Strawberry Appetizer with Blended Cottage Cheese Crostini
This Strawberry Appetizer recipe features heart-shaped crostini topped with creamy blended cottage cheese, juicy strawberries, tangy balsamic glaze and a sprinkle of basil. With minimal ingredients and cook time, this is the perfect savory way to enjoy strawberries on Valentine's Day! Plus, it's higher in protein than whipped ricotta or whipped goat cheese.
Equipment
- baking sheet
- Pastry brush
- piping bag or ziplock bag (optional)
Ingredients
For the Crostini:
- 1 baguette (12oz)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
For the Blended Cottage Cheese (you will have extra):
- 16 oz cottage cheese (4% preferred)
- ½ tbsp honey or maple syrup
- zest from ½ lemon
- salt & pepper to taste
For Topping:
- strawberries (about ¾ lb, finely diced)
- fresh basil chiffonaded
- balsamic glaze
- flaky sea salt optional
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400F (or 450F if you prefer super crispy crostini).
- Cut baguette into ½ inch slices. Then, cut each piece in half diagonally. Flip one of the pieces and put them together so that they form a heart. If it's not quite looking like a heart yet, use your knife to cut a small triangle at the top (see photos and videos for reference).1 baguette
- Add heart-shaped baguette slices to an extra large baking sheet and brush each side with olive oil. Transfer to the oven and bake for about 12 minutes (or roughly 6 minutes if the oven is at 450F). Allow the crostini to cool for several minutes.2 tbsp olive oil
- Meanwhile, add all blended cottage cheese ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth and no clumps remain.16 oz cottage cheese, ½ tbsp honey, zest from ½ lemon, salt & pepper
- Transfer the blended cottage cheese to a piping bag or ziplock bag with the end cut off. Then, pipe the blended cottage cheese onto the cooled crostinis. Alternatively, you can just spread it out with a knife.
- Top each crostini with a generous amount of diced strawberries, a drizzle of balsamic glaze, basil, and a pinch of flaky sea salt. Enjoy!strawberries, fresh basil, balsamic glaze, flaky sea salt