The first time my brother-in-law offered to cook for us, I pasted a smile on my face and stifled an urge to run for the hills. At the time, he was a bachelor and used to feeding himself basic meals that could go from microwave to plate as quickly as possible (yeah, that meant a lot – I mean A LOT – of frozen burritos). So, when he whipped up an appetizer that involved a wheel of Brie cheese and strawberries cooked inside a crusty, golden brown layer of pastry, I was eating my words…and then several helpings of that gooey, melty dish. Okay, I may have seated myself beside the plate and chowed down until there was not a single morsel to be found.
I blamed it on the kids.
That blissful first meeting with the Brie and strawberries led to a bit of an obsession. My dreams filled with spinning wheels of Brie and dancing strawberries (okay, that’s a little weird…true, but weird) that ultimately culminated in one of my favorite desserts, Brie Cheese & Strawberry Puff Pastry “Ravioli” with Chocolate Sauce.
The thing that dreams are made of.
My infatuation hasn’t waned and I find myself, yet again, pairing together the sweet, fragrant fruit with slices of warm, melted cheese. This time it’s in the form of crostini and topped with a light drizzle of honey and thin slices of fresh basil. The first time i made this, I wasn’t sure what to expect. With the first bite, my teeth sunk slowly through the strawberries and soft cheese until they met with the slightly crunchy bread. The flavors are sweet and savory, herbaceous and floral…and utterly delightful.
I’m not sure whether to call this an appetizer or a dessert because, really, it could go either way. Whether you choose to serve it at the beginning or the end of the meal, I guarantee that it will be a hit. And watch out because you, too, may become bitten by the strawberry-Brie bug.
The recipe:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Lay the baguette slices on a baking sheet. Top each piece of baguette with a slice of Brie cheese.
Bake in oven until the cheese is melted and the bread is toasted, 5 to 6 minutes.
Top each with 2 slices of strawberry, 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of honey and a few slices of basil. Serve.
Other crostini with fruit:
Foodiecrush’s Peach & Tomato Bruschetta
Two Peas and Their Pod’s Roasted Grape, Blue Cheese & Honey Crostini
Running to the Kitchen’s Blueberry Ginger Jam & Goat Cheese Crostini
From the kitchen of Cookin Canuck. www.cookincanuck.com
Ingredients
- 12 thin slices French baguette (sliced on diagonal)
- 4 oz. Brie cheese, cut into 12 slices
- 6 medium strawberries, sliced
- 1 to 2 tbsp honey or agave nectar
- 4 fresh basil leave, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Lay the baguette slices on a baking sheet. Top each piece of baguette with a slice of Brie cheese.
- Bake in oven until the cheese is melted and the bread is toasted, 5 to 6 minutes.
- Top each with 2 slices of strawberry, 1/2 to 1/2 teaspoon of honey and a few slices of basil. Serve.
{ 33 comments… read them below or add one }
I think you should just call it brilliant – it looks so delicious, Dara! Love the simplicity of it.
I’ll take this at any time of the day Dara! We’ve been enjoying light snacks like this a lot – cheese, honey and fruit. Cannot get better than this! Perfect with a chilled chardonnay!
I think it would make a great breakfast too:)
Creamy, sweet and crunchy, what a great little appetizer! The honey/agave on top sounds delicious. This crostini is beautiful and simple to make – definitely perfect use for fresh ripe strawberries!
What a fantastic combination!! This is my kind of meal!
This looks delicious! I have everything for this, so you know what’s for lunch today!
I could literally eat these beauts all day long!
I totally know how good this would taste! I’ve tried the frozen burritos before but 2 minutes after they are done they’re always rock hard?? I learned my lesson and with so many awesome Mexican eats here in CA frozen burritos are no longer
Totally putting this on my list of possible appetizers/snacks to make for company! Thanks.
Is there anything that doesn’t go with Brie? I think not. Brie is heavenly!
Your absolutely right, I could have this for and appetizer or dessert, or paired with a salad for lunch.
Wow, I love and funny story. But what is that cool cutting ool you are using? Is it for ravioli? I want it!
Brie was born to be paired with fruit…add the crunch of pastry or in this case some bruschetta…ahh, umm, good!
Don’t let their cousins raspberries go unused though…equally as fabulous in similar applications. Doggone it Dara…now seriously craving an appetizer for lunch!
I could honestly make a meal of this… and I can completely relate to your obsession!! Definitely the perfect “snack” for summer because you could eat this at ANY time of day!!!
This is such a perfect appetizer! I make a similar thing with goats cheese, but I really need to try brie next time!
I love strawberries with brie ~ a lovely appetizer that is simple + yet so elegant. Glad to hear your brother in law was such a success!
I love this, strawberries are perfect with brie! Beautiful photos!
Anything with strawberries literally calls my name! Lol. Not only do these crostinis look beautiful, i bet they taste awesome!!!
Brie and strawberries + walnuts is my favorite, sometimes I even drizzle a tiny bit of maple syrup on top. I’ve never added basil before but can’t wait to try this!
I was sold just when you said strawberries, but it got even better! Love it!
Fantastic snack!!!! I can have this anytime. Its looking so YUMMY!!!
This just made my day. They look fantastic. I love brie and I love even more that you can pair it was so many flavors and it only gets better. Your crostini is a new combination for me but I am certainly going to check it out soon.
Love it! Such a winning combination!
Simple is always best.
V
This is just gorgeous!!!!! Is there any better combo that strawberry and brie?
Proving once again that simple is best!
Hey sweet friend, These look like the perfect little bites to go with Prosecco!
How delicious!
A very playful and elegant implementation of strawberries! The sweetness must go so well with the brie cheese! Very clever and quite delicious.
Mmmmm, I wouldn’t be able to eat the bread but I’d happily eat the topping right off of all of those!
Oh man, this looks so good, I love pairing fruit with brie…you just took it to a whole new level!
What would you substitute for basil? Or should I just eliminate it completely?
Can’t wait to do these. Yumm
Annabelle, there isn’t a great substitute for fresh basil, so I would just leave it out. They’ll still be good!
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