Appetizer Recipe #4: Crostini a la Dad

The next recipe was submitted by my Dad and let me tell you, he won the award for most surprising! I'm pretty sure he's been holding out on my mom for the past 28 years or so. She was really shocked that he had the skills to pull this one off.

This recipe is a little bit more skillfully advanced than some of the others I've posted, but don't be scurred! The elbow grease that goes into it is well worth it in the end when you taste the deliciousness.

Crostini a la Dad
(Recipe submitted by my Dad via Giada)

The browned sage butter made this so interesting.

12 1/2-inch thick slices ciabatta bread
12 slices thinly sliced prosciutto (about 6 ounces)
1 pound fresh mozzarella, cut into thin slices
3 tablespoons butter
6 sage leaves
Pinch freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Place the slices of ciabatta on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake until crisp and golden around the edges, about 8 minutes. Remove the bread from the oven. Place the prosciutto slices and mozzarella on the crostini toast and return to the oven to melt the cheese, about 8 more minutes.

Meanwhile combine the butter and the sage leaves in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook until the butter is melted and starting to brown in spots and the sage leaves are crisp, about 5 minutes. Add the salt and pepper.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven. Transfer the crostini to a serving plate. Drizzle the crostini with the sage butter and serve immediately.

Make this for an upscale get-together (or next time your mother-in-law comes to dinner). Come back tomorrow for the recipe yours truly submitted in the competition!

For the first three recipes, click on the following links:

Buffalo Chicken Dip
Eggplant, Prosciutto, and Mozzarella Stacks
Roasted Tomato Bruschetta