Appetizers Vegetarian Persianizing (Persian Fusion)

Pomegranate Hazelnut Crostini

By My Persian Kitchen • 7 years ago

Dec
2016

I really like serving hors d’oeuvres that fall in the finger food category, so that when my guests are socializing they can easily nosh without the awkwardness of having to balance their drink and food. Sometimes I day dream about replicating gorgeous lookingÂ canapÃ© appetizers that I come across on Pinterest. The truth is though, when it comes to hosting dinner parties, I spend so much time, and effort, on my main meal that I am left with little time for fancy appetizers. There is also another realistic issue: Somehow, gorgeous looking hors d’oeuvres on Pinterest are often difficult to replicate.

Anyhow, I am a fan of cheese. I am a fan of bread. I love any type of flavorful spreadable cheese on bread. I also love to experiment with different flavors, specifically, I love to marry my favorite nuts with fragrant fresh herbs. Often times I experiment with what I already have on hand. Last week, I had a bag of hazelnuts that needed to be used; additionally, we are fortunate to have a bounty of tarragon growing in our vegetable box. While this combination might sound unusual, I promise you it is incredibly good.

pomegranate-hazelnut

It is important to toast the hazelnuts to maximize their flavor, but also remove the loose skin. pomegranate-hazelnut-2

Having a food processor certainly makes this part of the recipe easy.
pomegranate-hazelnut-3 It’s amazing how three simple ingredients can be so incredibly delicious together.
pomegranate-hazelnut-4 This is the desired consistency of the spread. Just like dough, you know it’s done when it all comes together into a lump.
pomegranate-hazelnut-5 Spread the cheese on top of the toasted slices of bread, then top with pomegranates.Â Of course, you can get creative with the way you decorate the pomegranates on top of the crostini.

This is definitely an easy appetizer to make that will wow your guests.

Pomegranate Hazelnut Crostini

Author: My Persian Kitchen

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 10 mins

Total time: 20 mins

Serves: 15 slices

Ingredients

10 oz Feta cheese
¼ cup hazelnuts
1 tablespoon fresh tarragon leaves
1 French baguette
1 cup pomegranates

Instructions

Toast hazelnuts until their aroma rises
Roll hazelnuts, while still warm, in a paper towel, or regular towel, until all the loose skin falls off
Place hazelnuts in a food processor and process until they look like a coarse meal
Add Feta cheese and tarragon leaves, then process until the mixture comes together into sticky mass
Slice bread into rounds and place on a baking sheet; toast in a 375 oven for 10 to 15 minutes
Spread the cheese mixture on each slice of bread, then top with pomegranates

Below are fantastic recipes created by the Persian Food Bloggers for this year’s Shabeh Yalda!

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