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Burrata And Olive Tapenade Crostinis

by 12 August 2020, 9:55 am 1.7k Views 5 Comments

Photo by James Ransom

Test Kitchen-Approved

Author Notes

This is a simple, all-year tapenade that works great for dinner parties. The trick in preparing the recipe is to constantly monitoring the taste before adding more of any ingredient, given that many of them are sodium-heavy.

I usually serve the tapenade plated with burrata on toasted crostini as well as alongside slices of red pepper for anyone gluten-free. —timmytwinkle

Test Kitchen Notes

These crostini are an umami lover’s dream. They deliver big on flavor, but building them is a breeze. I skipped the anchovy paste, and did not think a food processor was necessary: I simply chopped the tapenade ingredients finely by hand. Susankuess is right — the tapenade is sodium-rich; I did not add salt, but it was still on the salty side for some. Next time, I might add more parsley for balance. I agree with AntoniaJames, too — the briny tapenade makes the burrata taste sweeter and creamier by comparison. I like these for a party, because you can make the tapenade ahead, and scale the recipe up easily. The bold flavors make these crostini appear more complex than they are. —Cristina Sciarra

Prep time
30 minutes
Cook time
8 minutes
Serves
6

Ingredients

¹/₂ pound

kalamata olives (or other black olives), pitted and coarsely chopped
³/₄ teaspoon

anchovy paste
1

clove garlic, minced
3 teaspoons

capers, drained
2 tablespoons

quality olive oil
1 tablespoon

Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon

freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon

minced fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon

chopped fresh parsley leaves
1

baguette, sliced to 1/2-inch thickness
2

red peppers, sliced to 1-inch thickness (optional variation for gluten- or carb-free diets)
16 ounces

fresh burrata or fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced to 1/4-inch thickness

Directions

To make the olive tapenade, first combine the olives, anchovy paste, garlic, and capers in a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse 3 to 4 times only.
Add the olive oil, mustard, lemon juice, thyme, and parsley and process until chunky.
Arrange the pieces of bread on a cookie sheet and brush one side of each piece with olive oil.
Approximately 15 minutes before serving, toast the bread until golden brown in the oven, about 8 minutes total making sure to flip them once halfway through.
On each of the slices of toast, spread the burrata (or place a slice of the fresh mozzarella) and top with your desired amount of tapenade. (Note: Reserve a portion of the tapenade to serve in a dish alongside the red pepper slices if choosing to follow the optional recipe variation.)