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Prosciutto & Brie Crostini with Dried Apricots

France meets Italy in this simple prosciutto & brie crostini recipe that packs a flavorful, sweet-and-salty punch. Plus tips on building your own stellar crostini!

Do you love crostini recipes as much as I do?

Then you are in for a treat today, because this crostini recipe only calls for a handful of ingredients, and is easy enough to make for last-minute entertaining.

Or to eat as a meal on its own. This is a judgment-free zone.

Overhead view of a platter of Prosciutto & Brie Crostini with Dried Apricots next to 2 glasses of red wine.

What exactly is crostini, anyway?

Crostini is basically a fancy way of saying “thinly sliced, toasted bread with various toppings, served as an appetizer”. The most well-known way to use toasted bread like this, at least around these parts, is for bruschetta.

There’s a bit more elaboration on the difference between crostini and bruschetta in this post by Food Network.

My father-in-law and I make a killer, super garlicky bruschetta with garden-fresh tomatoes every summer, but we always gobble them up before I can get around to photographing them to write about.

So while I wait for tomato season to get into full swing, I’m sharing some fun alternative party bite recipes!

Overhead view of a board with an assortment of Spanish tapas.

You may remember seeing these Prosciutto & Brie Crostini with Dried Apricots from the post I did for my Honeyed Chorizo & Fig Crostini a while back.

They were just one of the 3 tapas-style bites I served that day, and they all turned out fantastic!

How to Properly Toast Crostini

The key to a good crostini is to have a sturdy base that can withstand the weight of the toppings. You want to get a nice, evenly toasted slice of baguette to act as the vessel to deliver whatever toppings you’ve chosen to your mouth, pronto!

Make sure you slice your baguette consistently so that all the pieces cook at the same rate. I like to drizzle lightly with olive oil, then rub the slices and flip them around in it to coat the bread evenly without oversaturating them. If they absorb too much oil, they won’t get nice and crispy.

Close-up view of a platter of Prosciutto & Brie Crostini with Dried Apricots.

You can grill or broil the bread to get it nice and toasty. I talk about grilling bread a bit in this post for Goat Cheese Toast with Honeyed Citrus Fruit. My go-to method for crostini is broiling.

Broil until the first side is golden, about 3-5 minutes, then flip the bread over and continue to broil for another minute or 2. Be sure to watch your bread so it doesn’t burn! The second side always cooks faster than the first, in my experience.

Adding Cheese to Crostini

Anyone who has eaten a meal with me knows that I am all.about.that.cheese. I lived in Wisconsin for 10 years, and I definitely brought my love of cheese with me when I moved to New York.

There are many different varieties of cheese that you can work with, and each type has its own unique characteristics. A lot of people default to smearing goat cheese onto their crostini, which is delicious, but don’t be afraid to experiment with more!

3/4 view of a platter of Prosciutto & Brie Crostini with Dried Apricots next to a bottle of red wine.

Many cheeses benefit from being brought to room temperature before being served. This really lets the flavors of the cheese shine through. The next time you’re planning to eat a soft cheese like brie, taste a wedge of it straight out of the refrigerator, then come back to it in 15 minutes or so. It’s incredible what a difference it can make!

For this crostini recipe, I chose a goat milk brie from Montchevre that was fabulous!

Making Crostini Exciting

The sky is the limit when it comes to the toppings that you put on your crostini.

I like to take color and texture into consideration when building my crostini. The bread will be crunchy enough, so you don’t need to go overboard adding more crunch, but I enjoyed the slight amount that the sliced almonds added here.

Close-up view of a hand holding a Prosciutto & Brie Crostini with Dried Apricots and a platter in the background.

Sweet and salty is a combination that always works, in my opinion. Meats and cheeses are fun to mix and match, and fresh greens or herbs add a nice bit of color at the end.

Fresh or dried fruit is a great way to add a bit of sweetness, as is a drizzle of honey. If you’re going for a more savory crostini, rubbing a garlic clove on the still-warm bread imparts a ton of flavor onto your toast, like we’re doing in this recipe.

A drizzle of good quality extra-virgin olive oil is a great way to finish your platter.

Close-up view of a platter of Prosciutto & Brie Crostini with Dried Apricots.

This particular crostini is a bit like combining several elements of a charcuterie board onto one (or two) bites. My family absolutely loves prosciutto, and the saltiness goes beautifully with fruit.

If you’ve ever had prosciutto-wrapped melon, you know how addictive it can be. And I have a fantastic salad that uses those same flavors, too!

Overhead view of a platter of Prosciutto & Brie Crostini with Dried Apricots next to a bottle of red wine.

Looking for more bite-sized favorites? Check out these 5-star recipes:

Recipe for Prosciutto & Brie Crostini with Dried Apricots

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Overhead view of a platter of Prosciutto & Brie Crostini with Dried Apricots next to a bottle of red wine.

Prosciutto & Brie Crostini with Dried Apricots

  • Author: Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen - Ashley Covelli
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 5 minutes
  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: 32 crostini 1x
  • Category: Appetizers
  • Method: Broiling
  • Cuisine: Italian

Description

France meets Italy in this simple prosciutto & brie crostini recipe that packs a flavorful, sweet-and-salty punch. With only a handful of ingredients, they’re perfect party bites for entertaining that are easy enough to make last minute.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 baguette, sliced on the bias into 1/4-inch thick slices
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 12 cloves garlic, root ends trimmed off
  • 1 (3 ounce) package prosciutto
  • 1 (4 ounce) wheel brie cheese (I used a goat milk variety), at room temperature, sliced about 1/4-inch thick
  • 1012 dried apricots, sliced into thirds
  • 1/4 cup sliced almonds
  • 1/3 cup baby arugula
  • 24 tablespoons good quality extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling


Instructions

  1. Preheat broiler to high.
  2. Place baguette slices on a baking sheet and drizzle lightly with olive oil, flipping slices and rubbing them around a bit to get oil on both sides. Broil until golden brown, about 3-5 minutes, then flip and broil for another minute or 2, until golden brown. You may need to do this in 2 batches if using the full baguette.
  3. While the bread is still warm, rub the cut side of a garlic clove all over one side of each piece of baguette.
  4. Transfer toasted baguette slices to a serving platter. Tear prosciutto into smaller pieces and divide evenly between the pieces of bread. Top each with a slice of brie, a few slices of apricot, a sprinkle of sliced almonds, and a couple of arugula leaves. Drizzle crostini with extra-virgin olive oil and serve.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size:
  • Calories: 90
  • Sugar: 1.3 g
  • Sodium: 141.3 mg
  • Fat: 4.2 g
  • Saturated Fat: 1.2 g
  • Carbohydrates: 10.1 g
  • Fiber: 0.6 g
  • Protein: 3.2 g
  • Cholesterol: 5.9 mg

Keywords: crostini, goat brie, prosciutto, party food

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Overhead view of a platter of Prosciutto & Brie Crostini with Dried Apricots next to 2 glasses of red wine.

Ashley Covelli is a food photographer, recipe developer, and culinary instructor based in Ossining, New York. She loves helping people become enthusiastic and adventurous in the kitchen so that they can build skills and confidence to cook for themselves and their loved ones. She can almost always be found with at least 3 different beverages within arm's reach.

13 Comments

  • Anna

    I absolutely love crostini and your version looks so tempting! Cheese on top is a must for me! They look irresistible!






  • Analida @ ethnicspoon.com

    Crostini is a way of life in our house. Some weekends we just have a spread of tapas or appetizers for dinner and it is so fun and easy. This flavor combination sounds lovely!






  • Veena Azmanov

    I absolutely love the combination of brie with apricots or figs and prosciutto with brie – so this is like my three favorites in one. Definitely wanna try this soon. Saving for later.






  • Dominique | Perchance to Cook

    Talk about delicious! Brie + Apricots together are a match made in heaven. Add proscuitto and it puts it over the top! Major yum!

  • Karyl Henry

    I love crostini! You are so right…the sky is the limit with toppings. I only really make it when I’m entertaining, but I love coming up with different topping ideas.

  • Kim @ Berly's Kitchen

    My husband and I could make a meal out of this. It has the perfect blend of salty and sweet. Not to mention, the portion size is just right. This sounds so good. Wish I had the ingredients to make it today.






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