The 5-Ingredient Summer Appetizer I Can’t Stop Making

This past spring, with the beautiful weather, my friends and I swapped our usual Friday nights at local bars for relaxed evenings on back porches and patios. We'd make cocktails, open wine, and enjoy snacks like guacamole, hot spinach artichoke dip, and a quirky egg salad dip I accidentally created. In a flurry of multitasking, I mixed up the egg yolks and whites—only realizing too late I’d put the whites in the mixer. I added some Dijon, fresh chives, and a dash of hot sauce, and surprisingly, it became a crowd favorite.

I already know what I'm bringing to our next Friday night hangout: a 5-ingredient crostini that @erin_funfoodie recently posted on her Instagram. Made with blueberries, goat cheese, and fresh basil, it just screams summer. As Erin said, 'It could easily double as a dessert.' Even better, it only takes about 15 minutes to prepare.

Blueberry Goat Cheese and Basil Crostini Recipe

Erin picked up all the ingredients from Trader Joe's, but they’re not exclusive to that store. You can also find blueberry vanilla goat cheese at ShopRite and Wegmans, under their own brands, along with other varieties in most well-stocked grocery stores. The rest of the ingredients should be easy to track down anywhere.

If you know how to make crostini, you might not need a recipe for these tasty bites. But if you're looking for guidance, here's how to make them. You’ll need the ingredients listed below, along with some salt and pepper.

Ingredients

• Baguette, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices
• Garlic-flavored olive oil
• Blueberry vanilla chèvre (aka goat cheese) 
• Balsamic glaze (You can make balsamic glaze with balsamic vinegar and brown sugar.)
• Fresh basil, thinly sliced
  

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C) and arrange baguette slices on a baking sheet.
2. Drizzle the slices with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
3. Toast the baguette slices in the preheated oven until they are golden and crispy, about 7 to 8 minutes. Remove from the oven.
4. Spread goat cheese over each slice, drizzle with balsamic glaze, and top with fresh basil.

Making these flavorful, five-ingredient crostini is that easy! While this version is delicious as is, I might try using fresh blueberries from New Jersey to make pickled blueberries and swap in regular goat cheese to complement them. With the red wine vinegar in the pickled blueberries, the balsamic glaze might not be necessary, but I’m excited to experiment and see how it turns out.