CROSTINI FOR DINNER

I've got 2 really good reasons why posting has been light. 1. I am preparing for a huge trade show and I am leaving in one week. 2. I just cannot get my camera and computer to talk to one another so the images of my progress are being held captive right now. But on to today's recipe. (Image by my phone)

This recipe is so good that I've had it twice this week for dinner. It's basically toasted bread with a variety of toppings. I'll give you my run down but you should be creative with this. You can put whatever you like on the bread. Here are my favorites.

Ingredients:

1 loaf french bread, sliced & toasted
1 avocado, sliced
1/4 cucumber, sliced
1 head of garlic
1 cup Pomi marinara sauce
fresh basil
red pepper flakes
wedge of a soft cheese (like brie)
1 handful of cherry tomatoes, cut in half
balsamic vinegar
olive oil
salt & pepper
1 bunch of asparagus, broken in half
1 red bell pepper, chopped

Directions:

1. Prepare the roasted garlic: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Take on head of garlic and pull off 2 cloves (set aside). Slice off the end of the entire head of garlic, the pointy end. Place the garlic in tin foil and drizzle with olive oil. Wrap in the foil and place in the oven for 40 minutes. Take it out of the oven and let cool. Once you are ready to handle it, gently squeeze the garlic out of it's paper. Place in a bowl for serving.

2. Bake the asparagus. Usually, I would preheat the oven to 350 degrees for asparagus, but since the garlic is already going, I would just stick the asparagus in the oven when there is only 10 minutes left on the garlic. Just place the broken asparagus in a baking dish, drizzle with oilive oil and sprinkle with salt & pepper. Bake for 10 minutes or until tender but firm. Set on serving platter.

3. Make red pepper sauce: Saute the red pepper in a pan with olive oil and the two cloves of reserved garlic until the red pepper is soft. Let it cool for a few minutes. Place the red pepper, garlic, a few leaves of basil, a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, salt & pepper to taste and a tablespoon of olive oil in a food processor. Pulse until you have achieved a chunky consistency. Place in bowl for serving.

4. Marinate the tomatoes: Place your halved cherry tomatoes in a bowl with 1 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, some chopped basil and salt & pepper. Mix together and set aside to marinate for about 20 minutes.

5. Prepare marinara sauce: Place the Pomi marinara sauce in a bowl with red pepper flakes (however many you like) and warm it on the stove or microwave. Once heated through, stir in chopped basil. Place in bowl for serving.

6. Assemble all of your veggies & sauces on a platter with your toasted bread & cheese. Then, create til your heart's content. Everything goes well together, so you can't go wrong. I love to start with a base of the juice from the tomatoes and then add from there.

It may seem like a complicated process, but it's so fun. I think it would be a fun idea for a cocktail party too.