Blue Cheese, Walnut & Golden Raisin Crostini

Blue Cheese, Walnut, & Golden Raisin Crostini

There is no better feeling than bringing an amazing dish to a party and people gravitate around its elegance and amazing flavor. And bonus points knowing it was simple, but sophisticated – and so easy to bring together!

This crostini is all things sweet, savory, warm, crisp, and delicious. The walnut oil elevates the base of this appetizer, and goes to that next culinary level that your olive oil or avocado oil just can’t go (if you can’t find walnut oil, don’t fret – this is just a bonus to the flavor profile). Then, combine the fatty walnuts, sweet shallots, and plump juicy raisin with the funky and salty blue cheese for the ultimate umami experience. 

A kitchen curious tip: umami is the flavor that often can’t be described. Based on culinary gastronomy, umami represents the unctuous flavor given to food by glutamates, specifically monosodium glutamate. Often, people describe this flavor as the full-bodied, satisfying feeling of all elements balanced in a dish – think a  grilled or roasted mushroom, the perfect sear on a steak, or the amazing dashi broth of a miso soup. That certain je ne sais quoi is that umami working its magic!

Servings: 12

Ingredients:

• 24 slices of baguette bread, each ¼ - inch thick
• 2 TBSP walnut oil
• ⅓ cup golden raisins
• ⅓ cup white wine
• ½ cup chopped toasted walnuts 
• 8 oz. blue cheese, crumbled
• 4 TBSP minced shallots
• Sel Gris French Sea Salt

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Arrange the baguette slices on a baking sheet.
2. Brush the topside of each bread slice with walnut oil. Bake in the preheated oven until the bread slices are crisp and slightly toasted, about 3-5 minutes.
3. In a small sauté pan, combine the golden raisins and white wine. Simmer until all the wine is absorbed, watching carefully to prevent burning.
4. In a medium bowl, mix together the chopped toasted walnuts, crumbled blue cheese, minced shallots, and the prepared golden raisins. Spread the cheese and walnut mixture evenly onto each toasted bread slice.
5. Sprinkle each crostini with Sel Gris French Sea Salt. Place the baking sheet back in the oven and bake until the cheese melts, about 4 minutes.
6. Remove from the oven and serve the crostini warm.

Enjoy your delicious Blue Cheese, Walnut, and Golden Raisin Crostini!