White Balsamic Fruit Crostini

Fruit, Cheese, and Slow Summer

There are dishes that belong to a particular quality of light — the kind that falls sideways through a window in late afternoon, unhurried and golden. Crostini with fresh fruit is one of them. It asks very little of you and returns something quietly generous: the soft give of ripe stone fruit, the gentle tang of a good cheese, a drizzle of balsamic reduction that deepens everything it touches. This is the kind of appetizer that doesn't announce itself. It simply appears on a board and disappears, piece by piece, without ceremony.

Ingredients

• 1 baguette, sliced and lightly toasted
• 5 ounces blueberries
• 5 ounces strawberries
• 5 ounces raspberries or blackberries
• 2 peaches or nectarines, sliced
• 1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and sliced
• 1 lemon
• 6 ounces soft cheese such as chevre or ricotta (I used nut based, non-dairy)
• 8.5 ounces Alessi Balsamic Reduction
• 1 bunch fresh basil, thinly sliced or left whole to tear into pieces

Instructions

1. Arrange the fruit on a serving platter or tray around the balsamic and cheese.
2. Squeeze a little lemon juice over the avocado and cut fruit to slow browning.
3. Tuck the basil around the platter.
4. Don't forget a serving fork or tongs and a knife to spread the cheese.
5. Create your own DIY fruit crostini by topping the bread slices with cheese or avocado, fruit, a drizzle of balsamic reduction, and a fresh basil garnish.
6. Featured on: Yummy Mummy Kitchen