Time 40m Yield 6 to 8 servings Number Of Ingredients 13 Steps:
For the whipped feta, place the feta and cream cheese in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse until the cheeses are mixed. Add 1/3 cup of the olive oil, the lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and process until smooth. For the tomatoes, up to an hour before you’re serving, combine the shallots, garlic, and vinegar in a medium bowl. Set aside for 5 minutes. Whisk in the remaining 1/3 cup olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Add the tomatoes, stir gently, and set aside for 10 minutes. Stir in the basil and taste for seasonings. To assemble the crostini, spread each slice of bread with a generous amount of whipped feta. With a slotted spoon, place the tomatoes on top. Put the crostini on plates and scatter with the pine nuts. Sprinkle with extra basil and serve.
Time 18m Yield 8 Number Of Ingredients 6 Steps:
Preheat the oven’s broiler. Brush the slices of bread lightly with olive oil, and place on a baking sheet. Toast under the broiler for about 3 minutes. Watch carefully. Rub each crostini with a garlic clove for flavor. Place the tomatoes into a medium bowl, and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Place the crostini on a serving tray. Top each one with a slice of mozzarella cheese, cover with a spoonful of tomatoes, and garnish with fresh basil.
Time 10m Number Of Ingredients 7 Steps:
Heat grill to medium. Grill bread slices until toasted, 1 to 2 minutes a side. Generously brush with oil and season with salt. Arrange bread, tomatoes, and cheese on a platter. Drizzle tomatoes with oil and season with salt and red-pepper flakes. Top with herbs and serve.
Yield Makes 6 servings Number Of Ingredients 6 Steps:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Arrange tomatoes, cut sides up, in a shallow baking dish just large enough to hold them in 1 layer. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil and season with salt and pepper. Scatter garlic around tomatoes, then roast in middle of oven until tomatoes are tender and skins are wrinkled, about 1 hour. Cool, then transfer tomatoes to a plate, reserving garlic and oil in baking dish. While tomatoes are cooling, put bread slices on a baking sheet and brush lightly on both sides with additional oil. Bake in middle of oven until golden, 15 to 18 minutes. Peel roasted garlic cloves and mash to a paste with oil and juices from baking dish. Spread paste on toasts, then top each toast with a tomato half, cut side up. Serve crostini topped with mint and olives.
Yield Makes 20 Number Of Ingredients 8 Steps:
Heat a grill or grill pan or preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place bread on grill or on a baking sheet in the oven; toast until golden on both sides, turning once. Transfer to a serving platter, and lightly brush one side of each slice with oil. Roughly chop or slice tomatoes, and place in a large bowl. Add the salt and pepper, and toss to combine. Add basil and chervil, and drizzle with the oil and vinegar. Gently toss again. To serve, spoon tomato mixture over bread, and garnish with basil sprigs.
Time 25m Yield 4 servings Number Of Ingredients 10 Steps:
Tear the 3 thick slices of Italian bread into small 1-inch chunks and place in a medium mixing bowl. Add the red wine vinegar and toss to coat the bread and allow to soak for 10 minutes. In a small bowl, add the tomato paste and mix in 2 tablespoons of warm water to dilute. Set aside. Into the bowl of a food processor, add the capers, garlic, parsley and olive oil until you get a coarse chop. Add the soaked bread and tomato paste and mix until all the garlic is finely chopped. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Spread the mixture onto the toasted crostini slices and serve.
Yield Makes about 50 crostini Number Of Ingredients 9 Steps:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Arrange bread slices in one layer on 2 baking sheets and sprinkle half with Parmesan. Toast slices in upper and lower thirds of oven until crisp and golden, 8 to 12 minutes, and cool. Crostini may be made 2 weeks ahead and kept in an airtight container at room temperature. In a colander or sieve drain tomatoes well, pressing gently on solids to squeeze out as much liquid as possible, and blot with paper towels. Chop tomatoes fine. In a bowl stir together tomatoes, oil, garlic paste, parsley, sugar, and salt and pepper to taste. Put a heaping teaspoon tomato mixture on each Parmesan crostino and top with 1/4 teaspoon olive paste. Spread each plain crostino with 1/2 teaspoon olive paste. Spread each plain crostino with 1/2 teaspoon olive paste and top with a heaping 1/2 teaspoon tomato mixture. Garnish crostini with parsley leaves.
Time 20m Yield 16 pieced, 6 serving(s) Number Of Ingredients 4 Steps:
Defrost the puff pastry, and cut into 16 squares. Cook in moderate oven for 10 minutes so that the pastry is slightly golden and starting to puff. On each square, place a bocconini slice, followed by a cherry tomato (flat size down) and a small blob of pesto. Put back into oven and cook a further 10 minutes until the boconncini have started to melt. Serve immediately.
