Last weekend, some of our chef friends came to town and I wanted to make something a little nicer then just a regular salad to go with our shrimp & pasta dish. I then remembered one of my favorite salad additions - Goat Cheese/Marmalade Crustini.

The ingredient list is simple:

One thin French baguette (the long thin one, not the larger Italian bread)
One small package of goat cheese (about 4 ounces)
I normally use the plain stuff but I've also made this with goat cheese that had Italian herbs added.
Some orange marmalade
a couple of cloves of garlic
olive oil
black pepper

Using a serrated bread knife, make your Crustini by cutting 1/3" slices. I like to do them at an angle so you will end up with an oval rather than a smaller circular shaped piece. I will usually make 3 pieces per person but you can make as many as you'd like. These are also great on an antipasto platter.

Preheat your oven to 350º and lay your slices on a cookie sheet. Now take some olive oil and pour a small amount into a bowl or ramekin. With a brush (or paper towel if you don't have a brush), brush a small coat onto the top of each Crustini. Don't soak them, just a thin coat will do. Try not to get olive oil on the cookie sheet or it will smoke when you bake them.

Now take a garlic clove, peel it and slightly crush it with a knife. Rub each Crustini with the garlic to give it a little flavor. You don't want pieces of garlic to stay on the Crustini. If you don't care for garlic or don't have any, you can skip this step but it does really add another layer and complexity to the flavor.

Put your cookie sheet in the oven and bake the Crustini until they are just slightly golden, maybe 10-12 minutes.

You can now set them aside to cool. This part can be done several hours ahead of time if you'd like.

After they are cool, spread each one with about a teaspoon of orange marmalade. Don't use too much or they get slippery when you try to add the cheese. You just want to add a bit of sweetness to the dish.

Now, take the goat cheese, open the package, and with a knife, spread about a tablespoon of cheese on top of the orange marmalade.

Top with a tiny bit of freshly ground black pepper.

At this point you have two options, they are more than ready to be served as is. I also like to toss the cookie sheet back in the oven, just before they are ready to serve to barely warm them again. Not even long enough for the cheese to melt, just long enough for it to soften a bit. 5-6 minutes or so.

I like to serve these on the side of a salad plate, or as I mentioned on an antipasto platter or as a canape. They are very, very simple to make and yet add a whole other level to a simple salad course.

--- © Chef Raven

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