Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Slice the baguette on a slight diagonal and arrange the slices on a baking sheet in a single layer. Lightly brush both sides of the bread slices with olive oil. Transfer the baking sheet to the middle rack of the oven and bake for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the crostini is nice and golden. If desired, sprinkle the toasted slices with a little salt.
Into a blender or food processor, add the goat cheese, crème fraîche, olive oil, and a pinch of salt. Pulse the food processor to whip everything together, pausing to scrape the sides of the bowl to ensure all the ingredients are well incorporated. Transfer the whipped goat cheese to a bowl and place in the fridge to chill.
Preheat a pan on medium heat. Add the bacon to the pan and while it cooks, prepare the rest of the topping ingredients. When the bacon has rendered most of its fat but isn’t yet fully cooked, add the shallots to the pan. Once the shallots have started to soften, add in the pecans, thyme, dates, a pinch of salt, and a few cracks of pepper. Cook everything together for a few more minutes before adding in the honey. Finally, add a splash of red wine or sherry vinegar and turn off the heat.
Remove the chilled whipped goat cheese from the fridge and with a spoon, make a well in the middle for the toppings to go. Add the date and bacon topping mixture into the well and on top of the whipped goat cheese. Serve as an appetizer with the toasted crostini.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Slice the baguette on a slight diagonal and arrange the slices on a baking sheet in a single layer. Lightly brush both sides of the bread slices with olive oil. Transfer the baking sheet to the middle rack of the oven and bake for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the crostini is nice and golden. If desired, sprinkle the toasted slices with a little salt.
Into a blender or food processor, add the goat cheese, crème fraîche, olive oil, and a pinch of salt. Pulse the food processor to whip everything together, pausing to scrape the sides of the bowl to ensure all the ingredients are well incorporated. Transfer the whipped goat cheese to a bowl and place in the fridge to chill.
Preheat a pan on medium heat. Add the bacon to the pan and while it cooks, prepare the rest of the topping ingredients. When the bacon has rendered most of its fat but isn’t yet fully cooked, add the shallots to the pan. Once the shallots have started to soften, add in the pecans, thyme, dates, a pinch of salt, and a few cracks of pepper. Cook everything together for a few more minutes before adding in the honey. Finally, add a splash of red wine or sherry vinegar and turn off the heat.
Remove the chilled whipped goat cheese from the fridge and with a spoon, make a well in the middle for the toppings to go. Add the date and bacon topping mixture into the well and on top of the whipped goat cheese. Serve as an appetizer with the toasted crostini.