What is it about fruit and cheese? Apples and cheddar, pears and blue cheese, strawberries and feta, watermelon and feta, anything and feta… do I need to continue? Clearly I love fruit turned savory. Or any reason to eat cheese. Last year I channeled my obsession by using nectarines in place of tomatoes for Caprese salad (so scrumptious) so this summer I figured peaches might just work for bruschetta. And it turns out, I was right—I was so right! We’ve been enjoying these for the past couple months and I’m finally getting around to sharing the recipe with you. Where did summer go?
Let me warn you, when I cook I don’t do a lot of measuring. This makes writing recipes (even these simple appetizer recipes I share) very difficult for me. So sometimes I give you just estimates because most of the time what I’m cooking isn’t rocket science. If I used two peaches and you use three, I’m pretty sure everything is still going to taste good. It’s all about using fresh ingredients and tasting as you go. And really, I’m just here to inspire. I hope that you don’t only want to try my recipes, but perhaps you’ll look at your food differently. Because most of the time, my recipes are inspired by meals I like that I want to make into party food. And with a little imagination, anyone can do this. And I promise—if I can make it, anyone can make it. A master chef, I am not. In fact, I used to hate being in the kitchen, so really this is outside my comfort zone. Yet it’s been so rewarding creating in the kitchen.
Ingredients
- 1 french baguette
- 2-3 peaches, diced (about 2 cups)
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, coarsely chopped
- 8 oz. creamy goat cheese
- Olive oil
- Balsamic glaze (available at Trader Joe’s or reduce Balsamic vinegar on your stovetop)
Directions
- To make the crostini, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Slice baguette into 1/4 inch pieces. Brush both sides of baguette slices with olive oil and place on baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, about 8-10 minutes. Turn crostini over once during baking.
- While your bread is baking, dice your peaches into small cubes. Mix peaches with a small handful of coarsely chopped basil and 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
- Once bread is out of the oven, spread each crostini with goat cheese. Having your goat cheese at room temperature will make it easier to spread. (Also note, if you don’t like goat cheese—like my sister—then skip this step. She promises it’s super good without the cheese.)
- Top each crostini with the peach mixture.
- Drizzle with balsamic glaze. I like buying the bottle from Trader Joe’s, but if you can’t find it you can make a balsamic glaze by reducing balsamic vinegar on your stovetop.