Build-Your-Own Crostini Bar
An easy and beautiful appetizer spread that lets everyone build their own perfect bite. Crisp, golden crostini are served alongside three delicious toppings — fresh tomato and basil, creamy whipped goat cheese with hot honey, and prosciutto with burrata and fig. Make all three for a party or choose your favourites for a smaller gathering.
Prep time
25 min
Cook time
10–12 min
Serves
Ingredients
▼
Crostini
- 1 largeFrench baguette
- ¼ cupolive oil
- ½ tspgarlic powder
- ½ tspfine sea salt
- ¼ tspfreshly ground black pepper
Tomato Basil Topping
- 2 cupscherry or grape tomatoes, diced
- 2 tbspfinely diced red onion
- 1garlic clove, finely minced
- 2 tbspchopped fresh basil
- 2 tbspextra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tspbalsamic vinegar
- Fine sea salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Whipped Goat Cheese & Hot Honey
- 150 g (5 oz)soft goat cheese, at room temperature
- 2 tbspcream cheese, softened
- 1 tspextra-virgin olive oil
- ½ tspfresh lemon juice
- Pinch of fine sea salt
- ¼ cupwalnuts or pecans, roughly chopped and toasted
- Hot honey, for drizzling
Prosciutto, Burrata & Fig
- 1 ball (200 g / 7 oz)burrata cheese
- 6 slicesprosciutto, loosely torn
- ¼ cupfig preserves or fig jam
- Fresh basil leaves
- Balsamic glaze, for drizzling
- Freshly ground black pepper
Ingredients
Crostini
- 1 largeFrench baguette
- ¼ cupolive oil
- ½ tspgarlic powder
- ½ tspfine sea salt
- ¼ tspfreshly ground black pepper
Tomato Basil Topping
- 2 cupscherry or grape tomatoes, diced
- 2 tbspfinely diced red onion
- 1garlic clove, finely minced
- 2 tbspchopped fresh basil
- 2 tbspextra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tspbalsamic vinegar
- Fine sea salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Whipped Goat Cheese & Hot Honey
- 150 g (5 oz)soft goat cheese, at room temperature
- 2 tbspcream cheese, softened
- 1 tspextra-virgin olive oil
- ½ tspfresh lemon juice
- Pinch of fine sea salt
- ¼ cupwalnuts or pecans, roughly chopped and toasted
- Hot honey, for drizzling
Prosciutto, Burrata & Fig
- 1 ball (200 g / 7 oz)burrata cheese
- 6 slicesprosciutto, loosely torn
- ¼ cupfig preserves or fig jam
- Fresh basil leaves
- Balsamic glaze, for drizzling
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Crostini
- 1
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
- 2
Slice the baguette on a slight diagonal into approximately ½-inch-thick slices.
- 3
In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, garlic powder, salt and black pepper.
- 4
Lightly brush both sides of each baguette slice with the seasoned olive oil and arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet.
- 5
Bake for 8–10 minutes, flipping halfway through, until lightly golden and crisp around the edges.
- 6
Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool. Arrange the crostini on a large serving board or platter alongside the toppings.
Tomato Basil Topping
- 1
Combine the tomatoes, red onion, garlic, basil, olive oil and balsamic vinegar in a bowl.
- 2
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- 3
Let stand for 10–15 minutes before serving to allow the flavours to come together.
Whipped Goat Cheese & Hot Honey
- 1
Add the goat cheese, cream cheese, olive oil, lemon juice and salt to a small food processor. Blend until smooth and creamy. Alternatively, beat together well with a hand mixer.
- 2
Transfer to a small serving bowl and use the back of a spoon to create a few loose swirls.
- 3
Scatter the toasted walnuts or pecans over the top and drizzle with hot honey just before serving.
Prosciutto, Burrata & Fig
- 1
Place the burrata and torn prosciutto in a shallow serving bowl or arrange separately on the board.
- 2
Spoon the fig preserves into a small bowl, or spoon a little directly over the burrata.
- 3
To build a crostini, spread a little fig preserve over the toasted bread. Add a piece of creamy burrata followed by a fold of prosciutto.
- 4
Finish with a small basil leaf, a light drizzle of balsamic glaze and freshly ground black pepper.
To Serve
- 1
Arrange the toasted crostini on a large board with all three toppings in separate bowls. Add a few prepared crostini around the board to give guests an idea of the different combinations, then let everyone build their own.
Melissa's Notes
Don't assemble all of the crostini ahead of time. Keeping the toasted bread and toppings separate prevents the crostini from becoming soggy and lets everyone choose their favourite combination. For a smaller gathering, simply choose one or two of the toppings rather than making all three.
Make-Ahead: The crostini can be toasted several hours ahead and stored at room temperature in an airtight container once completely cool. The tomato topping can be chopped and mixed a few hours ahead and refrigerated, but add the salt closer to serving so the tomatoes don't release too much liquid. The whipped goat cheese can also be prepared ahead and refrigerated; let it sit at room temperature for about 15–20 minutes before serving so it's creamy and spreadable. Keep the burrata, prosciutto and fig preserves refrigerated until you're ready to arrange the board.
Nutrition Information
Per 2 crostini with toppings (estimate)
Nutrition information is an estimate and may vary depending on the ingredients and brands used.
Join the Nest
Get 10 free recipes — sign up for The Cozy Weeknight Dinner Plan.
Want to save this recipe? Print it out, share with a friend, or follow along on social.