Sun-Dried Tomato Crostini

A couple of days ago I bought a delicious loaf of baguette from a small Vietnamese restaurant. Honestly, I just bought the bread to munch on but when I was almost halfway through, I had an epiphany. CROSTINIS!  I hurried to the kitchen and took out all the ingredients I thought would accompany well with this beautiful loaf of baguette. Viola~

I tried recreating this appetizer using baguette I bought from Costco the next day and was truly disappointed. Although the packaging was labeled as "French baguette," its texture and taste resembles of a sourdough bread. SHAME ON YOU COSTCO FOR FALSE ADVERTISEMENT! So please do take time to hunt down real baguette if you want a full sun-dried tomato crostini experience.

  

On a side note, this sun-dried tomato topping can add a fresh tangy kick to most of  your dishes: toasts, burgers, omelets, stir-fry with brown rice, crackers, sandwiches, bad baguette etc. Give this recipe a try and let me know what you paired the topping with. Thanks for stopping by~

Real Crostini made with real baguette

Ingredients:

• 1 French-bread baguette, cut into 1/2-inch-think slices 
• 2/3 cup olive oil
• 2 teaspoons garlic paste
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 1/2 cup sun-dried tomato packed with oil
• Salt to taste
• 1/2 cup green onion for garnish

Directions:

• Preheat oven at 375°F and line baking sheet with foil paper.
• In the meantime chop sun-dried tomatoes into fine pieces and reserve it in a bowl. Stir in garlic paste, lemon juice, dried basil, olive oil, and salt to taste. 
• Using a pastry brush, brush each baguette slices lightly with the oil mixture you made (just the oil). Toast for 8 minutes or until lightly toasted.
• Spread the crostini with sun-dried tomato mixture and sprinkle with green onion. Enjoy

A closer look at the Costco baguette