Blackberry Goat Cheese Crostini
Did you know “Crostini” is Italian for “little toasts?” How cute is that? I think these little toasts are perfect for a girls’ night, bridal shower, or just to make alllll for yourself after the kiddos go to sleep. They’re like something right out of the Salt Fat Acid Heat documentary on Netflix (a fantastic 4 episode show if you’re into food or travel docs!) because they have a little bit of everything to them. The blackberries bring the sweetness, the goat cheese adds a creamy tart punch, the mint gives it a fresh taste, and the bread does a crunchy comforting thing that only bread can do. It’s all the things.
Now listen, are you one of those goat cheese haters? If I can’t convince you to step outside of your comfort zone for this recipe, I get it. I know it’s still calling to you because it looks so pretty and tasty. I’m giving you permission now: You can sub out the goat cheese for cream cheese if you think it won’t be a crowd pleaser with your people. All I can say, in my defense, is that goat cheese is not nearly as sweet as cream cheese, and has waaaay more layers of flavor. It’ll still taste good though, and they’ll look gorgeous because blackberries are everything. PLEASE incorporate the mint, at the very least. It adds a little something, and picky eaters can easily remove it. Moving on to the good stuff!
If you are making this for a shower, the good news is it’s really easy to assemble if you make the blackberry topping in advance. The topping only takes about 10-15 minutes of prep and cooking combined.
Ingredients
2 cups blackberries
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp sugar
1/4 cup water
1 tsp cornstarch
2-3 small loaves of bread, sliced
1 package of goat cheese
Handful of fresh mint for garnish
Instructions
Combine water, sugar, and vanilla in a saucepan over medium. Add blackberries in after a few minutes once sugar has dissolved.
When blackberries start to burst, gently mash the large berries down in the pan with your spoon.
Add cornstarch to the pan and mix until dissolved. Let this cool.
Broil your bread slices on a baking sheet to your desired toasted-ness. Watch them like a hawk - Broiling always goes faster than you realize!
Spread generous amounts of goat cheese on your crostinis. Pro tip: If your goat cheese is too crumbly to spread, add your crumbles to the crostinis and place them back in the (OFF but previously broiling) warm oven to gently melt to a spreadable consistency.
Add your blackberry jam and mint on top as garnish. Enjoy!
