Happy holidays!! It’s that time of year when your either hosting or going to parties and wondering what the hell to bring. Well, first of all, make/bring these caramelized onion and apple crostini. And second of all, way to go on bringing something other than chips and salsa! You’re a keeper and you’ll probably secure a spot on the guest list for next year.
The sweet and savoury combo of these caramelized onion and apple crostini is one I’ve been playing with for years as a pizza topping and now turned into a freaking delicious appetizer. I’d never tried it with cashew cream but I must say, I actually like it so much better than with straight gouda or Gruyère.
If you’re a cheese fan, definitely add the cheese, but there’s something about these and the creamy cashew cream that makes me like it better without. It’s almost like an extra soft and creamy goat cheese texture, but not. Hmm…, I must expand my adjective vocab. But don’t get me wrong, both ways are delicious! Maybe go half and half like I did and you can please everyone.
Make these crostini on a hearty type of baguette or sourdough that’s not going to collapse when you pick it up. I personally love it on sourdough slices or a sliced ciabatta baguette if you can find one. I imagine a flavoured bread like rosemary and cranberry would also be pretty damn good too. Yum.
Happy eating time friends! Hope you enjoy lots of good food, laughs, family and friends this year! Let me know what you think about these caramelized onion and apple crostini in the comments below!
| Caramelized Onion and Apple Crostini | Print |
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked over night or soaked in boiling water for 1 hour*
- 1 tablespoons lemon juice, about ¼ of a lemon
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- pinch of pepper
- 4-7 tablespoons plain unsweetened almond milk
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 onions, diced small
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 sweet apples such as gala, fuji, or golden delicious, diced small
- 2 tablespoons honey or pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme or 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- 1 baguette, sliced into ¾ inch pieces (sourdough or ciabatta, nothing too soft or fluffy)
- additional olive oil for bread
- ½ cup smoked gouda or gruyere cheese, shredded (optional)
- Prepare cashew cream by placing drained cashews, lemon juice, salt, 4 tablespoons of almond milk and a generous pinch of pepper in a high speed blender. Blend until completely smooth, scraping down the sides every so often and adding additional almond milk as needed, 1 tablespoon at a time. You want the consistency to be spreadable but not runny. Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-low heat. Add onions and salt and sauté, stirring occasionally for 15 minutes until onions turn a light caramel colour.
- Add diced apples, honey, and thyme to the frying pan and sauté an additional 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust by adding more salt if necessary, and/or more honey, depending on the sweetness of your apples.
- While the apple and onion mixture is cooking, preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Slice baguette and brush each side of the bread with olive oil. Place on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 5 minutes.
- Remove from oven and top each baguette with a heaping teaspoon of cashew cream and a scant tablespoon of apple and onion mixture. If using cheese, add a sprinkle of cheese as well.
- Return to oven and bake for 3-5 minutes, or until cheese has melted and they’re heated through. (If you’ve made everything ahead of time and it’s not already warm, turn oven down to 375 and bake for 7-10 minutes).
- Serve hot!
- This should make about 20 crostini.
