November marks the start of holiday entertaining in my household.
I’ve always been a fan of appetizers and small plates over full meals, unless it’s Thanksgiving of course, so you’ll usually find my dining table filled with bite-sized foods for guests to graze over while sipping a glass of wine.
In college I worked in a restaurant with an incredible rotating menu, but a constant on the starters page was their crostini. There’s was a bit more simple: toasted French bread topped with three toppings including goat cheese and sun-dried tomato, green olive, and black olive tapenade. It was the first item I ordered off the menu and over the next 5 years I frequently brought it home with me after a hard day at work. It never got old.
To this day I love to come up with new ways to serve crostini depending on what wine I’m serving alongside.
I’ll preface sharing these recipes with you by saying that I’m no wine expert, but I do know what flavors I think pair best with wines I tend to keep around the house.
To start the crostini, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and pop in slices of bread covered in olive oil when ready for about 10 minutes. After, layer cheese on top and melt for 5 minutes or until desired consistency.
To Pair with Chardonnay
Melted Brie with cold pepper jelly and caramelized onions.
I chose John Osborn Napa Chardonnay.
To Pair with Champagne
Cold goat cheese drizzled with honey and sprinkled with berries.
My pick? Indigo Eyes Sparkling Brut!
To Pair with Pinot Noir
Melted Gouda with bacon and jalapeño.
Pra Vinera Pinot Noir for the win!
Don’t be afraid to get playful with your bread options.
I used sourdough, sunflower seed, and rosemary loaves.
See the finished product here:
Here’s a secret: for the entire month of November, Grocery Outlet‘s wines are 20% off!
Earlier I mentioned not being a wine expert. Luckily Grocery Outlet‘s wine buyers are! They actually live in Napa and know how to choose the best quality wines for the best prices.
When I popped in to get the ingredients for these items including all three bottles of wine, I spent under $30. Outrageously inexpensive!
Okay, so tell me… red, white, or bubbles?
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