Crostini Appetizer with Goat Cheese and Pomegranate
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Not just pretty but delicious too; this Crostini Appetizer with Goat Cheese and Pomegranate are perfect for holiday entertaining from Thanksgiving through the New Year.
Hey all…it’s time for Progressive Eats, you know, when I share a bunch of my friends dishes that we bring together with a theme? This month it’s pomegranates and I do love these little red jewels and have wanted to post this Crostini Appetizer with Goat Cheese and Pomegranate since last Christmas!
I made these appetizers just days before Christmas last year and there was no way I could photograph them and get them on the blog so I’ve calendared them for a LONG time. I’m just lucky I remembered how much I loved these and how quickly they disappeared at a cocktail party I took them too.
Super tasty little morsels that just happen to include the colors of the holiday; how perfect is that?
Easy too. A baguette is sliced and individual slices are toasted and topped with a goat cheese and cream cheese mixture before being adorned with pomegranate arils and rosemary leaves. Right before serving they are lightly drizzled with sweet honey.
I didn’t have big plans when I made this batch except for a slumber party I agreed to for a couple of neighbor kids. I never know with them what they will enjoy but was delighted when one of them loved them so much she begged for more. The other two are fussy; their loss isn’t it?
Combining goat cheese with cream cheese does two things; it not only softens the tang of the goat cheese but it makes the mixture spreadable. That’s a clear win when you have to spread 40 little pieces of toasted bread!
If you are not an avowed fan of goat cheese, no worries, simply use all cream cheese or mascarpone or a combination of the two; that would be great too!
Maybe one of the biggest drawbacks for many when they read a recipe like this are those beautiful pomegranate arils. Maybe you’ve never done it before or maybe you’ve heard it’s an awful mess. No worries, I’ve got you covered!
First, so many markets are now carrying arils that have been plucked from a pomegranate so no work at all. I know I see them each year at my Costco store so check locally at stores near you.
And second, if they are not available locally, take a peek at this post for the Best Way to Seed Pomegranates that I did a couple of years ago. I had heard and read about SO many methods to remove them and tried them all too…but this one is the best.
The secret is to limit cuts and this way, the only cuts are those that remove a small top piece and one section, using the white membrane as a guide.
From there it’s easy to gently pull it apart and not have to cut any more seeds. The juice is in the seeds, keep them intact and you won’t have the juice everywhere, including all over your hands!
You will have a beautiful pile of these gorgeous gems and this recipe will use all of the arils from one pomegranate. So I suggest you do two so you’ll have leftovers…I love them in salads, for cocktails and as frosting decorations too.
Crostini Appetizer with Goat Cheese and Pomegranate are festive aren’t they; the perfect colors for the holiday season! I love how easy it is to make this perfect holiday appetizer. Easy to eat too; I can attest to that. They became my dinner. Not kidding.
Please join me and my friends for several gorgeous recipes that include these tasty treats. From Cocktails to Desserts, we have something for everyone!
Welcome to Progressive Eats, our virtual version of a Progressive Dinner Party. This month’s theme is Everything Pomegranate — from pomegranate juice to molasses to fresh arils straight from the fruit. Our host this month is Beth Lee who blogs at OMG! Yummy.
If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, a progressive dinner involves going from house to house, enjoying a different course at each location. With Progressive Eats it’s a virtual party. We choose a theme each month, members share recipes suitable for a delicious meal or party, and you can hop from blog to blog to check them out. Come along and see all of the deliciousness we’ve put together for our celebration inspired dishes!
A Pomegranate Party
Cocktails
- The Sugarplum Cocktail – Karen’s Kitchen Stories
- Pomegranate Cosmopolitan Cocktail – That Skinny Chick Can Bake
Appetizers
- Crostini Appetizer with Goat Cheese and Pomegranate – Creative Culinary (You’re Here!)
Salad
- Mango Chickpea Kale Farro Salad – Shockingly Delicious
Main Courses
- Walnut Crusted Chicken with Pomegranate Sauce – From a Chef’s Kitchen
- Pomegranate Glazed Hasselback Butternut Squash + Quinoa and Apples – The Wimpy Vegetarian
- Instant Pot Brisket with Pomegranate Molasses – OMG! Yummy
Sides
- Roasted Spicy Orange-Pomegranate Glazed Winter Vegetables – Beyond Mere Sustenance
Desserts
- Pomegranate Sorbet – The Redhead Baker
- Rustic Apple and Pomegranate Galette – Clandestine Cake Club
PIN IT! ‘Crostini Appetizer with Goat Cheese and Pomegranate’
Crostini Appetizer with Goat Cheese and Pomegranate
Ingredients
- 1 loaf French Baguette sliced, 1/2-3/4" slices
- Olive oil
For the Cheese Spread
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp rosemary leaves finely minced
- 8-12 oz goat cheese softened Not a fan of goat cheese? Substitute more cream cheese or mascarpone
- 4 oz cream cheese softened
- 1-2 Tbsp half and half
- Pomegranate arils from one pomegranate
- 2-3 stems Rosemary leaves lightly chopped
- Honey for drizzling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°.
- Place crostini slices on pan and brush top side with olive oil. Toast for about 8 minutes. Cool completely.
- Put the 2 Tbsps of olive oil in a medium skillet on medium-low heat. Add the minced garlic and saute for one minute; add the rosemary, saute one minute longer and then remove from heat and let cool.
- Combine the goat cheese and cream cheese in a mixing bowl and beat on medium speed until thoroughly combined. Add the half and half and combine; start with one Tbsp and add more if needed to get a spreadable mixture.
- Add the garlic and rosemary with olive oil and mix to combine.
- Spread each of the toasted crostini with about 1 tablespoon of the cheese mixture.
- Top with a half dozen pomegranate arils and a sprinkling of rosemary leaves.
- Drizzle with honey and serve.
How would you suggest these to make ahead? Whip the cheese the night before and assemble as guests arrive? Or could these be assembled hours before the party?
I like your first idea of making the mixture early but I wouldn’t assemble everything hours ahead of time. The beauty of crostini is the combination of crisp combined with the creaminess of the cheese and I fear that you would lose some of that crispiness if they sat together for too long.
Excited to try this!
Omg, this is absolutely fab! The photos are stunning! These wonderful appetizers are so visually appealing, and the result looks so powerful. I love the way you serve these. I’m really drooling over this recipe. I’ll probably make these for our next friend’s gathering.
Thank you so much for such an amazing idea and all of your useful recommendations! Look forward to your new awesome recipes.
P.S. Barb can I find anything like this on your blog? I’d be grateful if you’d share with me a few similar recipes for lovely appetizers.
Thanks Ann…you are so sweet! If you look at the category for appetizers, it should include all of my appetizers (plus the occasional cocktail too it seems!).
https://creative-culinary.com/category/appetizers/
Another huge favorite is this French Quarter Cheese Spread; it is devoured at my annual holiday party!
https://creative-culinary.com/french-quarter-cream-cheese-spread-recipe/
I love goats cheese. I never thought about mixing it with cream cheese to soften it a little. I’m definitely going to try this recipe over the festive holidays.
It works really great Lynn, becomes spreadable and just a bit less tangy which is good for more people I think.
Hope you do get a chance to make it and enjoy it as much as we did. Is Aaron
This is DEFINITELY showing up at my parties this holiday time! I absolutely love everything about it!!! And I love that it’s easy.
Simply stunning! We’ve got a couple of holiday get-togethers coming up and this is definitely going to be on the menu!
Thanks so much Carol; I was pretty delighted that they turned out to look as beautiful as I had envisioned AND tasted good too!
Yes they are festive Barb! I love how simple and elegant your crostini appetizer is, and they’re definitely on my holiday “to do” list…
That large tray full of the crostini has me green with envy. Such a beautiful photo and so perfect for the holidays. I think I might just have some with my cocktail this weekend!
How sweet Karen; if only I could share with all of my peeps in this group!
Pomegranates are the perfect color for holiday parties! I am so excited to try these. It sounds like the perfect bite.
They are aren’t they? I like to keep both cranberries and pom arils on hand all holiday season; they both can add just the perfect festive touch.
I love your photos of the pomegranate arils and the pomegranate (and the crostini of course). What a super simple and smart idea. I am totally going to do this – I am always looking for good appetizer ideas. I bet you could do this on an apple slice if you want to reduce carbs (not me but there are always the guests!)
Thanks Beth; they are such a perfectly beautiful subject aren’t they? I think that’s a great idea and not just for low carbs but for gluten free eaters as well. My neighbor Amy took some of the cheese spread and arils home with her when I shared them because she avoids gluten and I’ll have to suggest she try that!
This is beautiful! And I can already taste it — such wonderful flavors. I’m a big fan of goat cheese, so I’ll be mixing that in with the cream cheese. 🙂 Really nice — thanks.
Thank you…and I am too John. Honestly with the blend of ingredients, the tang is lessened and I think someone who thinks they don’t like goat cheese would actually love these.
Oh, my, what an easy and GORGEOUS appetizer! Pom arils have got to be one of the prettiest ingredients plus so tasty!
Thanks Liz and I think so too. Luckily I bought two. The first one was not mature enough, most of the arils inside where clear, no color!