Prosciutto Crostini

One of the great things about Crostini is that it is a beautiful appetizer that you can put together quickly.

I like finding what I have in my refrigerator and turning it into an elegant small bite that not only looks like I spent a lot of time on it, but it tastes good too.

I had some prosciutto left over from another recipe that I made and decided to see what I could do with it. Rummaging around, I also got out a jar of sun-dried tomatoes that looked lonely and decided to try my hand at creating a yummy treat.

It worked. Nothing was left over. Be creative – almost anything tastes good on little toasted pieces of bread.

What you’ll need:
- 1 loaf of French baguette
- 8.5 ounce jar of sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil
- 3 cloves of garlic minced
- 24 slices of prosciutto
- 8 ounces Fontina cheese, sliced
- 24 basil leaves (Genovese – if you can find them)

What to do:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Drain the sun-dried tomatoes reserving the flavored oil.
   
3. Slice the baguette into ½ inch thick slices. Arrange 24 slices of the bread on a baking sheet. Lightly brush the top side of each slice with the oil from the tomatoes. Spread a very small amount of the minced garlic on each slice.
4. Bake in the oven for 5-10 minutes, until bread is lightly toasted. Don’t let the bread get too toasted – it’ll end up being too crunchy if you do.
5. Remove from the oven.
6. While the bread is still warm, top with a slice of prosciutto, a slice of Fontina, and a sun-dried tomato. Drizzle a small amount of the tomato oil over the meat and cheese, and top with a basil leaf.

Crostini can be served immediately while warm, but even if you don’t serve them right away, they are wonderfully delicious at room temperature, too.

You can substitute the Fontina cheese for other cheeses, just use what you have and you’ll come up with some delightful ways to surprise your friends and family.