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Crostini topped with sliced strawberries and balsamic reduction

Strawberry Crostini with Balsamic Glaze

Sweet and slightly tangy Strawberry Crostini with Balsamic Glaze make a tasty, showy, and easy-to-make appetizer or hors d’oeuvre to serve, especially during strawberry season.
Course Appetizer
Cuisine Canadian
Keyword balsamic glaze, balsamic reduction, crostini, strawberries, strawberry, strawberry appetizer, strawberry crostini with balsamic glaze, strawberry hors d'oeuvres, summer hors d'oeuvres
Servings 12
My Island Bistro Kitchen Barbara99

Ingredients

  • 1 small French baguette, sliced at a slight diagonal, into twelve (12) ½-inch thick slices (*See Note 1 below)
  • Olive oil
  • Apx. ¼ cup of jelly of choice
  • Apx. 3½ oz (100g) soft goat cheese or Boursin, softened at room temperature
  • ¾ tsp honey
  • Handful of fresh strawberries, hulled, washed, and dried
  • 5-6 fresh basil or mint leaves
  • 2 - 3 tbsp Balsamic Glaze/balsamic reduction (**See Note 2 below)

Instructions

  1. Position oven rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 375°F.
  2. Bring cheese to room temperature for about 30 minutes to soften.

  3. Using a serrated bread knife, slice baguette, at a slight diagonal angle, into 12 slices, each apx. ½“ thick. Brush slices with olive oil. Place slices, single layer, on baking sheet. Transfer to oven for 7-10 minutes or just until slices are slightly toasted golden. Do not let bread burn. Remove baguette slices from oven and let cool.

  4. In small bowl, beat the cheese and honey together until combined and smooth.
  5. Spread approximately 1 teaspoon of jelly on each toasted baguette slice. Top with a couple of teaspoons of the cheese.

  6. Slice strawberries thinly from stem end to bottom. Tops of crostini may be covered completely with sliced berries or, if the berries are large, place one to two strawberry slices on each crostini.

  7. Take 5-6 basil or mint leaves of the approximate same size and stack them together. Roll the leaves, lengthwise, tightly and, with a sharp knife, cut the roll into thin slices about 1/16” wide. Sprinkle the herb ribbons over each crostini and drizzle with a balsamic glaze. Best served immediately.

Recipe Notes

Yield: Apx. 12 appetizers or hors d’oeuvres

NOTE 1:  Depending on the size/length of the baguette, not all of it may be required for this recipe. 

NOTE 2: Balsamic glaze can be made from a good quality pure balsamic vinegar by bringing ½ cup of vinegar to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat then reducing the heat to a low temperature until the mixture has reduced by half. Bottled balsamic glaze is also commercially available in most large supermarkets in the section where the balsamic vinegars are found.

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