Grilled Apricot Crostini | Friday Night Bites

I am hopelessly in love with summer fruit.  Raspberries, blueberries, plums, nectarines, peaches and apricots all just signify that summer is here.  They are fresh, flavorful, ripe and bursting with brilliant fruit flavor.  What tends to go hand in hand with summer is grilling.

If you have not grilled bread, I highly suggest it.  It adds such a depth of flavor to the bread and what you decide to place on top of it.  Many times I will grill bread and top with thinly sliced avocados and drizzle with a bit of reduced balsamic vinegar and a touch of fleur de sel.  The combination is out of this world.  Trust me.  By the way, with a great glass of sauvignon blanc or even a smoky cabernet, you will be in appetizer heaven.

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This avocado crostini got me thinking, what other combination would sit well on a grilled baguette slice.  Ah ha …… the ripe summer fruit would be stunning and even better, I thought to grill it.  Next would be to add a bit of cheese.  Could have used brie or camembert but that would be too expected.  I am fascinated with burrata, so that was the ticket.  It was only natural to add some reduced balsamic and a touch of thinly sliced basil.  After tasting, I determined that a sprinkle of sea salt made this heavenly bite complete. 

So simple, yet so delicious and so perfect for my Friday Night Bite, the only thing was to pair it with the ideal adult beverage.  The perfect pairing was a chilled glass of prosecco.  The crisp effervescence of this dry Italian sparkling wine was a stunning pairing with the smoky bread and sweet reduced balsamic and earthy basil. 

You could certainly substitute the apricots for peaches or nectarines or even grapes.  The recipe is a bit loose but I will give you as much information as possible to recreate these beauties.  Cheers to summer!  (Okay almost summer officially, but whose checking.  Smile)

Grilled Apricot Crostini

Makes 12

Baguette, cut into ½ inch slices

Olive Oil

6 Fresh apricots

Burrata

½ Cup Basil, thinly sliced

½ Cup Balsamic Vinegar

Sea Salt

Brush each slice of sliced baguette lightly with olive oil.  Heat an indoor or outdoor grill.  Place the slices of bread onto the grill and continue to flip until you achieve a golden brown color.  Lower the heat to medium to prevent burning and watch carefully.  Remove and let cool.

Cut each apricot in half and remove the seed.  Brush lightly with olive oil.  Place onto the grill with the cut side up and let cook until grill marks appear.  Remove and let cool.  Cut each half into thirds.  Cut basil into thin strands (chiffonade).

In a small sauté pan, add the balsamic vinegar and cook on medium to medium high until it turns to a syrup consistency.  Be careful to watch since it can quickly burn.  Remove and let cool.  If it becomes too thick, add a touch of balsamic to thin.

To assemble, remove the burrata from the water and pat dry with a paper towel and place into a bowl.    Spread about a tablespoon of burrata on each grilled crostini.  Next, sprinkle with a bit of the sea salt and top with a half of the grilled apricot that was cut into thirds and drizzle with the reduced balsamic and top with the basil.  Enjoy!