Crostini with Sweet Potato and Hot Honey
What a surprising bite of YUM! A crunchy slice of baguette hosts a blanket of goat cheese, topped with roasted sweet potato, then festooned with parsley, pistachios, arils, finally doused with spicy honey. Salty, sweet, hot, with a touch of tang - a great bite!
Crostini with Sweet Potato and Hot Honey
1 large or 2 medium sweet potatoes ¼ cup olive oil and extra for brushing bread flaky sea salt, like Fleur de Sel 1 baguette French bread 7 ounces spreadable goat cheese (spreadable chevre) or Boursin or Alouette 2 tablespoons pomegranate arils (seeds) ¼ cup roughly chopped roasted pistachios 2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley ¼ cup honey pinch of red pepper flakes 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
-Slice the baguette into ½ inch slices at an angle on the bias to create a larger bread surface. Place on a baking sheet brushed with olive oil, then brush the top of each crostini with more olive oil. Bake crostinis for 8 - 10 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Set aside to cool.
-Peel sweet potatoes then slice in ½ inch rounds. Toss the rounds with ¼ olive oil, salt and pepper. Lay potato rounds on the same baking sheet used for the baguette slices, brushing the surface of the sheet with additional olive oil. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes until tender and caramelized. Flip halfway through roasting. Set aside to cool.
-To prepare the Hot Honey, pour the honey into a small saucepan, add the dried red pepper flakes and the lemon juice. Stir then heat over medium heat, stirring frequently until mixture is just warm enough to give off a bit of steam. Turn off the burner and leave honey to steep for about 5 minutes. Remove from burner to cool.
-Briefly mix the spreadable cheese, then spread a layer on top of each crostini. Cover the cheese with a single layer of slices of the cooked sweet potato. (Depending on the size you may have to trim or overlap the potato slices.)
-Garnish the top of each with pistachios, arils and parsley. Drizzle with Hot Honey and serve immediately.
Slice the baguette then slice into ½ inch pieces to toast. Peel and slice the sweet potatoes, then roast until tender and caramelized.
Spread the soft cheese over the top of each toasted slice of baguette.
Garnish each crostini with pistachios, arils and parsley.
Drizzle the Hot Honey over the top of each crostini. The contrasts of flavors and textures make this appetizer a real Wowzer!
PERSNICKETY NOTES:
-When heating the honey, do not let it come to a boil as it will result in a thick syrup. You just want the flavors to combine.
-Do not assemble the complete crostini appetizers more than about 15 minutes in advance of serving as the bread may become soggy. The crispness of the crostini is what gives this appetizer one of its wonderful contrasts.
-Brie is another delicious cheese to spread on the crostini if you prefer.
