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Pear and Goat Cheese Crostini
Pear and Goat Cheese Crostini is an easy yet elegant appetizer to serve for your next party. Crispy pieces of toasted baguette, creamy goat cheese, thinly sliced pears, pecans and honey for an appetizer that’s made in a matter of minutes.
Crostini are a great finger food party appetizer! Not only will they be a crowd favorite but they look super pretty arranged on a platter. Serve a variety of snacks on crostini, like Mushroom Crostini, Roasted Grapes and Mozzarella Bruschetta.
Table of Contents
Why I Love This Recipe
- Presentation Ready – Arrange on a platter for a pretty presentation at your next party.
- Crispy Crostini – Just brush bread slices with oil and toast in the oven.
- Creamy Goat Cheese – Mixing goat cheese with greek yogurt makes it extra creamy and spreadable.
Ingredients
You only need 5 simple ingredients for the crostini topping!
- Baguette, Olive Oil, and Salt – For the crostini. Crostini are slices of bread that have been toasted and they’re the perfect base for the creamy goat cheese spread and thinly sliced pear.
- Spreadable Goat Cheese Log – Do not use goat cheese crumbles
- Greek Yogurt – This is mixed with goat cheese to make the creamy topping
- Pears – I like to use bartlett but you can use any variety
- Chopped Pecans – You can use regular pecans, or use roasted or even candied!
- Honey – To drizzle on top of the crostini
How To Make Pear and Goat Cheese Crostini
Be sure to check the recipe card below for full ingredients & instructions.
In the time that it takes to toast the crostini, you can mix up the creamy goat cheese topping.
Toast Crostini – Slice a baguette into slices and arrange on the baking sheet. Brush the bread slices with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt. Bake the bread slices, flipping halfway through, until the bread is lightly crispy and golden.
Goat cheese – In a medium bowl, mix together the goat cheese and greek yogurt until smooth and creamy.
Pears – thinly slicing the pears into half moon shapes.
Top Crostini – Spread the cheese mixture on top of each piece of bread and place on a platter.
Garnish – Top each with a pear slice, drizzle of honey, and a sprinkle of chopped pecans.
Serve Immediately and Enjoy!
FAQs
What is crostini?
Crostini, Italian for ‘little toasts’, are slices of bread that have been brushed with oil and baked until golden and crisp. Toasting them makes them the perfect base for heavier toppings or you can use them for dipping.
Is crostini supposed to be hard?
Crostini should be crispy on the outside but still slightly tender on the inside. You don’t want crostini to be too hard or it will be tricky to eat and crumble apart.
Variations
- Grilled Crostini – Instead of toasting the bread slices in the oven, you can also grill them to get them pretty grill marks.
- Other Toppings – Instead of the sliced pear, try topping the goat cheese with a little prosciutto or thinly sliced peaches.
- Crostini for Dipping – If you have extra bread slices left, you can use them for dipping.
- Other Uses for Crostini – You can also use the leftover bread slices to make other crostini variations like bruschetta, topping with guacamole, or spreading with another soft cheese like ricotta or Boursin.
Storage
I recommend storing the crostini and the toppings separately. The bread slices can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days – be aware that they may lose their crispness.
The creamy goat cheese can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days – give it a stir before using again.
Any leftover pear slices will brown in storage, so I recommend eating those immediately after slicing.
Expert Tips
- Slicing the Bread – When slicing the baguette, I like to cut on the bias for a prettier presentation.
- Toasting the Crostini – You want the crostini to be crispy on the outside but not so hard that you can’t easily bite into it.
More Finger Food Recipes
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Pear and Goat Cheese Crostini
Pear and Goat Cheese Crostini is topped with honey and pecans for an easy yet elegant appetizer that's made in a matter of minutes.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 7 minutes
Total Time 27 minutes
Ingredients
Crostini:
- 1 large baguette
- 1/4 cup olive oil for brushing
- Kosher salt
Topping:
- 6 ounces spreadable goat cheese from a log, not crumbled
- ¼ cup Greek yogurt
- 4 ripe pears any variety will work, but I prefer bartlett pears
- ¼ cup chopped pecans
- Honey for drizzling
Instructions
To Make the Crostini:
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with nonstick foil, parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- Slice the baguette into 1/4-inch thick slices. I like to cut on the bias for a prettier presentation. Arrange the bread side by side on the baking sheet. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
- Bake for about 10-12 minutes, flipping the bread over halfway through. Depending on your oven it ma take more or less time. You want the crostini to be crispy but not so hard you can't easily bite into it.
- Let the bread cool for 10-15 minutes before adding cold toppings.
Toppings:
- Thinly slice the pears into half moon shapes.
- In a medium bowl, combine the goat cheese and greek yogurt until smooth.
- Spread onto and top each piece and arrange onto a serving platter. Top with a pear slice, drizzle lightly with honey and sprinkle with chopped pecans.
- Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Calories: 90kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 3gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 3mgSodium: 88mgPotassium: 50mgFiber: 1gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 79IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 26mgIron: 1mg
