More crostini ideas:

Fresh mozzarella,
tomato and basil

Creamy spinach
and artichoke

Melon with proscuitto

Olive tapenade

Capers and black olives

Smoked ham
or oyster spread

Oven roasted garlic
with mascarpone

Cream cheese with oven roasted vegetables

Crostini, which are made by slicing bread thin and brushing both sides with olive oil and toasting, originate from the Tuscany area of Italy. They can be topped and flavored infinite ways and are a great treat to serve to guests – you can serve one as a featured item or several to suit everyone’s tastes.

Today, you can buy crostini toasts already baked at the grocers, but we still like the homemade toasts best for their freshness and the many ways they can be spiced. In the following recipe, we’ve only just brushed the bread with good olive oil, but you can also rub the crusts with a garlic clove, use a nut oil instead of olive or sprinkle on your favorite dried herbs or salt-free seasoning mix.

As for bread, you want a loaf that is small in circumference like a baguette since it will be hard for your guests to bite into larger pieces of crunchy, toasty bread. When sliced, a typical 8-ounce baguette will make up to 48, ¼ inch crostinis, thus making this an economical and fun appetizer.

Bread is not the only thing you can use for your crostini base, others have also used a firm slice of fried polenta or even a potato wedge cooked the same.  While the bread can be served warm or at room temperature, these crostinis should be served warm and they are great as a passed item to your guests.

Since the possibilities are endless for topping your crostinis, they are of course the perfect appetizers to serve throughout the entire year utilizing what is in season. They are great served with roasted nuts, olives, savory Mediterranean dips and Italian deli meats such sopressa, capacolla, proscuitto or salami.

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