Savory Strawberry Crostini

The strawberries have been ripening a few at a time all summer.  Usually, they don't even make it into the house.  I just pop them into my mouth and continue harvesting around the garden.  However, now the strawberries seem to be picking up steam.  On Friday I harvested about a pint at once!  It was time to do something intentional with the harvest.

It was really hot here this weekend (into the 90s) and I didn't feel like making a big fuss.  I also wanted something savory for my snack and the perfectly-ripe strawberries weren't going to last sitting on the counter indefinitely.  I decided to take a cue from Brazil where one of the most popular sandwich pairings is apricot jam and brie.  It is a delicious combination.  I toasted up a few pieces of bread, added a splash of olive oil, a slathering of brie, a layer of sliced strawberries, and a liberal dose of balsamic vinegar.  Yum, yum, yum!  If I had some basil or mint kicking around, I probably would have thrown some fresh herb slivers on there, too.

This makes an excellent light lunch, but I think it might be even better as an appetizer.  As I enjoyed the meal, I lamented the fact that I didn't have a nice, cold glass of Prosecco to go with it.  That would have put it right over the top.  If you find yourself hosting a Champagne brunch, I would encourage you to try this as an accompaniment.  Just slice up a baguette and toast lightly in the oven, then follow the recipe below.  It is definitely a winner.

Savory Strawberry Crostini
serves 1 or 2
easily upscaled to an appetizer, just use a baguette

2 slices bread
1 pint strawberries
3-4 slices brie
olive oil
1-2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1. Lightly toast bread.  Slice strawberries.  Slice brie.

2. Brush toasted bread with olive oil.  Place brie slices on toast and spread.  Place strawberries on top of brie.  Drizzle balsamic vinegar over the toasts.

Enjoy!

* If you want to make this into an appetizer, I would suggest tossing the strawberries with the balsamic, then placing them onto the crostini.

** You might want to add a dash of sea salt on top, depending on how salty the brie is.