Cranberry Walnut Crostini
Toasted baguette rounds topped with herbed cashew cream, spiced cranberry compote, and candied walnuts.
- 1 largebaguette(sliced 1/4 inch thick)
- 3 tbspolive oil
- 1 cupraw cashews(soaked 4 hours)
- 2 tbsplemon juice
- 1 tbspfresh thyme(minced)
- 1 clovegarlic
- 2 cupsfresh cranberries
- 1/4 cupmaple syrup
- 1 tsporange zest
- 1/2 cupcandied walnuts(roughly chopped)
Cashew cream can be made 3 days ahead. Cranberry compote keeps 1 week refrigerated. Toast crostini day-of but assemble within 1 hour of serving.
- 1Preheat oven to 375°F. Brush baguette slices with olive oil and toast until golden, about 8-10 minutes.
- 2Drain soaked cashews. Blend with lemon juice, thyme, garlic, 3 tbsp water, and salt until smooth.
- 3In a small saucepan, combine cranberries, maple syrup, and orange zest. Cook until cranberries burst, about 10-12 minutes.
- 4Spread each crostini with cashew cream.
- 5Top with a spoonful of cranberry compote.
- 6Garnish with chopped candied walnuts and tiny rosemary sprigs.
Crostini — meaning "little crusts" in Italian — have roots in medieval Tuscany, where toasted or stale bread served as an edible base for toppings in the tradition of cucina povera, the resourceful peasant cooking that minimized food waste. In Renaissance-era Italian households, bread was baked only two or three times a month, so day-old loaves were toasted, soaked in broth or wine to soften them, and topped with minced ingredients. The Tuscan variant, crostini neri, traditionally featured chicken liver pâté spread on toast and dates to at least the Renaissance period. The cranberry and walnut combination on this version is an American interpretation of the Italian tradition, adapting the small toasted bread platform to seasonal North American ingredients while honoring the same principle of a flavorful, shareable bite-sized appetizer.