Crostini with Peaches and Blue Cheese

Makes 12 crostini

The world-famous Maytag blue cheese comes from right here in Iowa, and I'm always looking for ways to use it. I wasn't sure whether it would marry well with peaches, so when I developed this recipe I tried it with fromage blanc, too. Well, the blue cheese was the hands-down victor, and that's the end of the story. When peaches are in season, I could eat these crostini every day and not get tired of them.

12 thin slices baguette or similar bread (stale bread is fine)
Olive oil, for brushing
3 to 4 ripe peaches
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3/4 to 1 cup crumbled blue cheese
Freshly ground black pepper (optional)

Brush the bread with just a bit of olive oil, then toast, bake, grill, or broil the bread until it's almost dry.

To peel the peaches, boil them for 30 seconds, then immediately transfer them to a bowl of ice water. The skin will come off easily. Slice the peaches into very small and thin pieces and combine them with the balsamic vinegar.

Preheat the broiler to low.

Arrange the bread on a rimmed baking sheet. Top the bread slices with the peaches and their juices. Put the crumbled cheese on top of the peaches, and add just a touch of pepper, if desired.

Broil the crostini until the cheese is hot, soft and just touched with brown. Serve at any temperature, preferably within a couple hours of being made.

Buy the Book!

from:
Good Day for a Picnic
Simple Food That Travels Well
by Jeremy Jackson
Morrow Cookbooks
$22.95; $32.50 (CAN); Hardcover, 224 pages
ISBN: 0060726806
Recipe reprinted by permission.