Festivities aside, this month of December has passed by in a flash, and Christmas is nearly upon us. If like me, you too are a little flustered with the proximity of its arrival, here is a quick simple appetiser you can dish up, and its got the right elements of christmas: red (strawberry) and green (basil) on slightly toasted (golden) baguette. We consumed a 2-3 pieces each, washed down with some beautiful champagne.
In a quintesentially Heston-esqeu approach, this appetiser visually can fool you into assuming that its slightly savoury slightly sweet kinda mouthful, but when you actually dig in, its purely savoury, with a kick of balsamic and the earthiness of the basil. Served on a christmassy platter or some doily, it will work beautifully to prep anyone’s appetite for that big Christmas eve party, or even a traditional Christmas roast. A Joie De Vivre original.
Makes 10 crostinis
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of strawberry, hulled and thickly sliced
- 1 tbs balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 french baguette, sliced
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 3 tbs basil, chiffonade
- 10 tsp cream cheese, try Philadelphia Whipped or Britannia
- Sea salt and Coarse pepper, to taste
Method:
- Mix together the strawberries with the balsamic, salt, pepper and 2 tbs of the basil leaves. Leave to macerate for 30-45 minutes.
- Brush each slice of baguette with a touch of olive oil and toast, till golden.
- Spread 1 teaspoon of the cream cheese liberally over each slice of toasted baguette. Top with the strawberry mixture, and garnish with the remaining 1 tbs of basil.
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Feedback:
- If in fact you do prefer a touch of sweetness to the strawberry, add a tsp of sugar while the strawberry is macerating.
- Pairs beautifully with sparkling wine or champagne.
- If you’re inclined to try something bolder with this flavour combination, swap the cream cheese for some chèvre or goats cheese.
