Grilled Appetizers – Grilled Peach Crostini
I’m a big fan of Williams-Sonoma. They have great recipes for cooks of all levels. So, although I don’t like being on many mail lists, I do receive their catalog. It is great because they market their products with many seasonal recipes and Summer is a great time to make grilled appetizers. I saw something very similar to this grilled peach crostini that I changed up more for my taste. It is a fantastic blend of sweet, salty, creamy and crunchy that will surely have your taste buds popping! Grilled appetizers are a go to favorite in the summer and this one is just different than your typical skewer of protein.
Level of Difficulty:Easy – Moderate Time Required:Prep and Cook Time – 20-30 minutes
Ingredients:
2 peaches
1/2 loaf of French bread
8T Ricotta cheese (I used part-skim)
2 handfuls of arugula
2T extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
4 slices of prosciutto
Coarse sea salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
Garlic powder
Balsamic Reduction – or buy it!
Preparation – Grilled Peach Crostini:
First – it is important to decide how you are serving this grilled appetizer. Will it be in a seated setting with knife and fork; or as an appetizer, standing and eating with your fingers. This will dictate the thickness and or quantities for everything listed below. I made this for a knife and fork this time but think it would also be great as finger food. If I did for finger food, I’d essentially only use 1/4 of a peach (sliced), a thin slice of bread for the crostini, maybe 1/2 the ricotta and place the arugula under the peach.
Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
Crostini:
Slice bread to desired thickness.
Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with a bit of garlic powder
Set aside until ready to grill
Peaches:
Cut in half, remove pit and peel skin. This is the most fun way to learn to do this quickly and easily.
If making as finger food, slice the peach into thin slices
Brush a bit of olive oil on one side.
Set aside until ready to grill
Ricotta:
Place the ricotta in a small bowl. Add sea salt, fresh cracked black pepper to taste. If desired, add a bit of parsley or even chop a bit of the arugula up and mix all together.
Arugula:
Toss the arugula in lemon juice, olive oil and sea salt
Assembly:
Grill the bread and peaches.
When done, spread the ricotta mixture on the bread.
Top with 1/2-1 slice of prosciutto.
Add peaches.
Add arugula.
Drizzle with balsamic reduction and sprinkle with a bit more sea salt.
Variations:
This could even be a meal. I’d just place the larger version of the crostini’s on a bed of arugula too to make a little salad.
