Crostini

Just about everyone loves a Crostini. They are perfect for a wine group gathering:

• They taste great
• You can have a wide variety
• Pare wonderfully with a variety of wines
• Range from sweet to savory with every combination in between
• Can be delegated easily with each participant responsible for an offering
• Easy to eat in a party setting
• Fun and informal
• Easy to make
• Even leftovers are great.

Crostini (meaning “little crusts” in Italian; singular crostino) are an Italian appetizer   consisting of small slices of grilled or toasted bread and toppings. The toppings may include a variety of different cheese, meats, fruits and vegetables , or may be presented more simply with a brush of olive oil and herbs or a sauce.

Crostini make a wonderful theme for a wine group gathering. You can provide participants with a recipe or simply ask them to get creative. One can stick to store bought ingredients and with a little creativity can come across as a culinary genius.

Crostini Menu

1. Smoked Salmon With Salmon Spread

2. Seared Sea Scallop With Horseradish Cream Cheese 

3. Smoked Salmon With Horseradish Cream Cheese

4. Mortadella With Herbed Cream Cheese And Pepperoncino 

5. Roast Beef With Horseradish Cream Cheese And Green Onion

6. Bacon With Herbed Cream Cheese, Pesto and Sun Dried Tomato 

7. Roasted Brussel Sprouts With Gorgonzola Cream Cheese 

8. Roasted Grapes With Gorgonzola Cream Cheese And Red Onion 

9. Walnut, Apricot and Brie Crostini

10. Sweetened Strawberry With Herbed Cream Cheese And Balsamic

Clockwise: Bacon With Herbed Cream Cheese, Pesto and Sun Dried Tomato.Walnut, Apricot and Brie, Mortadella With Herbed Cream Cheese And Pepperoncino, Roasted Grapes With Gorgonzola Cream Cheese, Sweetened Strawberry With Cream Cheese, Seared Sea Scallop With Horseradish Cream Cheese, Smoked Salmon With Horseradish Cream Cheese, Roast Beef With Horseradish Cream Cheese, Roasted Brussel Sprouts With Gorgonzola Cream Cheese,

My history with Philadelphia cream cheese steps forward in the menu. In a previous life, I ran the cream cheese business for Kraft Food Ingredients. An old boss at General Foods once said to me that there is nothing more boring than a 5-minute conversation about the coffee business at a cocktail party. The same could probably be said about the cream cheese business. There are a few things I can tell you from my cream cheese experience:

• It pares amazingly well with both sweet and savory applications. The sweet strawberry Crostini benefits from the rich creaminess of the cream cheese. The savory salmon spread delivers a perfect combination of flavors. Several times I have had salmon haters tell me they don’t like salmon, but they love this spread.
• European cream cheese is really good as it is half cream and half milk. American cream cheeses have gone with 1/4 cream and the rest milk. Having sold Philadelphia Cream Cheese made both in the U.S. and in Europe I can tell you that product from Europe tastes better. Fat delivers flavor.

Cream cheese certainly helps these Crostinis.

Try a CROSTINI theme at your next wine group gathering.

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