It is almost Christmas, ‘the most wonderful time of the year’, and my sister and I are having fun in the kitchen. Today we are making a cranberry crostini that practically sparkles with Holiday cheer, both in flavor and presentation. This is a great addition to any holiday meal. I love the complexity of flavors in this dish, it delivers quite a gustatory punch.
Cranberry, Pomegranate Topping:
1 cup cranberries (washed)
1 tablespoon natural cane sugar
2 tablespoons maple syrup (or agave nectar)
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 cup pomegranate seeds
zest of 1 orange
fresh mint leaves
Topping: In a food processor add the cranberries, natural cane sugar, honey, and fresh ginger. Pulse with your food processor until a rough paste. Transfer the mixture into a bowl or Tupperware and put in the fridge to chill for at least one hour or overnight. Once the cranberry mixture has chilled, fold in the pomegranate seeds and orange zest.
Crostini:
1 thin baguette
Olive oil for brushing
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut the baguette into 1/4 inch slices on a slight diagonal. Brush each piece of baguette with olive oil and transfer to a baking sheet.
Bake for 6-8 minutes (flip half way through), or until golden.
Assembling:
Top each piece of bread with cranberry topping. Garnish with chopped fresh mint! Delicious!
Gayle Lamey
Ate my “first ever” pomegranate seeds this week. Strange taste. But this sounds good, so will have to try.