I made this simple and colorful Strawberry and Tomato ‘build your own’ Crostini for a dinner party for friends recently. It caught my eye as it’s unusual to include strawberries in a crostini but it is summer, and it is creative. Fresh Strawberry and Tomato Costini not only looks good, but it’s a nice light small bite with a glass of chilled dry rosé. A perfect start to a lovely casual dinner.
Tip : Transfer crostini topping and ricotta mixture to serving bowls just before you arrange on a platter as both the ricotta and the strawberry and tomato topping will give off a fair amount of liquid.
Ingredients
Crostini
- 1 cup chopped fresh strawberries
- 1/2 cup chopped grape tomatoes
- 3 tbsp fresh chopped basil
- 2 tbsp fresh red onion or shallot finely diced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Ricotta Spread
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 2 tbsp fresh basil chopped
- 1 whole lemon zested
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Baguette
- olive oil for drizzling
- kosher salt
Garnish
- Freshly torn baby basil leaves
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Instructions
- Gather all ingredients before starting.
- Finely dice 8-10 medium sized strawberries.
- Finely dice 10-12 baby plum tomatoes.
- Finely dice red onion.
- Combine all crostini ingredients in a small bowl, mix well and allow to sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes, and up to 4 hours. Transfer mixture to a pretty serving bowl.
- Combine ricotta with ricotta spread ingredients, mix well, transfer to a nice small serving bowl and set aside until ready to serve.
- Pre heat grill to 500°
- Slice baguette into 1" slices, drizzle with olive oil.
- Place baguette slice on the grill and grill each side for 2 - 3 minutes, or nicely toasted. Transfer to a platter, sprinkle with kosher salt.
- Surround baguette with the crostini mixture and the ricotta mixture, sprinkle with tiny basil leave and serve.
