Tomato Crostini with Whipped Feta

Whip yo' feta, gurl. // Instagram @kguymon

Last night could have very well been my last hurrah in the kitchen for quite some time. I'm having a baby in a couple of weeks, so I decided to go all out and treat my family to a meal that required hours of prep versus only twenty minutes (like I've been doing most of the summer).

I heard through the grapevine o' friends that Barefoot Contessa's whipped feta crostini was the bees' knees, and now that my tomato plants are producing some little red cherries, I thought it was the perfect addition to our menu of peach-glazed porkchops, German potato salad, and peach-goat cheese-spiced pecan salad.

Creamy, crunchy, tangy... I'm definitely digging on this crostini.




Tomato Crostini with Whipped Feta [adapted from Barefoot Contessa]

-5 oz. crumbled feta
-3 oz. cream cheese
-2/3 cup of olive oil, divided
-juice of one lemon
-kosher salt
-fresh cracked pepper
-2 shallots, diced
-2 teaspoons of minced garlic
-2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
-2 10.5 oz. containers of cherry tomatoes, quartered (or about 30 from your garden)
-20 slices of baguette, cut into 1/2 slices and toasted
-2 tablespoons of pine nuts

1. For the whipped feta, place the feta and cream cheese in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add 1/3 cup of the olive oil, the lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and process until smooth.

2. For the tomatoes, up to an hour before serving, combine the shallots, garlic, and vinegar in a medium bowl. Set aside for 5 minutes. Whisk in the remaining 1/3 cup olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Add the tomatoes, stir gently, and set aside for 10 minutes.

3. To assemble the crostini, spread each slice of bread with a generous amount of whipped feta. With a slotted spoon, place the tomatoes on top. Put the crostini on plates, sprinkle with the pine nuts, and serve.