This is the perfect quick appetizer for entertaining. It’s ready in less than 30 minutes and uses my favorite Muir Glen canned tomatoes. What I love about these tomatoes is that they are organic, and the farmers that grow them always use sun-kissed, vine-ripened tomatoes to create the rich tomato flavor for your recipes. These are the kinds of food heroes we celebrate on my PBS show Modern Pioneering and I love supporting them when I’m cooking. I hope you’ll support them too and make this recipe!
Start with a can of delicious organic Muir Glen diced tomatoes, sprinkle in ⅛ cup sugar and 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, give it a stir and let it simmer until reduced and a thick tomato jam forms.
After it cools slightly, spoon it onto toasted baguette slices, which you can easily buy pre-made.
Now add your creative toppings! Here I’m using black cured olives and anchovies on one set, then goat cheese and thyme on another, and then some ground lamb that I sauteed with curry and middle eastern spices, with a topping of basil garnish.
Drizzle it all with good olive oil and you have a showstopping appetizer that you can throw together in minutes. Use any creative toppings you can find in your fridge, it’s all about that sweet and tangy tomato jam base and the crunch of that toast.
Muir Glen Tomato Jam Crostini
Ingredients
- 1 14.5 oz can Muir Glen diced tomatoes
- 1/8 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 12 toasted baguette slices
- Goat cheese
- Anchovies
- Black oil cured olives
- Sautéed ground lamb or beef, mixed with curry or middle eastern spices
- Thyme
- Basil leaves, torn into small pieces
- Good quality olive oil
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, reduce tomatoes, sugar and vinegar until a thick paste forms.
- Let cool slightly, then top over crostini and garnish with goat cheese and thyme leaves, or anchovies and cured olives, or ground lamb with spices and a piece of torn basil.
- Drizzle with olive oil and serve.
