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There are a lot of celebrity chefs we follow and love, from Giada De Laurentiis to Martha Stewart. And while we adore the recipes those two churn out, we have to admit that there’s one cook out there who inspires us to get in the kitchen most of all: Ina Garten. And we’re not alone! When the Barefoot Contessa recently shared a recipe from her Barefoot Contessa Foolproof cookbook on Instagram, even celebs felt called to get in the kitchen; Jennifer Garner commented “Making this tonight!” on the post, while Julianna Marguiles said “Yes please!” The recipe in question? Something simple yet flawless, like all of the best Ina Garten recipes: a sweet cherry tomato and creamy feta crostini that’s perfect for parties.
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The recipe appears on page 66 of Barefoot Contessa Foolproof, but thankfully Garten also shared the recipe on her website, so we can all try it while cherry tomatoes are at their peak of in-season flavor.
Clarkson Potter.
Garten’s crostini recipe is like a take on bruschetta. First, she makes a tomato salad, which she says you can make with heirloom tomatoes or cherry tomatoes, and these days you can even get heirloom cherry tomatoes in stores, so those will work as well. Basically, whatever tomatoes you can find that are the ripest, juiciest, and sweetest will work best. They get chopped up, then tossed with a red wine vinegar, shallot, and onion mixture, as well as olive oil and julienned basil leaves. We could eat this tomato salad alone, but using it to top crostini is an easy way to elevate the recipe.
For the crostini, Garten toasts slices of baguette, then tops them with a creamy, tangy feta spread made with feta cheese, cream cheese, olive oil, and lemon juice. The tomato salad is added on top, along with a garnish of toasted pine nuts to add some crunch. The result is a perfectly balanced crostini featuring crunchy toasted bread, juicy-sweet tomatoes, the salty kick of feta, and a luxuriously creamy texture that makes this appetizer seem a lot more complicated than it actually is.
And don’t be afraid to experiment. We think it would be delicious made with spicy red pepper feta, or with some chili crisp added to the cheese spread, and capers or pitted castelvetrano olives could add an extra pop of brininess to the recipe. Serve with cocktails, mocktails, or sparkling wine, and you might actually think you’ve been transported to one of Garten’s famous Hamptons dinner parties at first bite.
Before you go, check out our slideshow below:
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