Avocado & goat cheese crostini

Don't you just love canapés? Sometimes a cocktail party with these gorgeous miniature masterpieces just beats any sit-down dinner... in my own humble opinion at least! Why are there no restaurants or bars where you can have a relaxed evening sitting on comfy sofas, chatting to friends and be continuously served up delicious bite-sized portions of stunning food? I mean, this concept has a lot to commend it:
- Rather than eating two or three courses in one meal, you get to sample a whole variety of flavours, even things that would not work together on one plate
- You can continuously graze instead of impatiently having to wait for the next dish to arrive, always giving you something new to explore and savour
- Flavours can be much bolder, much more extravagant if only served in teeny portions and
- Every bite you take is beautiful in its own right, whereas even when you dine at Gordon Ramsay's, your regular plate will always look messy after a while and cease to be as appetising as it was when it was first served.
I think there's a strong case for it - and it shouldn't be too difficult to do. If catering companies can throw canapé parties in the middle of nowhere, surely you could pull this off in any old kitchen! Certain, some things need last-minute assembly, but if creating three bites at a time out of a selection of 50 or so possible choices is too much hassle, a Running Canapé concept might work? Ah, the possibilities! Maybe that's just what I should do when I grow up...

Avocado & goat cheese crostini*
(makes 20)

20 thin slices of baguette (bite-sized)
garlic oil (optional)
1.5 perfectly ripe avocados
100 g soft and creamy goat cheese
1 clove garlic
tabasco
salt, pepper
20 sunblush tomatoes
20 chives

Toast the baguette slices in the oven at 180 C until starting to brown but still soft in the centre, brushing with garlic oil, if you wish.
Mix the avocados, cheese, crushed garlic and seasoning well to form a smooth paste. Put a dollop of the avocado mixture on each slice of bread, then decorate with the chives and tomatoes. Sprinkle with freshly crushed black pepper, if desired.

* Based on a recipe in "Diva Cooking"

Comments

[Suebob]

I think that is the idea behind tapas places. Small delicious plates. It sounds like a fab idea to me.

My sis and I used to go out and make a fine dinner of 4 appetizers. I miss those days!

[johanna]

yeah, but tapas are nowhere as neat ... i love tapas, but for stylishness and comfort (no cutlery, no plates) i'll vote canapes once again!

[martina]

läufts noch gut? ich habe deine homepage nun auch im jugendchor weitergegeben. zwei weitere fans hast du nun dazubekommen.:-)

lg, martina

[Stephanie]

I've long been a fan of the appetizer as dinner...and recently did just that!

http://gettingfattogether.blogspot.com/2005/04/bites-for-bride-to-be.html

Your crostini are gorgeous; I'm in favor of almost anything using avocado.

[Eli]

Pintxos in the Basque Country (Spain) is really what this is all about...no cutlery, you help yourself to dozens of different "pintxos"...and everything is delicious!!

[SFP]

I have just made these for a recent wine do, and they were a hit, along with every other recipe from this site. thank you for the inspiration