Pear, Raspberry and Goat Cheese Crostini
Grilled toasts topped with goat cheese, pears, raspberries and honey, are a simple and delicious late summer appetizer.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on October 22, 2024
What day is it again? Thursday? How did Thursday happen? To tell you the truth, losing track of time is not my only problem. Iโm struggling here, in this new living situation. I lost a significant amount of counter space and gave up my dishwasher to move to Kansas City. Worst of all, I canโt seem to figure out the lighting in my new place. One cloud rolls overhead and all the rooms go dark.
Yesterday evening, I tried in vain to catch the last rays of golden sunlight by propping up this tray of crostini on a precarious ledge next to a window. The whole thing fell to the floor with a clatter, leaving a trail of sticky honey on my leg, goat cheese on the tile and little shards of ceramic plate all over my sunroom. I was about ready to give up on ever taking a decent picture in this place. This morning, however, beautiful light is streaming in through all the windows. I canโt decide if the light is taunting me or encouraging me to try, try again, but try again I will. Hereโs to hoping Iโll have this figured out and be back to my regular posting schedule next week.
These little toasts were supposed to be a quick and easy post, a light meal to help make up for an extravagant, extended wedding weekend in Colorado. In my never-ending quest to find the best flavor combinations, however, I just had to try goat cheese crostini with arugula, figs, balsamic and sherry vinegar, raspberries and pears, and in the process justified massive consumption of cheese and bread for two days straight. Typical!
Hereโs my favorite variation: grilled whole wheat crostini spread with goat cheese, topped with slices of pear and a couple of raspberries, and finished with a drizzle of honey, a sprinkling of black pepper and a squeeze of lemon. They are pretty perfect for this awkward time between summer and fall, and make for a quick snack or impressive appetizer.
Pear, Raspberry and Goat Cheese Crostini
These late summer appetizers are plenty decadent, like a long wedding weekend, but stacked with enough healthy ingredients to justify eating for dinner all on their own. To all my single ladies: feel free to plop a good piece of whole wheat bread in the toaster and top as directed. Dinner is served!
Ingredients
- 1 whole grain baguette, or slices of whole wheat bread
- Extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing
- 10 ounces goat cheese, at room temperature (a log of it, not goat cheese crumbles)
- 2 ripe pears, cut into ยผ-inch thick slices
- ยฝ cup fresh raspberries
- Honey, for drizzling
- 1 lemon, juiced
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Flaky or fine sea salt, optional (to taste)
Instructions
- Slice the baguette into ยฝ-inch rounds. Brush both sides of each round with olive oil and grill on medium heat until the bread is toasted and light grill marks appear. Alternatively, you could toast the crostini in an oven preheated to 400 degrees for about 4 to 7 minutes, turning halfway. Or just toss the bread in the toaster and then brush the toast with olive oil.
- Top each crostini with a smear of goat cheese, then a slice of pear and two raspberries. Drizzle a bit of honey and a light sprinkle of lemon juice over the top. Finish it with a light sprinkle of freshly ground black pepper and sea salt.
Notes
- I didnโt bother with exact quantities here, but I trust that you can figure them out to suit your needs.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionistโs advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
P.s. Need more toast in your life? Try avocado toast (I insist!) or garlicky tomato and goat cheese toast.
The last three apartments I lived in had HORRIBLE lighting. So, when I moved into my current place, the number one requirement was good freaking lighting. Itโs so hard to come by, even in sunny Colorado.
Iโve been easing back into consuming gluten, and I definitely see these little crostini in my future :)
Oh my gosh those flavors. Iโm drooling.
It took me about a year to figure out where the best place in my apartment was to take pictures; I dread the thought of moving and having to start again!
I love little things on toast for any meal and at any time of year but youโre right about it being perfect for now. Such a lovely combination of flavours too.
So very charming! Kind of a half-dessert, half-savoury snack.
I still need to come by for a spell and see you!
I think the light is gawgeous in these shots. And Iโd really like to rub that goat cheese all over my face right this instant.
I was going to say โ how perfect for this time of year, combining the end of summer with the beginning of fall into one delicious little bite!
Crostinis sound like an amazing indulgence right about now. I totally get the same way about my small-bite peanut butter and apple โsnacksโ (what? who ate the entire jar when I wasnโt looking?). Guess Iโll have to give these a go-goโthanks for sharing!
I love the idea to eat my favorite fruit with a cheese !
you have fabulous idea
i test tomorrow for the lunch
These crostini sound like an amazing way to eat the last great fruit of summerโand the first of fall. I love it!
This looks so fresh and lovely, Kate! The perfect light meal! Iโm off to a wedding this weekend, so I think Iโll be in need of some light eating come Monday.
Nothing at all wrong with eating copious amounts of bread and cheese! Itโs all in the job, right?!? Iโm glad you had to โsufferโ through for us to find these amazing flavor combos!
I feel for your lack of reliable sunshine. Glad to know Iโm not the only one precariously placing fragile objects on teetering ledges for that one little bit of light. I applaud your temerity.
What a stunning combination. I have some goatโs cheese and raspberries in my fridge, so Iโm going to give this one a try.
Cheese and fruit, what a great pair! Looks wonderful as always, you are such an inspiration! I have been seriously craving figs and cheese right now, but raspberries sounds lovely as well.
Thank you, Katherine! I have had the hardest time finding ripe figs here in the Midwest. Iโm about ready to give up on them!
This looks fabulous! Awesome idea!
And this is why as food bloggers we can never get rid of those last five poundsโฆall those samplesโฆsounds fun and delicious!!
Beautiful, a perfect appetizer! Iโm loving the morning light too.
What a great combination! This looks wonderful!
We did some moving over the weekend (him in with me โofficiallyโ)โฆ and we are talking about a guy who had minimal wordly possessions other than a veritable library. In short, that was easy on the scale of moving. If I had to undertake what you have it would throw me off for a month. At the very, very least. Fruit. Cheese. Honey. Toast. Iโm pretty sure that combo is the result of the entirety of humanityโs gustatory experience. Sounds awesome. & sunlight is a capricious mistress, alas!
What a great combination of flavors. I would never have thought to add the raspberry! I love it!
Crostini and cheese is the devil seriously. It always starts as this light snack thing and surprise! There I am lying on the couch, ready to pass out from so. much. cheese. Ultimately a good thing. These photos are lovely, seems like youโre hitting your photographic stride in the new place just fine :)
Iโve always loved the goats cheese and fruit combo. I like to combine it with apple, pear, strawberries, pears and grapes. Your photos just scream deliciousness so now I want to eat it! Yum:)
Whoa. These are some of the greatest ingredients stuffed into one tiny appetizerโฆ I need it.
Yikes! Sorry to hear the new space is still taking some time getting used to. I get super frustrated when I feel like Iโm out of counter space, or am running out of time to shoot in daylight. But, Iโm sure youโll figure it all out โ after all, these pictures are beautiful! Glad to see you back here and hope you are enjoying KC!
Thanks, Kasey! xo!
Pretty photos! I saw somebody elseโs photo on FoodGawker and then their site led me to your site. :)
These look so good โ I love pears in anything. And your photos are lovely! Good light can be tricky โ I have the same problem in my house; itโs taken me forever to figure out what rooms at what time. And then the seasons change and so does the schedule. [Should I tag this first world problems, ha?] I hope you have a lovely fall in your new place.
These look divine, thanks for sharing them! Even if lightening wasnโt ideal, they look beautiful and your photoโs make me wish I had them right now! If it makes you feel any better, I curse the lightening in my place all the time!! :)
Iโm happy to have run across your blog! Iโm always searching for recipes like this that are very simple, unique, and delicious. And- I made this recipe but found other recipes you posted with similar ingredients- so a little went a long way. Keep up the good work!
Iโm happy you found my blog, Anne! Hope you enjoy the other recipes, Iโd love to hear your feedback on them!
This morning I was frantically running around the kitchen in desperate search for a healthy lunch to pack. So you saved me! It took me 4 minutes to prep all of this and take it to-go. Now Iโm sitting quietly at my desk waiting for lunch time. Is it here yet?
Hope you enjoyed your lunch today, Silvia! Glad my crostini could come to the rescue. :)
Sounds lovely! I hear ya on extravagant wedding weekends. We had one last weekend, another tomorrow, and one in two weeks. Phew!
This is sensational; I love pears and raspberries together!