Sunday, June 26, 2011

Sun Dried Tomato Jam Crostini


I am simply mad about appetizers - not upset, just obsessed. They are my absolute favorite thing to make. I believe it is the small package that packs brilliant flavor in one to two bites.

Last night my husband and I hosted a dinner party. One of the couples is relocating from the East Coast to the here in the West Coast. While they were out here for the week house hunting, we thought it would be fun to have them over for dinner and welcome them to beautiful Northern California. Once both couples arrived, we poured a glass of wine and toasted the couple relocating on finalizing their offer and soon becoming residents in the Bay Area.


Planning, preparing, cooking and hosting a dinner party are one of life’s little pleasures for me. The entire process is quite relaxing and let’s my creativity surge. Purchasing all of the ingredients the day prior is one of my tips on time management, since it leaves the entire day to simply cooking and preparation.


Just in case you are curious, here is my menu from last nights dinner party:


Appetizers
Sun Dried Tomato Jam Crostini
Pecan and Parmesan Dip with Endive Spears

Starter
Sugar Snap Pea Salad with Radishes, Carrots, Mint and Feta

Salad

Main
Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Coffee Rub and Rhubarb & Fig Chutney
Shaved Brussels Sprouts with Truffle Oil and Parmesan
Roasted Potatoes

Dessert
Vanilla Ice Cream with Balsamic Macerated Strawberries




Thought I would share with all of you the Sun Dried Tomato Jam Crostini that I adapted slightly from Giada De Laurentiis. Enjoy!

Sun-Dried Tomato Jam

1 (8-ounce) jar sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and chopped, oil reserved
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 T. sugar
1/4 C. red wine vinegar
1 C. water
1/2 C. chicken broth
2 t. chopped fresh thyme leaves
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. freshly ground black pepper

Place a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the chopped sun-dried tomatoes, 2 tablespoon of the reserved sun-dried tomato oil, olive oil, onion, and garlic. Stir and cook until the onions are soft and beginning to brown at the edges. Add the sugar, vinegar, water, chicken broth, thyme, salt, and pepper. Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Remove the cover and continue simmering until most of the liquid is reduced and the mixture is the consistency of jam, about 5 to 10 more minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Crostini

1 baguette, cut into 3/4-inch slices
1/4 C. olive oil
5 ounces goat cheese, room temperature

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil.

Place the baguette slices on the baking sheet. Using a pastry brush, lightly coat the baguette slices with olive oil. Bake until lightly toasted, about 8 minutes.

Spread the crostini with Sun-Dried Tomato Jam and top with the goat cheese. Transfer to a serving plate and serve.



13 comments:

  1. wow amazing appetizer you have the best recipes

    ReplyDelete
  2. LOVE, love, LOVE this! I to am slightly obsessed with appetizers. Someone says dinner party, my brian spins out of control with fun appetizer ideas.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Lisa, you always put together the most delicious menus--and it doesn't just look good on paper, it all tastes wonderful. If I were the lucky guest at this dinner party, I couldn't have felt more welcome. You've done it again, Ms. Queen of Entertaining. :-)

    Have a great week!

    ReplyDelete
  4. You always have the most delicious and unique crostini toppings! The entire menu sounds amazing - are you going to share your pork tenderloin with coffee rub and rhubarb and fig chutney?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Love your menu Lisa! Please share your dinner party recipes with us;-) The sun-dried tomato jam recipe looks good, I would like to try it as I love the flavor of sun-dried tomatoes;-)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Love the sun-dried jam topped with goats cheese..pretty innovative! I love sun-dried toms but with the addition of sugar...I can imagine how gorgeous they would be... A sure winner...love dinner parties too..they are indeed life's little pleasures...

    -Shilpa

    ReplyDelete
  7. we are slightly obsessed with apps, too! and too funny because i just made something very similar to this but with zucchini for dinner. yum!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Looks great! I have some leftover feta in the fridge, might try it with that and sub veggie broth in the tomato jam to make it vegetarian. Great idea!

    ReplyDelete
  9. This looks so tasty Lisa! Love it to bits! YUM!

    ReplyDelete
  10. What delicious looking crostini! That sun dried tomato jam must be terrific.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

    ReplyDelete
  11. These look delicious - I love sundried tomatoes and the ingredients in the 'jam' are wonderful...

    ReplyDelete
  12. Love the simplicity and elegance

    ReplyDelete
  13. Made this for the holidays, they flew off the plate. AMAZING FLAVOR. It is in high demand for the holidays. Great post!

    ReplyDelete

It simply makes me smile when I receive a new comment and I look forward to hearing from you!

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.