Saturday, March 13, 2010

Frontiago Crostini with Sun-Dried Tomatoes


At the cheese section of my grocery store, I found this unusual Fontiago cheese which was 'Made in Wisconsin'. It is a combination of Fontina and Asiago cheeses and has a soft texture and mild, nutty flavor.  The addition of Asiago in the blend gives it a pleasant 'kick'. I really enjoyed the flavor of this young, blended cheese. It would taste wonderful on a plain baguette slice or a piece of Lavash along with a glass of sparkling or still white wine.
I decided to make some cheese crostini with melted Fontiago cheese. I toasted baguette slices then topped them with pureed sun-dried tomatoes and grated Fontiago cheese which had been blended with Dijon mustard, paprika and whipped egg whites.

They were baked in a hot oven for 5 minutes to melt and puff. As you can see, I was a little too generous with the topping which ran over the crostini.  Even so, they were delicious! I'm sure this recipe would taste wonderful on any type of baquette and you could substitute a variety of cheeses in this recipe as well.

Fontiago Crostini with Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Adapted from Eat Wisconsin Cheese
Printable Recipe

Servings: Makes 12 toasts

12 baguette slices, about 1/2 inch thick
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, puréed
2 eggs, separated
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Pinch of paprika or Spanish smoked paprika
3/4 cup Wisconsin Fontiago cheese, grated

Preheat oven 400°F.

Place bread on baking sheet, brush with a little olive oil, sprinkle with a little bit of freshly ground pepper and lightly toast. Spread a thin layer of the pureed sun-dried tomatoes on each slice and set aside. In medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the mustard and paprika and stir in the grated Fontiago cheese. In a deep bowl add the egg whites and a pinch of salt and beat until the whites form stiff peaks. Fold the beaten egg whites into the cheese mixture. Top the baquettes with the cheese mixture, dividing evenly. Bake until puffed and golden, 5-7 minutes. Serve immediately.

16 comments:

  1. I only had Fontiago cheese a few times but enjoyed it very much. And it's time I bought some more but our poor cheese drawer is always so packed..J. is a cheese freak!

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  2. This appetizer looks AMAZING! This will be made this week! Fabulous-I'm off to check out this event!
    xoxo Pattie

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  3. OMG, a mix of Fontina and Asiago - I am so going to try and find that!!

    Yum!!

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  4. I enjoy that very much. I am strange, I don't like fresh tomato, but I do like sun dried in some dishes..

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  5. Those are 2 cheese varieties I adore~

    And w/ the puréed tomatoes?I still have your sun-dried tomato..asparagus pasta recipe:)
    We love sun dried tomatoes..and baguette..
    Vraiment? C'est une recette gagnante !

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  6. Your cheese recommendation sounds delicious and just maybe I can find it in a local specialty shop. Loulou's cheese events are great, but sadly we will never find the cheeses here. They are fun to read about anyway.

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  7. What a wonderful sounding cheese! Thank you for highlighting it in your recipe. I hope I can find it in a market locally.

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  8. Is there anything better than melted cheese? It sounds wonderful...the great thing about NYC is you can find just about anything here! Thanks for the product info!

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  9. Susan, Susan, Susan. You CAN'T be too generous with cheese topping. It's impossible. So what if it runs all over the place? The cook gets to swipe it up with her finger (or a fork if it's hot). At our house we call that quality control...

    Love these crostini!

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  10. You can never be too generous with cheese. There is just no such thing as too much of it.

    I love the name fontiago! It reminds me of the combination breed dogs (Cock-A-Poo, Malt-I-Poo).

    These toasts look amazing!

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  11. Looks amazing!
    Thanks for participating in La Fête!

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  12. Your crostinis look amazing ... I love sundried tomatoes and can imagine how tasty these are. I know that Wisconsin is famous for its cheese, but I didn't realize what a variety was made there. Asiago and fontina sounds like a interesting combination. Beautiful photos, Susan.

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  13. These looks splendid! I'm definitely going to make some for an appetizer.

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  14. Thank you all for your wonderful comments! Kate and Joanne, you made me laugh!

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  15. Some sort of rarebits, then. Good call. It's strange to see Asiago referred to as "tangy" because it is rarely that (unless you can get the farm raised and aged kind, a rare find). If anything that Fontina is definitely the more fragrant of the two. But that's of course considering the original Italian version, not sure what the Wisconsin version might taste like (I'd have to try this next time I drop by).

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  16. Sounds delicious! I don't think having too much cheese topping on your crostini is really a problem. ;)

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