Crostini with young mozzarella

Votes: 1

Time: 1 hour 10 min.
Complexity: easily
Servings: 6 - 8

Offer guests several types of mozzarella as wine appetizers—not just sliced cheese, but a full-blown bar with additional snacks so they can create their own crostini, Italian sandwiches made with toasted baguette slices. Fresh mozzarella, smoked mozzarella, bocconcini mozzarella (mini balls), and burrata, a very young type of mozzarella with a runny center, are all great options for this bar. And homemade toppings like piquillo pesto, roasted cherry tomatoes, and mushroom tapenade complement the cheese. Don't forget to toast plenty of bread to ensure there's enough for everyone.

The recipes use measuring containers with the following volumes:
1 glass (st.) - 250 ml.
3/4 cup (st.) - 180 ml.
2/3 cup (st.) - 160 ml.
1/2 cup (st.) - 125 ml.
1/3 cup (st.) - 80 ml.
1/4 cup (st.) - 60 ml.
1 tablespoon (tbsp) - 15 ml.
1 teaspoon (tsp) - 5 ml.
1/5 teaspoon (tsp) - 1 ml.

Ingredients for the recipe:

Piquillo Pepper Pesto

1 can (280g) canned piquillo peppers, drained well
0.5 tbsp. freshly grated parmesan
1/3 cup toasted walnuts
2 tbsp. l. olive oil
0.5 tsp coarse salt
1/4 tsp Calabrian chili paste
1 small clove of garlic, crushed and peeled

Baked tomatoes

2 cups cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes
4 sprigs fresh basil, torn
3 cloves garlic, crushed and peeled
3 tbsp. l. olive oil
0.5 tsp coarse salt

Mushroom tapenade

3 tbsp. l. olive oil
1 shallot, chopped
280 g coarsely chopped mushroom caviar
0.5 tsp coarse salt
2 tsp chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
0.5 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
0.5 tsp lemon zest
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts

Mozzarella Bar

450 g thin slices of fresh mozzarella
450 g thin slices of smoked mozzarella
2 balls of 110 gr. burrata cheese
Thick slices of grilled bread
Toasted bread
Small arugula
Fresh basil leaves
Extra-virgin olive oil
High-quality balsamic vinegar
Flaked sea salt
Red pepper flakes

Ingredient Substitution Suggestions

We recommend

Cooking the dish according to the recipe:

Piquillo Pepper Pesto:

Combine the pepper, Parmesan, walnuts, salt, chili paste, and garlic in a food processor. Blend until smooth and evenly distributed.
Baked tomatoes: Preheat oven to 175°C.

On a rimmed baking sheet, combine the tomatoes with basil, garlic, and salt. Spread evenly and roast until the tomatoes are soft and charred in spots, 30 minutes.

Mushroom tapenade:

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and the shallots and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and season with salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms have released all their liquid and are golden brown, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and sprinkle with basil, oregano, rosemary, and lemon zest. Stir in the pine nuts and the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Cool slightly. Serve the tapenade warm or at room temperature.
Mozzarella Bar:

Arrange different types of mozzarella and burrata on platters and plates. Surround them, buffet-style, with three homemade toppings, along with grilled bread and crostini, arugula, basil, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and red pepper flakes. Invite guests to assemble their own appetizers and salad.