Quick and Easy: Apple + Goat Cheese Crostini

It’s almost the end of my first year of blogging, and I haven’t talked much about goat cheese. All of my posts will always be cow dairy-free, but every once in a while, I might include recipes that use goat or sheep cheese. For some who have dairy allergies or lactose intolerance, goat cheese is actually tolerable and easy to digest.

I started eating goat cheese about four years ago after a friend of mine who has celiac and a dairy allergy told me that it worked for her. I tried a little bit of chevre, felt okay, and started amping up my consumption of goat cheese in the coming months. I now eat goat cheese a couple times per week, sometimes on homemade pizzas, melted sandwiches, or on crackers. I’ve tried fresh and aged, and all have been delicious and easy for me to handle.

My advice to anyone reading this that’s having trouble with cow dairy but hasn’t tried goat cheese yet is to try a little bit at a time to see how they feel. Everyone’s gut is different and what works for me might not work for you. However, being able to eat one more thing is always helpful at parties and restaurants, so just make sure to give it a try when you’ve got nowhere to be during the day in case you feel a little sick.

Okay, on to the recipe. These are a great combination of sweet and savory. Believe me, garlic and apples are awesome together.

Ingredients

• French baguette
• Chevre cheese – I used plain & cranberry, choose either plain or sweet. If you’re looking to make this vegan or goat cheese-free, you can use vegan cream cheese (give Tofutti a try)
• Apples, sliced
• Garlic clove
• Olive oil
• Salt & pepper
• Honey or agave (optional)

Directions

If your goat cheese is in the fridge, take it out now. It should be a little bit warmer to spread better. Start by preparing the crostini. Use a bread knife to cut the baguette into thin slices. Brush with olive oil on both sides and lay out on an ungreased baking sheet. Sprinkle salt and pepper lightly over the crostini. Set the oven to a high broil and cook in the oven for about 1-2 minutes each side. I cooked so that one side was more golden-brown than another, to make sure that the crostini wasn’t too crunchy to eat.

Once the bread is out of the oven, rub both sides with a clove of garlic. Spread your choice of goat cheese on top of the crostini. Put 1-2 apple slices on each piece and drizzle with honey. If you’re not serving this for a little while, you can always soak the apple slices in a bowl of water and a little bit of lemon juice to keep them from browning.

Another twist on this recipe could be a savory version: skip the honey and replace the apples with tomato. You could use plain goat cheese or an herbed goat cheese and it would be close to a goat cheese bruschetta. You could even drizzle balsamic vinaigrette on top.

This snack takes almost no time to make but looks pretty impressive. What quick wonders do you whip up around the holidays?