Roasted Garlic Tuna And Pesto Crostini Food

ROASTED GARLIC CROSTINI

Steps:

• Trim tip off garlic head to expose cloves; place head on piece of foil.
• Drizzle oil over top; wrap in foil.
• Bake in 400°F oven until cloves are softened and caramelized, about 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, toast baguette slices on baking sheet in 400°F oven until golden, about 8 minutes.
• Spread pine nuts on small baking sheet; toast alongside baguette slices until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
• To serve, arrange baguette slices, garlic, pine nuts, goat cheese and parsley on serving plate.
• Using small fork, remove 2 roasted cloves from garlic bulb; spread on baguette slice.
• Top with goat cheese round, pine nuts and parsley.

GARLIC HERB SHRIMP AND PESTO CROSTINI

Steps:

• Stir together tomatoes, 1 tbsp oil, basil and salt in small bowl. Set aside.
• Preheat grill to medium heat. Brush both sides of baguette slices with remaining 1 tbsp oil, dividing evenly. Arrange in single layer on grill. Cook, turning once, until grill-marked, about 4 minutes. Transfer to large plate. Set aside.
• Brush grill with oil. Arrange frozen shrimp, shell side down, in single layer on grill. Close lid and cook over medium heat, turning halfway through cooking time, until opaque throughout and shells are pink; about 5 to 7 Transfer to separate large plate; remove and discard shells.
• Spread pesto over top of baguette, dividing evenly. Top with shrimp and tomato mixture, dividing evenly.
• Chef's Tip: No barbecue? Arrange baguette slices in a single layer on a baking sheet and drizzle with oil; bake in 400°F (200°C) oven, flipping baguette once, until crispy and light golden; about 6 minutes. Set aside. Arrange shrimp, shell side down, in a single layer on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet; bake in 450°F (230°C) oven until opaque throughout and shells are pink; about 10 to 12 minutes.

TUNA AND ROASTED PEPPER CROSTINI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• On a large baking sheet arrange bread slices in one layer and toast in middle of oven until golden and crisp, about 10 minutes.
• Make tuna spread:
• In a food processor purée spread ingredients until blended well and season with salt and pepper. Toasts, tuna spread, and roasted peppers may be prepared up to this point 3 days ahead, toasts kept in an airtight container at room temperature and tuna spread and roasted peppers chilled, covered, in separate bowls. Bring tuna spread and roasted peppers to room temperature before serving.
• Top toasts with tuna spread and roasted pepper strips and sprinkle with capers and pepper to taste.

ROASTED GARLIC CROSTINI WITH ASSORTED TOPPINGS

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Put the garlic in a roasting pan and drizzle on the olive oil. Toss to coat thoroughly. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the garlic bulbs are very tender but not overly brown. Test by carefully giving a bulb a gentle squeeze while protecting your hand with a folded kitchen towel or an oven glove. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
• 2. Using a sharp serrated knife, cut each head of garlic crosswise in half, midway between its leaf and root ends, to expose all the cloves inside. Their pulp will be golden brown and as soft as butter. You can squeeze it out of each half by hand or scoop it out with a small spoon or knife. Transfer the roasted garlic to a small bowl, pour in any olive oil from the baking dish, and stir and mash with a fork to form a smooth purée. You'll have 1/3 to 1/2 cup of purée, depending on the size of the garlic heads.
• 3. To make the Roasted Garlic Crostini, preheat the oven to 375° F. Brush the bread slices with the olive oil and arrange them on a baking sheet. Bake them until golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove them from the oven and let them cool to room temperature. Spread the puréed roasted garlic evenly on the tops of the crostini. Top the crostini with any of the options listed above, or make an assortment. Spread some with 1 tablespoon each of goat cheese; then decorate the cheese with strips of roasted bell pepper or a mixture of sun-dried tomato strips and capers, or a smear of tapenade. In place of the goat cheese, top others with diced tomato tossed with some fresh basil, a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes, and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar; with prosciutto and Parmesan cheese; with anchovy fillets and freshly ground black pepper; or with slices of Roma tomato and fresh mozzarella, topped with fresh basil leaves.

BASIL AND ROASTED GARLIC PESTO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Cut top 1/3 off of garlic head; peel away paper skin to thin layer or 2 surrounding the cloves.
• Place in small ovenproof dish; drizzle top with 2 teaspoons of olive oil.
• Cover with foil and bake in preheated oven for 70 minutes; allow to cool.
• Squeeze garlic out of the paper skin into a small bowl; set aside.
• Place half the basil in a blender; add 1/2 the extra virgin olive oil, garlic, parsley, pine nuts, salt, pepper, and the remaining basil, the other half of the oil, and pulse until blended.
• Remove mixture to a bowl; add the parmesan and juice from lemon wedge and mix well.
• Adjust salt and pepper to taste.