This Roasted Holiday Grapes and Balsamic Crostinis appetizer is an absolute must-have. These crostinis are bursting with flavor between the sweet balsamic roasted grapes, creamy whipped ricotta, a drizzle of honey and sprinkle of fresh rosemary.
Ingredients:
- 1 french baguette (sliced into ¼ inch thick slices)
- 64 Holiday grapes (off the vine)
- 3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon white sugar
- ½ cup of whipped ricotta
- 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
- Honey to drizzle
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees fahrenheit.
- In a mixing bowl, toss Holiday grapes with balsamic vinegar, white sugar, pepper and salt.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Add Holiday grapes in an even layer on the parchment paper and bake at 450 degrees fahrenheit for 20-25 minutes or until grapes have slightly burst open.
- On a separate baking sheet, line it with more parchment paper. Place baguette slices on the baking pan to make the crostini base.
- While the Holiday grapes are roasting, chop your fresh rosemary and set aside for finishing once the crostinis are ready.
- Once Holiday grapes are done roasting, let cool and place the pan with baguette slices in the oven at 425 degrees fahrenheit for 10 minutes.
- Remove baguette slices (crostinis) and place on a serving tray or plate.
- Spread a thin layer of whipped ricotta on top of each crostini slice.
- Add 3 or 4 roasted grapes on top of each whipped ricotta coated crostini, then drizzle honey over the top.
- Finish with chopped fresh rosemary, salt, black pepper and serve!
Tips:
- For the best crispy crostini, use day old bread that has been left out. Since the bread is being toasted anyways, we do not need a baguette that is super soft like it typically is fresh out of the oven!
- If you are in a time crunch, you can buy pre-made crostinis
- Serve immediately for the best texture
Substitutions:
- Whipped ricotta: You can replace this with whipped cream cheese or goat cheese for a similar taste and texture. For a lighter option, switch it out with a plain greek yogurt. For a dairy free or vegan option, use a vegan creamy cheese or greek style yogurt
- Honey: You can remove this all together or replace with maple syrup (this may result in a slightly different taste profile).
- Fresh rosemary: You can use 1 tablespoon of dried rosemary but I would not recommend ground rosemary.
- Baguette: If you cannot find a long baguette, opt for another skinny and long bread to slice. You could also replace the bread with a hearty cracker as a vehicle to hold up the toppings. Additionally, you can make this gluten free if you replace it with a gluten free bread of choice!
