Thursday, October 11, 2012

Friday Night Bites | Roasted Tomato Burrata Crostini



Hard to believe that it was a week ago that I debuted my new seriesFriday Night Bites.  Time just goes by way too fast.   I am excited to share my second installment of this fun series.  A Crostini is one of my all time favorite appetizers.  With the pure simplicity and endless possibilities of toppings, it is the perfect appetizer.  A two to three bite wonder.

If you are busy person like me and work 50 to 60 hours per week, a Crostini is a simple appetizer that you can throw together in no time.  You can almost shop your refrigerator and pantry to come up with a creative Crostini. 


Last Friday we ended up having guests join us for our tradition.  We enjoyed a cheese platter and multiple bottles of wine.  It was an impromptu gathering, so I shopped the refrigerator and pantry for the cheese platter ingredients.  I realized later that I had all of the ingredients for this Roasted Tomato Burrata Crostini but with my time constraints getting home late from work and the guests had already arrived, it would not have been feasible.  I did however make it over the weekend and enjoyed each bite.

A few months ago I attended the SF Chefs event in San Francisco and went to the Sommeliers Blind Tasting Seminar.  Essentially there were three master sommeliers at the front of the class who evaluated each wine and put their best guess out to the group.  My friend and I would guess along with them and actually correctly identified 5 out of 6 of the wines.  I have to admit that my friend is in the wine business but I was holding my own.  Smile.



One of the wines that we tasted was Nipozzano Riserva Chianit Rufina DOCG 2008 from Castello di Nipozzano.  With the Italian flair of the Crostini, I thought this wine would be a perfect pairing.  It hosts a deep purplish color.  The nose envokes scents of sour cherry, raspberry and dried plum.  Next you experience an aroma of black pepper, vanilla, cocoa powder and espresso bean.  The finish is smooth and endless and extremely well balanced.  A winning choice!

Hope that you enjoy this Friday Night Bite and wine pairing!


Roasted Tomato Burrata Crostini

Makes 12

Baguette, 12 half inch slices
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
2 Garlic cloves
Pesto (see recipe below or use store bought)
12 Grape tomatoes

Roasted Tomatoes

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cut each grape tomato in half and place onto a baking sheet cut side up.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Bake for about 20 to 30 minutes.  Remove and let cool.

Crostini

To make the Crostini, slice the baguette into 12 slices that are about ½ inch thick.  Brush each side with olive oil.  Place onto a cookie sheet and bake for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees.  Check to make sure they do not get too dark.  Should be golden brown on both sides.  Flip at 5 minutes to ensure even cooking.  Remove from the oven and rub the raw garlic clove on the top of each Crostini.

Assembly

To assemble cut about a tablespoon of the burrata and spread onto each Crostini.  Next spoon about 1 to 2 teaspoons of pesto on top of the burrata.  Add 2 of the tomato halves on top of the pesto.  Sprinkle with a touch of salt.  Serve immediately and enjoy!!

Basil Pesto Sauce

2 C. Fresh basil leaves, packed tightly
½ C. Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
1/3 C. Pine nuts, toasted
½ C. Olive oil
3 Garlic cloves, smashed
Salt and pepper to taste

Use a food processor to make this sauce. Simply add the basil leaves, parmesan cheese, pine nuts and garlic cloves. Pulse for 10 seconds and then slowly pour the olive oil into the mixture while food processor is on. Continue to pulse until the mixture is smooth. Taste and then season with salt and pepper. Place into an airtight container immediately so the bright green color remains. Refrigerate until ready to use.


18 comments:

  1. These crostini's are beautiful! Thanks for the wine recommendation! :D

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  2. Beautiful crostinis Lisa! You've really caught my eye with my favorite Burrata cheese;-) I find your offering to be a perfect Friday Night Bite;-)

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  3. I love crostini, these are perfection, Lisa! The roasted tomatoes, the burrata, the pesto - I'm in appetizer heaven!

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  4. Mmmmmm, I would eat this as a main course for sure!

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  5. LOVE burrata cheese and your photos are beautiful!

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  6. These look so delicious. Those tomatoes have my mouth watering! Yummy!!!

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  7. Oh yum!! I love the pesto and roasted tomatoes. This would be amazing with a glass of wine!

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  8. UGH your photos are making me so hungry!! Looks so fresh and gourmet :) Wish I could have a bite right now1

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  9. Gorgeous! I would love to find myself at a table serving these! I could eat them for dinner! Thank you for sharing such beautiful photographs and prose.

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  10. Super appetizer to serve anytime but especially before a yummy Italian meal!

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  11. Burrata is heavenly. I could totally eat a whole dinner of this!

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  12. Everything about your recipe is saying, "Please make me NOW!" I love burrata cheese and you can't go wrong putting it on crostini with pesto and roasted tomatoes. Delicious! Pinning this for sure!

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  13. Incredible! I'm in love with bruschetta and crostini, in fact, have a stand alone board on pinterest for it, and that's where this is going right now! Lovely photos!

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  14. I will forever associate crostini with you--you always put together the best combinations. :)

    I'm not surprised by your wine knowledge either. Way to go! 5 out of 6 is truly impressive! :)

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  15. Guess what I am craving right now? These tomato burrata crostini! Perfect party food!

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  16. Made these last night for our dinner club - I LOVE burrata cheese ever since I tasted it during a trip to Italy a few years ago. This recipe was easy to make and the flavors were wonderful. I used a jarred pesto and followed the instructions exactly and they looked and tasted great...the Dinner Club group loved them, they disappeared!!

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    1. Thank you for stopping by! You just make me smile and I am so glad you and your dinner club enjoyed them. Aren't dinner clubs the best?

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