Crostini with Goat Cheese, Basil, Prosciutto and Pineapple

What is a party without crusty French bread? And when you take that bread, toast it in the oven and top it with something delicious, you have more than a party – you have a celebration! Crostini, meaning “little toasts,” is the perfect base for party food. You can top them with anything from sweet, to salty, meat or veg, herbs and olive oil or cheese. You can even have a crostini bar with many different toppings where your guests can come up with their own combinations.

This particular concoction takes crusty toasted French baguette slices and tops them with creamy goat cheese and a smidge of basil. I could have stopped there but I wanted to play on the sweet and salty notes and thought that the brackish prosciutto would contrast well with the bright, sweet and acidic flavor of the pineapple. These are so simple to make, anyone can put this together beautifully and impress their friends! (Psssst, my wonderful and helpful boyfriend actually assembled these for our wine party!)

Ingredients:

1 French baguette, sliced into 28 pieces

6 oz goat cheese

2 bunch fresh basil (about 10-15 large leaves)

½ cup pineapple pieces

7 slices prosciutto

Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Slice the baguette and arrange pieces on a cookie sheet. Lightly spray each piece with cooking spray and sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper. Bake in preheated oven 5-8 minutes or until the bread is toasted. Remove and let cool.

Cut each prosciutto slice into 4 pieces. Spread a small amount of goat cheese on each crostini. Top with the basil and pineapple and finish it off with a small slice of prosciutto. Hint: these are extra good chilled!

Servings: 28    Serving Size: 1 crostini

Calories: 44                 Fat: .2g            Sat. Fat: 1.9g   Carbs: 4g

Sodium: 143                Fiber: 0g          Sugar: 0g         Protein: 2g