These Goat Cheese Crostini’s With Blackberry Compote are the perfect appetizer. The sweetness from the Blackberry Compote complements the tartness of the Goat Cheese and with the crispiness from the charred crostini, its the perfect bite every time.
Some of my favorite memories are when we took the kids berry picking. Every year come spring we would look forward to packing the kids in the car and heading out to our local farm. We picked all kinds of berries from strawberries and blueberries to raspberries and blackberries. When we would pull up to the farm we would see all the blackberry bushes packed with berries, so much so that the branches were bent down to the ground with all the weight from the berries.
There were times when we definitely picked more then what we could eat before they started to spoil, so I would either freeze them or I would make a compote out of them. A compote is great because you can use it on top of pancakes as a substitute for syrup on ice cream or yogurt or in this case as a topper for crostini’s. It is the perfect way to use up some of those extra berries you might have before they go to waste. The best part is its super easy to make. So lets start by making the compote.
How To Make Blackberry Compote:
You start by rinsing your blackberries in a strainer. After you rinse them place them in a small sauce pan along with the sugar, fresh squeezed lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Place the pan over medium heat and bring to a slight boil, making sure to stir frequently. The berries will start to break down and release there juices.
Scoop out about 1 Tablespoon of the blackberry juice from the bottom of the pan and place it in a small bowl. Add 1 teaspoon of cornstarch to the blackberry juice and whisk to form a slurry.
Pour the blackberry juice slurry back into the sauce pan and stir to combine. Continue cooking for 2 to 3 minutes or until starts to slightly thicken. Remove from heat add remaining fresh blackberries and stir to combine. Pour into a serving bowl and serve or store in an air tight container up to a week in the refrigerator.
Now that we made the compote we can start to put together the crostini. I like to slice a baguette on an angle into 1/4” slices. Place them in the oven on a baking sheet on broil until they start to toast. You can also do this in a toaster or you can also charr them on the grill. Whatever works. You want to get a good toast on both sides so flip the slices and continue to cook until toasted on both sides. Remove the baguette slices from the oven and smear a generous amount of goat cheese on one side of each one. Place a spoonful of blackberry compote over the goat cheese then drizzle with balsamic glaze and some honey. Sprinkle the top of the crostini with some chopped mint leaves and serve.
This is a great appetizer that takes very little effort but is loaded with flavor.
Goat Cheese Crostini With Blackberry Compote:
Ingredients:
Blackberry Compote:
- 2 Cups fresh blackberries
- 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 Teaspoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 1 Teaspoon cornstarch
- Pinch of salt.
- 1/4 Cup additional fresh blackberries
Instructions:
- Rinse blackberries and drain blackberries. Place blackberries in a small sauce pan over medium heat along with the sugar, lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until berries start to break down and release some of there juices.
- Remove 1 tablespoon of the blackberry juice and place it in a small bowl, add cornstarch and whisk to form a slurry. Pour slurry back into the sauce pan and stir to combine. Continue cooking until it starts to thicken slightly, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat, add the 1/4 cup of fresh blackberries and stir to combine. Place in a serving bowl or a storage container.
Crostini’s:
Ingredients:
- 1 Baguette sliced on the angle into 1/4” slices toasted on both sides.
- 4 oz’s Goat cheese
- Blackberry compote, recipe above
- 1 Tablespoon balsamic glaze
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- Fresh mint leaves chopped
Instructions:
- Smear each crostini with a generous amount of goat cheese. Top with a spoonful of blackberry compote, a drizzle of balsamic glaze and a drizzle of honey. Top with chopped mint leaves and serve.
- Enjoy.
