Tangy and sweet balsamic cherries on crostinis slathered with goat cheese, sprinkled with almonds

I love cherries in the summer— and as I learned from my research on “foods that cool”– not only are cherries water dense, they are very anti-inflammatory, so they decrease the bloat!  This recipe has just a few simple ingredients, and if you don’t have goat cheese, you can substitute cream cheese instead.  I just love the tangy, sweet flavor of the balsamic vinegar/brown sugar combination and the goat cheese gives the bite a luscious earthiness.  Sprinkling the almonds on top adds some texture– I used a package of honey glazed almond slivers that are usually sold by the salad fixins at the grocery store.  You can make your own crostinis simply by slicing french bread, melting salted butter on the stove top, and to make it easy, I pour it all into a big bowl and stir until the bread is soaked with butter.  Then, just spread the pieces out on a baking sheet with a sprinkle of garlic powder (not garlic salt since the butter is salted already) and baking at 375 for about 30 minutes until crisp.  I usually flip them over after 15 minutes to make sure they get browned evenly.

These were a hit on my AMHQ segment!  

My Balsamic cherry appetizer featured on The Weather Channel

The great thing about this recipe is that you can make the cherries, the crostinis and the whipped goat cheese ahead, then put together and serve before your guests come over!  

Balsamic Cherries with Whipped Goat Cheese and Almonds on Crostinis

2015-08-02 18:34:58

An easy summer appetizer that you can prep ahead and wow your guests with!

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For the balsamic cherries

1. 3 cups pitted cherries
2. 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3. Drizzle of olive oil
4. 1 Tb brown sugar
5. pinch of kosher salt
6. honey almond slivers for topping

For the whipped goat cheese

1. 6 oz of goat cheese
2. 1/4 cup creme fraiche (or sour cream)
3. 1/2 tsp honey
4. For the crostinis
5. 1 loaf sliced french bread
6. 1 stick salted butter
7. garlic powder

For the cherries

1. Preheat oven to 400
2. Roughly chop the cherries (don't make the pieces too small)
3. Mix cherries with vinegar, olive oil, brown sugar and salt in a bowl.
4. Spread mixture on a rimmed baking sheet.
5. Bake for 30 minutes-- move cherries around on the pan about half way through to ensure even cooking.

For the whipped goat cheese

1. Put goat cheese, creme fraiche and honey into food processor or mixer and whip together until smooth.

For the crostinis

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Put french bread slices into a bowl and pour butter on top, making sure all pieces are buttered.
3. Spread out on a baking sheet and sprinkle with garlic powder.
4. Bake for 30 minutes, flipping crostinis after about 15 minutes.
5. Top crispy crostinis with whipped goat cheese, balsamic cherries and sprinkle almonds on top.

Notes

1. You can substitute cream cheese for goat cheese and sour cream for the creme fraiche.

By Parker Wallace

What's on Parker's Plate? http://whatsonparkersplate.flywheelsites.com/

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