Smoked Salmon, Goat Cheese and Pepper Jelly Crostini

I have a bit of a different post to share with you today, with a very delicious and SIMPLE appetizer… in case you’re looking for a last minute NYE recipe, or just a great anytime snack. I know I usually share sweets, but like I’ve said before, I can’t subsist on sugar alone, so I do eat other things from time to time!

This recipe was a recreation of something we tried at the Boston Magazine Taste event earlier this year. I wish I could remember what restaurant served it, but I don’t – all I remember is that we tried it towards the end of the event when we were both stuffed, and I surprised myself by finishing the whole thing!

The recipe we tried to replicate was a crostini with goat cheese, jalapeno jelly, and smoked salmon, with some type of garnish – chives, perhaps? When we tried to remake it, we used the same components, but we used Stir It Up pepper jelly in place of the jalapeno jelly.

Kevin bought a jar of Stir It Up pepper jelly a year or two ago from the SOWA market, and it quickly became a staple in his diet. He enjoyed it every day for about a year on a mini bagel with peanut butter, which I never fully understood because I’m not a big fan of spicy things, but he loved it. So when Stir It Up offered to give us some of their original jelly to sample, of course I agreed. This was right after the Taste event, and I was excited to give it a try in this crostini recipe!

It’s as easy as it seems – 4 simple components layered together, but it’s so ridiculously yummy. I wouldn’t have ever thought to pair these flavors, but they work remarkably well.

You start with a french baguette, which you slice into 1/4-inch thick pieces (you can toast them if you prefer), then cover with a generous dollop of goat cheese. On top of the goat cheese, you place a couple of slices of smoked salmon (as little or as much as you like), and then a smear of the pepper jelly to finish it off. I think either thinly sliced scallions or chives would be a nice touch to round out the flavors and presentation.

The smokey salmon and creamy goat cheese offset the sweetness of the pepper jelly, which adds a nice element of spice without being overpowering. These little bites are so simple and delicious – I can’t wait until we make them again!

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