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Culinary Explorer
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Roasted Pepper and Goat Cheese Crostini
Created by
Sweet peppers blistered over flame, their skins slipped away to reveal silky flesh, paired with tangy local chèvre on grilled bread rubbed with garlic. This is summer on a crostini.
Appetizers & Snacks
California
Make Ahead
Dinner Party
25 min
Active Time
20 min cook•45 min total
Yield12 crostini
Start with the peppers. At the height of summer, you will find them at the market in impossible colors: deep crimson, sunset orange, butter yellow. They should feel heavy for their size and smell faintly sweet even through the skin. That is ripeness. That is what you are looking for.
Roasting peppers over an open flame is one of the oldest kitchen techniques, and one of the simplest. The fire blisters the skin and concentrates the sugars inside. You end up with something silky, smoky, and deeply sweet. It takes almost no effort if the ingredient is right.
The goat cheese here should come from someone you can name, or at least a region you recognize. Good chèvre has a bright tang that cuts through the sweetness of the peppers. Together on warm, garlicky bread, they become something greater than their parts. This is the kind of appetizer I would set out at Chez Panisse, food that tastes like a specific place and moment in time.
Every meal is a meaningful choice. These crostini are proof that perfect ingredients need almost nothing done to them.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
sweet peppers
Quantity
3 large
preferably a mix of red, yellow, and orange
fresh goat cheese (chèvre)
Quantity
4 ounces
at room temperature
baguette
Quantity
1
cut into 1/2-inch slices on the bias
extra-virgin olive oil
Quantity
3 tablespoons, plus more for drizzling
garlic clove
Quantity
1 small
flaky sea salt
Quantity
to taste
black pepper
Quantity
to taste
freshly ground
fresh basil leaves
Quantity
for finishing
small or torn
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| sweet pepperspreferably a mix of red, yellow, and orange | 3 large |
| fresh goat cheese (chèvre)at room temperature | 4 ounces |
| baguettecut into 1/2-inch slices on the bias | 1 |
| extra-virgin olive oil | 3 tablespoons, plus more for drizzling |
| garlic clove | 1 small |
| flaky sea salt | to taste |
| black pepperfreshly ground | to taste |
| fresh basil leavessmall or torn | for finishing |
Equipment Needed
- •Gas burner or broiler
- •Grill pan or cast iron skillet
- •Wooden serving board
Instructions
- 1
Roast the peppers
Set your peppers directly over an open gas flame, or place them on a sheet pan under a hot broiler. Turn them as the skin blackens and blisters, about three to four minutes per side. You want the skin charred in spots but not the flesh beneath. The peppers should collapse slightly and smell sweet and smoky.
If you have a grill going, use it. The peppers will take on that honest char that reminds you of summer cookouts. - 2
Steam and peel
Transfer the charred peppers to a bowl and cover tightly with a plate or plastic wrap. Let them steam for ten minutes. The trapped heat loosens the skins. When cool enough to handle, slip the skins off with your fingers. Do not rinse them under water. You will wash away all that hard-won flavor.
- 3
Slice and season
Remove the stems and seeds from the peppers. Slice the flesh into strips about half an inch wide. Toss them gently with a tablespoon of olive oil, a pinch of flaky salt, and a few grinds of black pepper. Taste one. If the peppers are good, they will be sweet and faintly smoky, needing almost nothing.
- 4
Grill the bread
Brush both sides of each baguette slice with olive oil. Grill over medium heat or toast in a hot cast iron pan until golden with distinct char marks, about two minutes per side. While still warm, rub one side of each slice with the cut garlic clove. The rough surface acts like a grater, leaving behind just a whisper of garlic.
Day-old bread works beautifully here. It holds up to the toppings without turning soggy. - 5
Assemble
Spread a generous layer of room temperature goat cheese on each warm crostini, about a tablespoon per slice. The cheese should be soft enough to spread without tearing the bread. Arrange two or three pepper strips on top, letting them drape naturally. Finish with a drizzle of your best olive oil, a pinch of flaky salt, and a small basil leaf or two.
- 6
Serve
Arrange the crostini on a wooden board or simple platter. Serve at room temperature within an hour of assembling. These are meant to be eaten with your hands, standing in the kitchen or gathered around a long table with friends.
Chef Tips
- •Buy peppers from a farmer who grows them for flavor, not for shipping. The thick-walled ones bred for supermarket travel often taste like nothing at all.
- •Roasted peppers keep beautifully. Make a big batch when they are in season, cover them in olive oil, and store in the refrigerator for up to a week. You will find a hundred uses.
- •If peppers are out of season, consider what is available. Winter crostini might feature roasted beets with chèvre and walnuts, or sautéed mushrooms with fresh ricotta.
- •The quality of your olive oil matters here. Use something you would be happy to drink from a spoon. It is a finishing oil, not a cooking medium.
Advance Preparation
- •Roasted peppers can be prepared up to three days ahead and stored in olive oil in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before assembling.
- •Bread can be sliced and stored in an airtight container for one day. Grill or toast just before serving.
- •Assemble crostini no more than one hour before serving. The bread softens if it sits too long.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 65g)
Calories
145 calories
Total Fat
8 g
Saturated Fat
3 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
5 g
Cholesterol
7 mg
Sodium
240 mg
Total Carbohydrates
14 g
Dietary Fiber
1 g
Sugars
2 g
Protein
4 g
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