Pumpkin Crostini With Goat Cheese And Balsamic Glaze Recipes

ROASTED PUMPKIN AND GOAT CHEESE CROSTINI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Pile the diced pumpkin on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil and toss with your hands to lightly coat. Spread evenly and sprinkle with sage, salt, and pepper.
• Bake in the preheated oven until tender, about 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, melt butter in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Add leek and cook until softened and beginning to caramelize, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove roasted pumpkin from the oven, add to the pan, and stir to combine.
• Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat and lightly oil the grate.
• Slice the baguette at an angle into 1/2-inch slices. Brush 1 side of each slice with remaining oil.
• Cook on the preheated grill until lightly browned, about 1 1/2 minutes per side.
• Remove from the grill and rub the garlic clove over the oiled side of each baguette slice 3 to 4 times. Spread goat cheese over each slice and top with a spoonful of the pumpkin-leek mixture. Drizzle lightly with balsamic glaze and serve immediately.

BALSAMIC-ROASTED PUMPKIN WITH GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Place pumpkin onto a secure cutting board. Cut the top and bottom off the pumpkin, removing as much of the stem as possible. Use a sharp vegetable peeler or a paring knife to remove the pumpkin peel. Cut pumpkin in half, and use a spoon to scoop out seeds and strings. Trim away any pieces of stem that may remain. Cut each pumpkin half into 1/2-inch strips. Chop each strip into 1/2-inch cubes. Place cubed pumpkin into a large bowl.
• Mix balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper together in a small bowl until thoroughly combined. Pour over pumpkin pieces and toss to thoroughly coat. Pour pumpkin into an even layer on the prepared baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Stir gently, then continue baking until pumpkin is softened and slightly caramelized, 25 to 30 minutes more, stirring again if needed. Serve pumpkin warm, topped with goat cheese and fresh oregano.

PUMPKIN CROSTINI WITH GOAT CHEESE AND BALSAMIC GLAZE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• For the pumpkin hummus: In a food processor combine the garbanzo beans including the liquid from the can, tahini, pumpkin puree, lemon juice, garlic, salt and cumin. Process until combined. With the processor running, add the olive oil a little at a time until the sauce is smooth but still thick. Occasionally stop the machine to scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula so everything is processed. If it looks like a paste with oil floating in it, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of the ice water and pulse again to help it emulsify. Taste, and don't be afraid to add more salt, lemon juice or cumin to your preference. Reserve.
• For the crostini: Put the butter in small skillet and turn the heat to medium. Once the butter melts, put the sage leaves in the pan and fry until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove the sage leaves from the pan with a slotted spoon and reserve.
• Cover a baking sheet with foil and place the bread slices on the sheet. Drizzle each with a little olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake until toasted but soft on the inside, about 3 minutes. Pull the crostini from the oven and carefully rub the top side of each piece with the garlic clove.
• Top each crostini with about 1 tablespoon pumpkin hummus and a fried sage leaf. Crumble some goat cheese on each, add a few pomegranate seeds and a drizzle of balsamic glaze.

WHIPPED GOAT CHEESE CROSTINI WITH BALSAMIC-ROASTED GRAPES

Steps:

• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees F. Grease a rimmed baking sheet with olive oil and set aside for the crostini.
• Toss together the grapes and the 2 tablespoons of the olive oil on another rimmed baking sheet; season with kosher salt and pepper. Top with the sprigs of thyme. Roast on the upper oven rack until the grapes blister, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, whisk to combine the 1/4 cup olive oil with half of the chopped thyme, half of the garlic, a pinch of kosher salt and a few grinds pepper in a small bowl. Brush onto the tops of the baguette slices and place on the oiled baking sheet. While the grapes roast, bake the baguette slices on the lower oven rack for 5 minutes.
• Combine the goat cheese with the lemon zest, honey, remaining 1/2 teaspoon chopped thyme and grated garlic and a few grinds pepper in a food processor. Process until well combined, about 1 minute. Stream in the heavy cream with the machine running and process until the goat cheese is aerated and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning with kosher salt and pepper.
• Remove the grapes and bread from the oven and set the oven to broil. Flip the crostini. Remove and discard the sprigs of thyme from the grapes and carefully toss the grapes with the balsamic vinegar. Return the grapes to the upper oven rack and the crostini to the lower rack and broil until the grapes are caramelized and the bread is toasted, about 5 minutes -- watch closely, as broilers vary.
• To plate, spread the whipped goat cheese in a shallow bowl, top with the grapes and drizzle with any juices from the baking sheet. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt, thyme leaves and pepper. Place on a platter with the crostini and enjoy.