Fancy Snacks!

So, this past week I was craving cheese. I think my protein levels are trying to adjust as our summer temperatures settle upon us!

At any rate – I didn’t want to just eat plain cheese, although I could, on any given day. Cheese is good in my world.

I felt like I needed to be a little ‘fancy’ with my cheese. Given the fact that we live just down the road from a great market with lots of fresh fruits, veggies, meats, cheese and baked breads, I got myself in the car and drove the 2 minutes to the market to pick up some supplies.

I decided on a beautiful baguette loaf – so soft and fresh out of the oven. It was going to make the most perfect, little toasted slices as the foundation for these creations.

Since I was making these morsels right before lunch I decided to make a savory crostini and a sweet crostini.

My first was a prosciutto & mozzarella crostini. I topped it with fresh basil – straight from my own garden. Oh my! This was super easy: On top of the pre-toasted crostini I drizzled a little bit of EVOO, placed ½ of a mozzarella medallion and then topped it with a slice of prosciutto.  Placed them on a baking sheet and put them in a 400 degree oven for 7 minutes, or until the cheese started to bubble. I allowed them to cool a few moments and coarsely chopped my basil while that was happening. I sprinkled the basil on top and enjoyed!

For my sweet crostini I wanted to utilize the beautiful blueberries that are out right now. I didn’t want them to be too sweet, and I wanted some texture, so I chose to use a ricotta cheese. In a bowl I placed a cup of rinsed blueberries, a tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice and a tablespoon of honey. Stir this mixture together well until the berries are coated in the honey. Spread berries on a baking sheet and place in a 400 degree oven for 5 minutes to roast. This will be plenty of time, as you do not want the berries to burst. Allow the berries to cool. In a small bowl I mixed ¾ cup of ricotta (keep in mind, I was only making 4 crostinis so I didn’t use much cheese), ½ teaspoon of lemon zest and a teaspoon of lemon juice. Once the berries were cool I spread the cheese mix on the crostini, topped with several berries and then drizzled more honey on top. OH MY SOUL! I’m glad I only made 4 – but I did have left over roasted berries and cheese, so I just ate it by the spoonful! I’m thinking this would be a great bagel topping in the morning!

So…here is to easy preparation of a ‘fancy’ snack! I hope you will try it too!