Herbed Goat Cheese Crostini with Oven-Roasted Peppers

My mom and Uncle Dave were hiking in Fairmount Park last weekend, so I told them to head over afterwards for a visit. Prior to their visit, I was away with Dan and then worked for several days, so it had been a while since I got creative in the kitchen. For whatever reason, Mediterranean-inspired tapas came to mind. I made some Caprese skewers along with the delicious crostini featured in this post. For good measure, I assembled a plate of olives and stuffed grape leaves from Whole Foods. Also, my mom loves a good mojito just as much as I do, so I was sure to have some blood orange mojitos ready.

What you’ll need:

• 10 oz. log of goat cheese
• 2 tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
• 2 tbsp. fresh oregano, chopped
• Cracked black pepper to taste
• 1 fresh baguette (I went with country wheat from Whole Foods…delish!)
• 1/2 cup grape seed oil
• Sea salt to taste
• Oven-roasted peppers (my recipe here)

What you’ll do:

• Pre-heat the oven to 350°F
• Meanwhile, slice the baguette into about 20 pieces, making each piece about 3/4 an inch thick; for aesthetic purposes, be sure to cut on an angle
• Place the baguette slices onto a baking sheet and brush a moderate about of grape seed oil onto each; then, grind sea salt onto each piece as desired
• Bake the baguette slices in the oven for approximately 10 minutes, or until golden brown
• While the baguette slices are baking, warm your goat cheese in the microwave for about 1 minute
• Remove the goat cheese from the microwave and stir in the freshly chopped herbs; then, add cracked black pepper to taste
• When the baguette slices are baked to perfection, spread a moderate amount of the goat cheese mixture onto each slice; then, add two oven-roasted pepper strips, criss-crossed, to each slice
• Arrange the slices on a serving plate

I love goat cheese and I love crostini, so it’s not a surprise that I absolutely adored these tasty bites! The tartness of the goat cheese paired with the sweetness of the oven-roasted peppers complement each other beautifully, while the toasted baguette slices ensure the perfect amount of crunch. Recipes for the accompanying Caprese skewers and blood orange mojitos will be posted in the very near future!