Apricot, Goat Cheese & Caramelized Onion Crostini
The perfect balance of sweet, savory, and creamy, Apricot, Goat Cheese & Caramelized Onion Crostini is the appetizer of your food dreams!
Crostini is the perfect appetizer to serve at every get-together but when you make Apricot, Goat Cheese & Caramelized Onion Crostini, the crowd goes wild! Toasted bread, topped with sweet apricot jam, perfectly caramelized onions, and creamy goat cheese, is a delectable treat that is a snap to make!
Beautiful Bites
Crostini always make an occasion feel special, even when it’s just a casual get-together! These perfect bites of Apricot, Goat Cheese & Caramelized Onion Crostini are small bites full of amazing flavors that are incredibly simple to make and always disappear quickly. Whether we make these for an impromptu party or a holiday, everyone raves about them and demands the recipe!
Making caramelized onions ahead of time is a great idea, especially when you make a big batch and use them in Caramelized Onion Dip or Brisket Grilled Cheese!
Other Recipes to Serve with Apricot, Goat Cheese, and Caramelized Onion Crostini
- Serve another party classic with Three Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms and make your guests happier!
- Onion & Bell Pepper Cheese Ball is full of creamy cheese and herby flavors, perfect for every occasion.
Ingredients
Bread: To make the crostini, you will need a loaf of French bread or a baguette. Cut the bread to make diagonal slices and lightly toast the pieces before assembling the crostini.
Onion: A thinly sliced sweet yellow onion, such as a Vidalia onion, will be needed for this recipe.
Preserves: You will need a jar of apricot preserves, or you can use fig jam if you prefer.
Goat Cheese: For this recipe, you will need either pre-crumbled or in a small block that you can crumble.
Seasonings/Extras: You will also need vegetable oil to cook the onions, as well as sugar, salt, and fresh thyme.
How to Make Apricot, Goat Cheese, & Caramelized Onion Crostini
STEP ONE: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large skillet, heat the oil, and once hot, add the onion, salt, and sugar and saute the onions for 20 minutes, until caramelized.
STEP TWO: Arrange the baguette slices in a single layer on a baking sheet. Top each slice of bread with a layer of goat cheese, then the apricot preserves and caramelized onions. Do your best to divide the toppings evenly between the slices.
STEP THREE: Bake the crostini for 5 minutes or until the goat cheese is melted. Garnish the crostini with fresh thyme and serve.
Tips for Success
- The caramelized onions can be made well in advance and then stored in an airtight container in the fridge until you are ready to assemble the crostini. Gently reheat the onions in the microwave for a few seconds until warm before assembling the crostini. This makes preparing this appetizer even faster, and when you have caramelized onion on hand, you can make many more dishes!
- Want to mix things up? Apricot preserves and fig jam are both fantastic in this recipe, so try some crostini with one and some with the other and see which you like better!
- Lightly toast the baguette slices before making the crostini. This will ensure a crispy bite and the perfect contrast to the soft toppings.
What is the trick to caramelizing onions?
Great caramelized onions depend on a few things, but many people agree that the most important thing is to add sugar. Sugar enhances the onion’s natural sweetness and is thought to help the onion caramelize faster.
Slicing the onion the same width also helps with cooking the onions more evenly, as does using the right size pan for the number of onions that are being caramelized. Lastly, stirring the onions frequently will ensure that the onions do not burn or cook unevenly.
Which is the best onion for caramelizing?
All caramelized onions are delicious, but people have their favorites because subtle differences can be tasted. Yellow onions, like Vidalia or Walla Walla, are a few favorites because they are sweeter. Some folks may skip the added sugar when using these onions because they find the onion to already have the perfect sweetness.
Other yellow and red onions are less sweet, and white onions are the least sweet, but all still make excellent caramelized onions. Go with what you have on hand or can find at the grocery store, and it’ll turn out great.
More Entertaining Bites
- Avocado Crostini
- Smoked Salmon Crostini
- Cracker Canapes
- Cranberry Goat Cheese Bites
- Fruit Goat Cheese Bruschetta
*This post was originally posted on 12/16/2016.
Apricot, Goat Cheese & Caramelized Onion Crostini
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ loaf baguette
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 large sweet onion peeled and thinly sliced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup apricot preserves
- 4 ounces goat cheese crumbled
- Fresh thyme for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Cut the baguette into 1/2-inch thick diagonal slices. Set aside. (see note)
- Place a large skillet over medium heat and add the oil. Once hot and add the onion, salt, and sugar. Cook 20 minutes, stirring frequently, until onions are caramelized. Remove from the heat.
- Arrange the baguette slices in a single layer on a baking sheet. Top each slice with a layer of goat cheese, then the apricot preserves, and finally the caramelized onions, diving the toppings evenly among the bread.
- Bake for 5 minutes or until goat cheese is just melted.
- Remove from the oven and garnish with fresh thyme if desired. Serve warm.
hi there ! if I saute the onions ahead of time and keep them in the fridge should I warm them up before assembling or will these taste ok slightly cold?
I would warm them up before serving. Just so the texture is more what you’d expect and so the buttery flavor of the onions can come through.
Yes, I agree with Julie. They will be easier to work with warmed up, even though they are going into the oven for a few minutes.