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Gluten-free
Crostini
Hors
d’ oeuvres, that delicious prelude to the meal to come. Hors
d oeuvres should be an appetite teaser that doesn’t over
fill your guests but instead, tempts them with bite-size morsels
promising the delicious meal ahead.
For
larger family gatherings or parties, hors d oeuvres are usually
served as finger food and therefore should be kept small, in bite
size servings. Hors d oeuvres should not only be bite-size bursts
of flavor, but should be colorful and interesting as well. And,
unless you are serving hors d oeuvres on individual plates or
with utensils, try to select hors d oeuvres that are not too crumbly
or messy.
One
of favorite hors d oeuvres is Crostini. Crostini can easily be
made gluten-free and our gluten-free version is almost undistinguishable
from regular gluten crostini. It is also limitless in the toppings
you can prepare and serve with it. To prepare gluten-free crostini,
you must first bake gluten-free baguettes. We bake our baguettes
the morning of our party and oil and toast them just before assembling
them with the topping.
To
make crostini, you will need to purchase a baguette pan. These
can be purchased in any kitchen store. Baguette pans usually have
three long grooves that are covered with small holes. These pans
are also available as french bread pans which have two long grooves
and make larger loaves, or bread stick pans which have multiple
smaller grooves.
For
perfect Crostini:
- 1
package Gluten Free Pantry’s Country French Bread Mix
- 1-3/4
cups lukewarm water
- 1
teaspoon cider vinegar
- 1
Tablespoon sugar
- 1/2
teaspoon salt
- 1/3
cup vegetable or canola oil
- 2
eggs plus 1 egg white
*We
have found that the Gluten Free Pantry’s Country French Bread
Mix is an easy way to get consistent results. And with a diet
that is difficult at best, we appreciate any quality short cuts
we can find. This mix is available in many health food stores,
or food coops or on line at www.glutenfreepantry.com.
Follow
package instructions. Prepare a baguette pan by generously buttering
the pan. The batter will be wet and you will need to ‘spread’
in into loaf shapes. This is not hard to do, after the batter
is in the grooved spaces, just shape it with a rubber spatula.
After it has risen, brush the tops with a beaten egg and bake
according to ‘Oven-Method’ package instructions.
To
make Crostini:
Heat
oven to broil. Slice a baguette into 1/4" slices on a diagonal.
Brush the tops of the crostini slices with olive oil or spray
with a mister. Place under the broiler and watch carefully, they
will burn quickly. When the crostini are browned, remove from
oven and turn each piece and place under the broiler again and
brown the second side.
If
your topping does not include garlic and garlic flavor will enhance
your hors d oeuvre, cut a peeled clove of garlic in half, length-wise
and rub the cut side gently on the top of each crostini. The crostini
are now ready for a topping.
Now
that your crostini are ready, you can prepare any number of Crostini
or ‘Bruschetta’ toppings and serve two or three choices
to your guests. Bruschetta is traditionally grilled french style
bread rubbed with garlic and brushed with olive oil. Bruschetta
usually refers to hors d oeuvres with various toppings, while
‘Crostini’ is the same with smaller pieces of bread,
bite-size.
Crostini
Recipes:
Crostini
with Roasted Garlic
Bruschetta with Tomato, Smoked
Salmon & Herbs
Lemon Basil Crostini
Fresh
Tomato and Mint Bruschetta
Crostini with Asparagus and Procuitto
Bruschetta with Roasted Tomatoes
Chicken Liver Pate with Cranberries
and Pecan Crostini
Kalamata
Olive Pate with Roasted Garlic and Basil Crostini
Roasted Pepper Bruschetta
Roasted
Red Pepper & Mozzarella Bruschetta
For
a special gathering or just dinner with a few friends, these recipes
will not only satisfy your guests but will be a beautiful addition
to your holiday meal.
–
Glutenfreeda
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