Roasted Grape & Goat Cheese Crostini – balsamic roasted grapes paired with creamy herbed goat cheese and honey make for a beautiful winter party appetizer! These elegant bites pack a ton of flavour, are simple to pull together and pair wonderfully with a glass of your favourite wine.
How is everyone’s week going so far? I have to say, it has been an absolute whirlwind for me and I can’t believe that Christmas is less than two weeks away! Luckily, I have most of my shopping done except for one easy little thing so I am very relieved about that. Now just to find the time to wrap everything!
I know I say this about lots of things, but appetizers are one of my favourite things. I just looovee to make a meal out of them. In fact, I often do! About every week or so Joel and I do an appetizer night where I make usually about 2-3 kinds and then we enjoy them for our meal. Perfection if you ask me. Usually because they involve cheese.
I find these roasted grape and goat cheese crostini to be an absolutely gorgeous appetizer to serve this winter – especially now around the holidays! You and your guests are going to feel so fancy eating these because they totally just give off that vibe.They are so easy to assemble though which means more time to relax and enjoy a glass of wine!
You are in for a treat with these! The roasting deepens the sweetness of the grapes which pairs so wonderfully well with some herbed goat cheese. Goat cheese is DEFINITELY my second favourite cheese. (Can you guess my first favourite cheese?) Then, the bit of balsamic lingering on the roasted grapes adds a nice tangy bite to balance it all out. Overall the flavours are complex, but assembling these is a simple task!
I made my own crostini for these, which is actually really easy to do! All you need is a baguette, slice it diagonally into quarter inch slices, brush with some olive oil and a dash of fine sea salt. Then its a short time toasting in the oven and before you know it you’ve got your own homemade crostini! It’s definitely worth the extra few minutes, because I’ve found with store bought stuff sometimes you end up with a lot of broken pieces and that just doesn’t really cut it for these!
While the crostini is toasting, you toss halved grapes with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, rosemary and thyme. After the crostini is done, increase the heat and then roast the grapes in the oven for about 20-25 minutes, until they are slightly wrinkly. Then its just a matter of spreading the crostini with goat cheese, topping it with the grapes and then adding a drizzle of honey. Yum!
These are a great option for any vegetarians at a party, but everyone will truly love these! And trust me, you can’t stop and having just one.
Don’t they just look so lovely and elegant? So pour yourself a glass of wine, whip up these roasted grape and goat cheese crostini and enjoy yourself this holiday season.
If you try this recipe for roasted grape and goat cheese crostini please let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, post on the Zest & Simmer Facebook page or share photos on Instagram using the hashtag #zestandsimmer. I’d love to see it and I always love hearing from you guys!
Roasted Grape & Goat Cheese Crostini
Ingredients
For the Crostini
- 1 baguette
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- fine sea salt to taste
For the Topping
- 3 cups grapes , washed and halved
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp dried rosemary
- 1 tsp thyme leaves
- 8 oz herbed goat cheese
- 1-2 tsp honey
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Slice baguette into 1/4 inch thick slices on a diagonal. Arrange on a baking pan, brush with olive oil, and sprinkle fine sea salt. Bake for 5-7 minutes, flip slices over and bake for another 5 minutes. Remove from oven.
- While baguette slices are toasting, toss the grape halves with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, rosemary and thyme and put into a 9x9 baking dish. After crostini is removed from oven, increase temperature of oven to 400°F and roast grapes for 20-25 minutes. Grapes should be slightly wrinkled at this point.
- Spread goat cheese over crostini. Arrange grapes on top and then drizzle with honey. Best enjoyed served warm!
You’re talking my language here! I love roasted fruit- really brings out the sweetness and I could eat crostinis for basically every meal, especially for dinner on Friday with some vino 🙂
How intriguing! 🙂 I roast fruit all the time and have never thought about roasting grapes. This appetizer sounds delicious, Vanessa. The combination of flavours with balsamic, goat cheese and the roasted grapes must be absolutely delicious!
Thank you Denise! You should give it a try – the roasting adds a whole new level of flavor to the grapes! I was pleasantly surprised by it. 🙂
Roasted grapes are fabulous! And I mean, goat cheese — I’d say you can’t go wrong with it, the majority of my family won’t touch it. That’s okay, more for me! I’ll have to keep these in mind for bookclub meetings 🙂
Roasted grapes are phenomenal, and pairing them with goat cheese is irresistible. This looks like a total crowd pleaser! I make something similar, but with some roasted olives in the mix!
May I ask if these “hold” well, or do they need to be served pretty quickly (while warm)?
Hi Jody! These are best enjoyed while warm and fresh for maximum enjoyment. The reason why is the roasted grapes, goat cheese and honey sit on the crostini which may soften it, and after a while they may not be so crisp as a result. Thanks!