Hard to believe that it was a week ago that I debuted my new series – Friday Night Bites. Time just goes by way too fast. I am excited to share my second installment of this fun series. A Crostini is one of my all time favorite appetizers. With the pure simplicity and endless possibilities of toppings, it is the perfect appetizer. A two to three bite wonder. If you are busy person like me and work 50 to 60 hours per week, a Crostini is a simple appetizer that you can throw together in no time. You can almost shop your refrigerator and pantry to come up with a creative Crostini. Last Friday we ended up having guests join us for our tradition. We enjoyed a cheese platter and multiple bottles of wine. It was an impromptu gathering, so I shopped the refrigerator and pantry for the cheese platter ingredients. I realized later that I had all of the ingredients for this Roasted Tomato Burrata Crostini but with my time constraints getting home late from work and the guests had already arrived, it would not have been feasible. I did however make it over the weekend and enjoyed each bite. A few months ago I attended the SF Chefs event in San Francisco and went to the Sommeliers Blind Tasting Seminar. Essentially there were three master sommeliers at the front of the class who evaluated each wine and put their best guess out to the group. My friend and I would guess along with them and actually correctly identified 5 out of 6 of the wines. I have to admit that my friend is in the wine business but I was holding my own. Smile. One of the wines that we tasted was Nipozzano Riserva Chianit Rufina DOCG 2008 from Castello di Nipozzano. With the Italian flair of the Crostini, I thought this wine would be a perfect pairing. It hosts a deep purplish color. The nose envokes scents of sour cherry, raspberry and dried plum. Next you experience an aroma of black pepper, vanilla, cocoa powder and espresso bean. The finish is smooth and endless and extremely well balanced. A winning choice! Hope that you enjoy this Friday Night Bite and wine pairing! Roasted Tomato Burrata Crostini Makes 12 Baguette, 12 half inch slices Olive oil Salt Pepper 2 Garlic cloves Pesto (see recipe below or use store bought) Burrata 12 Grape tomatoes Roasted Tomatoes Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut each grape tomato in half and place onto a baking sheet cut side up. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for about 20 to 30 minutes. Remove and let cool. Crostini To make the Crostini, slice the baguette into 12 slices that are about ½ inch thick. Brush each side with olive oil. Place onto a cookie sheet and bake for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Check to make sure they do not get too dark. Should be golden brown on both sides. Flip at 5 minutes to ensure even cooking. Remove from the oven and rub the raw garlic clove on the top of each Crostini. Assembly To assemble cut about a tablespoon of the burrata and spread onto each Crostini. Next spoon about 1 to 2 teaspoons of pesto on top of the burrata. Add 2 of the tomato halves on top of the pesto. Sprinkle with a touch of salt. Serve immediately and enjoy!! Basil Pesto Sauce 2 C. Fresh basil leaves, packed tightly ½ C. Parmesan cheese, freshly grated 1/3 C. Pine nuts, toasted ½ C. Olive oil 3 Garlic cloves, smashed Salt and pepper to taste Use a food processor to make this sauce. Simply add the basil leaves, parmesan cheese, pine nuts and garlic cloves. Pulse for 10 seconds and then slowly pour the olive oil into the mixture while food processor is on. Continue to pulse until the mixture is smooth. Taste and then season with salt and pepper. Place into an airtight container immediately so the bright green color remains. Refrigerate until ready to use.

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