Ingredients:
For the Crostini Base
- 1 baguette
- extra virgin olive oil
- 1 garlic clove
For the Tomato, basil and mint variation
- 2 large ripe tomatoes
- extra virgin olive oil
- small handful basil and mint leaves
- pinch sugar(optional)
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the White bean, basil, prosciutto, and rocket variation
- 100g/3½oz canned cannellini beans
- 2 slices prosciutto
- small handful of wild rocket
For the Goats’ cheese, fig, and balsamic variation
- 100g/3½oz rindless soft goat’s cheese
- 2 fresh figs
- small handful of leaves
- 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
- Honey, for drizzling
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Method:
- Preheat the oven to 190C/375F.
- Trim the ends of the baguette and cut it into diagonal slices about 2cm/1in thick. Place on a large baking sheet, drizzle with oil, and bake for 7-8 minutes.
- For the tomato, basil, and mint variation, roughly chop the tomatoes and place them in a small bowl. Drizzle a little oil over, rip up the basil and mint leaves, and add them along with salt, pepper, and sugar to taste. Toss everything together.
- For the white bean variation, put the cannellini beans in a small bowl, add a good drizzle of oil, and seasoning, and then mash roughly with a fork. Cut the slices of prosciutto in half.
- Finally, for the goat’ cheese variation, mash the goat’s cheese with a fork in a small bowl and season, to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cut the figs into eight pieces.
- Remove the crostini from the oven. They should be just crisp. Cut the garlic clove in half and rub the cut edge all over their tops.
- Now to assemble, simply spoon the tomato mixture onto eight of the crostini.
- Arrange the rocket on eight more and dollop the mashed cannellini beans on top. Lightly scrunch the prosciutto up and arrange on top of each one.
- Finally, spread the goats’ cheese over the remaining eight crostini, arrange a couple of pieces of fig on top of each, scatter the mint leaves over, and drizzle with a little balsamic and honey.
Arrange the crostini on a large serving platter or cake stand and serve.
