Cranberry Crostini

I suppose this would be called a "bonus recipe" this week! If you read the recipe posted yesterday you'll see a cranberry dipping sauce to be used with the Sausage Balls. Over Thanksgiving I had several parties and had to come up with several appetizers for each. Time is tight with two toddlers running around so I tried to be efficient. This Cranberry Crostini used the same cranberry sauce- but in a very different way. I'm always a fan of crostini recipes. Actually as a general rule, I eat any appetizer with bread on the ingredient list. :)

After tasting the cranberry sauce I thought that it would make a great topping for either a cheese ball or crostini. This recipe found a way to mix both. Its another super-simple recipe and perfect for a pre-dinner snack on Christmas to keep hungry tummies (temporarily) satisfied.

~Wendy

Cranberry Crositini

Recipe Type: Appetizer

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 15 mins

Total time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• Cranberry Dipping Sauce-


• 12 oz bag fresh cranberries


• 3/4 c. brown sugar


• 6 oz frozen orange juice concentrate (about 1/2 of normal size can)


• 1 tsp cornstarch


• Chopped Nuts-


• 2 c. chopped pecans or walnuts


• 2 Tbsp butter


• 1/2 c. brown sugar


• Assembly-


• 1 loaf of italian or french bread (narrow is better)


• 4-6oz cream cheese (low fat can be used)

Instructions

1. Cranberry Sauce- In a medium sized saucepan combine the cranberries, orange juice concentrate and brown sugar. Warm over medium heat stirring frequently until the cranberries pop open. Add in the cornstarch and stir sauce until thickened, usually 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool before serving.


2. Chopped Walnuts/Pecans- In a separate skillet add chopped walnuts or pecans. Heat over medium heat for 2-3 minutes or until nuts are lightly browned. Turn the heat down to low and add butter and brown sugar. Continuously stir until butter is melted and brown sugar is fully mixed in. Remove from heat.


3. Crostini- Cut the loaf of bread into 1/4 inch slices. Lay out onto a cookie sheet. Broil in the oven for 2-4 minutes watching closely until bread is browned and crispy. Remove from the oven and let cool for 2-3 minutes.


4. Assembly- Once bread is cooled, spread 1 tsp of cream cheese on each slice. Top cream cheese with 1 tsp of cranberry sauce and sprinkle each with chopped nuts. Best served immediately.

3.1.09