Crostinis Three Ways - Sun Dried Tomatoes and Feta (not Fee-ta)

Again, crostinis are awesome!  And these were the ones that everyone kept stuffing their face with.  Here is how to make the toasty bread.

These were by far the most popular of the three crostinis I made for Super Bowl.  I'm not sure if it's cause people are just naturally addicted to feta (not fee-ta) or if it was the tangy, sweet sun dried tomatoes.  Whatever it was, everyone could not stop talking about it.  It was the most time consuming to make, which is probably why I didn't like them so much.  But once they are done, you can serve them immediately or store them in the fridge and whip them out later.  Regardless, if you want to impress, these are a definitely go-to hor d'oeuvre.

You need a jar of sun dried tomatoes that comes in oil.  Take the tomatoes out and chop them up (I prefer a coarse chop).  You also need some chopped onions and garlic, some sugar, some red wine vinegar, chicken broth, salt, and pepper.

So you take a pot, or a saucepan (just make sure either has a lid).  You want to put a bit of the oil from the jar into the pan and set it to medium.  You are going to dump the onions and garlic.  When the onions become translucent you are going to add some vinegar and the chicken broth.  Generally the ratio is 2:1 chicken broth to vinegar.  And it's about a half a cup or so of chicken broth.  If you want a more tangy topping, add a dash or two of sugar.  If not, add a tablespoon or two of sugar.  Then add a bit of salt and pepper.  Incorporate, and bring it to the boil.  Once boiling, bring it down to a simmer and cover it.  You will remove it from the heat when there's pretty much no liquid left (every time I've made it, there's a bit of oil left).  Keep a close eye on it cause a common thing that happens is that you end up burning the bottom.  So you want to occasionally stir the fantastic stuff.  When it's done, set it aside or you can store it in the fridgey!

When your crostinis are toasted, add the tomatoes and then top it with a bit of feta.  I usually use two jars of sun dried tomatoes because these are pretty popular.  But that means you have to add more liquid and stuff.

I hope you all give crostinis a shot at your next party.  The only laborious process is toasting the bread itself.  But you can easily make the toppings the day before.  You'll get a lot of praise for them, and you can feel like a super chef!

Crostinis Three Ways - KCho's Avocados

Again, crostinis are such a great finger food to have for large parties.  You don't have to make much to have them go a long way.  If you read the first post about crostinis, you know why I chose them this year for Super Bowl (and you can find the method to making the toast).

KCho's avocados were the second favorite (though my personal fave) of the three served for Super Bowl.  I also cannot take full credit for this awesome appetizer.  I was visiting my friend, Kathy, in Brooklyn, NY.  We had brunch at a neighborhood restaurant that served a version of this incredibly simple, delectable item on their brunch menu.  The following day, Kathy and I decided to take it to the next level when we made breakfast by adding our bacon to the dish.  And everyone who knows me knows that bacon makes everything taste so much better!!!  But back to the crostini.  So I am naming this after my good friend Kathy.  Thank you Kathy and Brooklyn for serving incredible food!

There's not much to say about this flavorful food.  All you really need is an incredibly sharp knife, but be careful.  If you don't know much about avocados, Alton Brown does a good episode.

First, you take your pancetta, make a little log roll, and slice them width-wise.  You dump them in a pan that has been warmed on a medium-low setting.  If the pancetta does a soft sizzle, you set the pan on the correct setting.  When you set the heat too high, the pancetta will smoke and burn, and fat will come shooting off the pan and burn you.  No bueno!  Stir them till they become crispy and brown.  When done, place them on a plate with a paper towel to pick up the excess grease.

Then you take your avocado and take the meat out (I prefer chunks, but the BK does thin slices).  Add some lime, not only to prevent oxidation (which leads to browning), but it adds nice flavor.  At this point I put them on the toast--Kathy mixes in the cayenne pepper and mixes it gently in a bowl.  You can do this too, but I like to see the contrast of green and red.  Anyways, add some cayenne pepper (just a pinch) on each crostini.  Then take your pancetta and add just a little on top.  You will be left with a crunchy/soft piece of bread, a soft and limey avocado, a little heat, and then a salty crunch from the pancetta.  How can you go wrong with that?!

Bon appetit!

Crostinis Three Ways - Sweet Pea Pesto

Crostinis are fun, simple finger foods that are great to make for a big party, such as the Super Bowl, because you can easily make them the day before and serve them up.  I did three different crostinis, one of which can be served as a dip more than a crostini.  See how versatile this food is?

First, the bread.  If you have day old French bread (or French stick as the Brits would say), slice it up real thin.  I personally like skinny French bread for this because you can make a two bite crostini.  Anything larger can make for a mess since the toppings aren't really anchored so well.  You heat up your oven's broiler.  And while that is warming up, spread your bread on a baking sheet and sprinkle generously with olive oil.  You can also sprinkle a little sea salt and pepper, but I left that out since I personally don't like too much salt on things.  You then pop it under the broiler for 2 or so minutes (depending on how good your broiler is), and then take them out when they are a nice golden brown.  Voila!  Perfect pieces of fancy toast!!!

So the first crostini recipe I'm sharing with you is the pea pesto.  It was the least favorite of the three I made, but it was probably the healthiest and most versatile of all the crostinis made.

All you need is a defrosted bag of sweet peas, some parmasan cheese, salt, pepper, and olive oil.  I added some cayenne pepper to mine to add a little kick to it.  You can also try adding a little wasabi powder too, if you can find it.  If you really aren't into spicy foods, you can just up the ante by adding a lot of salt to make a salty-sweet treat!  It's totally up to you how you want to make it work, but keep in mind that peas are really sweet.

When your peas are defrosted, put them in your food processor.  Add your spices and cheese.  I used about half a cup of cheese or so.  Close your food processor and have a quarter of a cup of olive oil or so ready to pour in while pulsing the peas.  DO NOT PUREE YOUR PEAS!!!  IT WILL BE LIQUIDY AND GROSS!!!  You want them to look like chunky guacamole.  Done!

You can serve this in a bowl with a side of pita chips.  Or you can use them as a topping for a crostini.  I added a halved grape tomato (or you can use cherry tomatoes) to add another layer of flavor and color contrast.

Bon appetit!

Thanks to Serge and Morgan for helping to plate and cut the bread.  Serge also took these photos.