scrape the seeds out of the jalapeno and discard them.

You can add more jalapeno if you like, and just mix with a spoon into your salsa and taste test to make it exactly how you like.