These sweet and savory morsels will be the highlight of any summer gathering. The fresh basil and mozzarella topped with a punch of sweet & tart maple balsamic reduction is mouth-wateringly delicious! I made these, snapped a couple pictures, and Nate had them in his mouth before I was done with the photoshoot.
Here's the ingredients I started with, except one important one I forgot (oops! I will let you see if you can figure out which one it is).
Ingredients for maple balsamic reduction:
- 1 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 cup Sap Hound Organic Maple Syrup
- 1 heaping teaspoon of chopped fresh rosemary (or your favorite herb)
Ingredients for crostini:
- 1 tomato
- 1 baguette
- fresh mozzarella cheese
- salt & pepper
- fresh basil leaves
- fresh chives
Directions for the Maple Balsamic Reduction:
- Combine balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, and herbs into a nonreactive pot.
- Bring to a simmer on low, reduce 10-15 minutes. Keep an eye not to let it burn.
- Let cool.
Directions for the crostini:
- Slice baguette into thin pieces.
- Drizzle extra virgin olive oil on both sides of the slices.
- Season bread with salt and pepper.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 10-20 minutes, until lightly brown, flipping the slices half way through.
- Slice mozzarella cheese and place onto of the warm baguette slices. Often I will put these back in the warm oven for a bit to get the cheese all warm and pleasantly comforting! But if you're eating these on a hot day, I would let it the cheese be.
- Top with slices of tomato and fresh basil leaves.
- Drizzle Maple Balsamic Reduction over each crostini.
- Chop chives and garnish.
- Season with salt & pepper as desired.
- Enjoy!