Spicy Strawberry Crostini Is The Best Summer Appetizer

Summer recipes, like summer clothes, should be breezy and unfussy but still look put together to go to a backyard party. This Spicy Strawberry-Goat Cheese Crostini appetizer is like a perfect linen dress (or shirt) – it goes with almost everything and looks good anywhere.

True to its name, the dish is a goat cheese crostini topped with strawberries—but it’s more than the sum of its parts. The strawberries are combined with honey, lime juice, and minced jalapeño chile and topped with fresh mint, taking this appetizer from tasty to terrific. A little sweet, a little spicy, a little savory—each bite hits all the right notes, and it’s a cinch to make.

What You’ll Need

Bread is the foundation of this dish, so it’s important to choose the right type of baguette. Ideally, you’re looking for a French-style baguette, which has a firm, chewy exterior and light and airy interior. (Avoid Italian-style loaves, which are larger in size and softer.) When cut into slices and toasted in the oven, the bread will form a sturdy base for the creamy cheese and juicy strawberry topping.

The rest of the ingredient list is short: chopped strawberries, minced jalapeño chile, honey, lime juice, salt, plain goat cheese (look for the kind sold in short logs, not the crumbled kind sold in tubs), and fresh mint. While the bread toasts, everything except the goat cheese and mint is combined in a bowl and stirred together. Then, you spread the goat cheese over the cooled toasts, top with the berry mixture and sprinkle on the mint as a garnish.

How To Customize It

Use this recipe as a jumping-off point for whatever produce is in season.

• For a fruit swap. If blueberries look great at the market, swap out the strawberries. Not a fan of goat cheese? Try a soft, spreadable brie cheese, ricotta, cream cheese, or mascarpone. 
• For a savory spin. To take the crostini in a more savory direction, omit the honey and replace the strawberries with chopped tomatoes, halved cherry tomatoes, charred/grilled corn kernels, thinly sliced raw zucchini or summer squash, or roasted cubed eggplant.

Fun Combinations To Try

Here are a few ingredient pairings that work well with the recipe as written. Just substitute the fruit, cheese, and herb below for the strawberries, goat cheese, and mint.

Ricotta + peaches or nectarines + basil

Brie + blackberries or raspberries + mint

Mascarpone + blueberries + thyme

Cream cheese + figs + basil

How To Bring It To A Party

This crostini is easy to assemble and serve at home, but it travels well too, if you package everything up and assemble it when you arrive. Store the strawberry mixture in a sealable container, put the toasted baguette slices in a plastic ziplock bag, and keep the goat cheese in its packaging (don’t forget a butter knife or cheese spreader), and keep the mint in a smaller plastic ziplock bag.