Goat Cheese Crostini with Sweet Pea Pesto
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts
- 1 cup shelled fresh sweet English peas (from 12 ounces to 1 pound peas in the pod)
- 1 small clove garlic
- 2 tablespoons packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
- 2 tablespoons packed fresh chervil leaves
- About 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 baguette
- 5 ounces soft, fresh goat cheese
- Heat the oven to 400F.
- Spread the pine nuts on a baking sheet and toast in the oven until golden, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Transfer the nuts to a plate and set aside to cool.
- Increase the oven temperature to 425F.
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and prepare a bowl of ice water.
- Cook the peas in the boiling water until very tender but still bright green, 2 to 6 minutes.
- Drain the peas and immediately transfer them to the ice water to stop the cooking.
- When they are cool, drain and dry them on a towel.
- In a mortar, use a pestle to pound the garlic clove with a pinch of salt to a paste.
- Add the peas and pound into a paste, adding a little olive oil to help if necessary.
- Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl.
- Add the pine nuts to the mortar and pound them briefly to break them up, but do not pound them to a paste; they should still have a bit of texture.
- Add the nuts to the pea mixture.
- Coarsely chop the parsley and chervil and add them to the bowl.
- Stir in enough olive oil to loosen the pesta but not enough to make it runny.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.
- Slice the baguette into 1/4-inch slices.
- Arrange the slices on a baking sheet, and toast in the hot oven until golden, 6 to 8 minutes.
- Cool slightly.
- Spread about 1/2 teaspoon of the goat cheese on each crostini and grind some black pepper over the cheese.
- Arrange the crostini on a platter and top each with about 1 teaspoon of the pestp.
- Drizzle with some olive oil and serve.
nuts, peas, clove garlic, parsley, chervil, extra virgin olive oil, kosher salt, baguette, fresh goat cheese
Taken from www.cookstr.com/recipes/goat-cheese-crostini-with-sweet-pea-pesto (may not work)