1½ cups (375 mL) dried cranberries
½ cup (125 mL) walnuts
1 cup (250 mL) firmly packed fresh basil
3 cloves garlic
1 Tbsp (15 mL) red wine vinegar
Salt & pepper
About ? cup (170 mL) olive oil
1 baguette (1/4? sliced)
250 g prosciutto
1 cup (250 mL) goat cheese
Preheat oven to 400°F (205°C).
Place dried cranberries, walnuts, basil, garlic and red wine vinegar into food processor. Add a pinch of salt, and a good helping of ground black pepper. Slowly pour the olive oil into the food processor while pureeing. Stop once the mixture turns to a paste. Season with additional salt and pepper as needed. Pulse a few more times. Remove pesto from processor and store in the refrigerator in a covered container until ready to assemble the crostini.
Spread out the baguette slices onto two baking sheets. Drizzle lightly with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and let cook in the oven until the bread begins to turn golden and is nice and crispy, about 10-12 minutes. Remove and let cool.
To assemble the appetizer, place a small spoonful of goat cheese on top of each crostini, top with a ribbon of prosciutto (the packaged slices will tear apart easily into smaller pieces) and a dollop of the cranberry walnut pesto. Can be served cold or slightly warmed up.
Yield: 72 crostinis
Preparation time: 25 min
Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Cooking Time: 10 Minutes
Total Time: 40 Minutes