Broiled Goat Cheese Crostini | Effortless Appetizers

See my baked goat cheese appetizer web story here.

Why Make This Recipe

Very rarely do I want to recreate a restaurant dish at home, but we were Absolutely Sure that we’d have to eat the Goat Cheese Thing on a Frequent Basis, so it behooved us to figure it out.

Broiled goat cheese is a very easy appetizer to make, and you can come up with any number of variations, and that’s one of the main reasons to make it.

The crostini are just sliced baguette broiled on both sides and then brushed with garlicky olive oil.

And the cheese is so easy–smother a log of your favorite chevre with olive oil, garlic paste, salt, and pepper, and broil until the oil is bubbling and infused with garlic flavor and the goat cheese is browned on top and soft and spreadable.

From there, the sky is the limit. Serve yours with fruit, jams, chutneys, honey, etc.

I spread mine with bacon jam and/or tomato jam and topped some with blueberries. You really can’t go wrong.

Instructions

Stuff you’ll need (equipment and ingredients)

• a small, broiler-safe baking dish: Depending on how many people you’re serving, you can bake all the goat cheese at once or bake them one at a time. I use a small baker from Pyrex to bake one at a time.
• a cookie sheet: or a half-sheet pan to make it easier to remove the baker from the oven, and also to toast the crostini on
• a log of your favorite goat cheese: I usually choose an herbed goat cheese, but plain will work just fine as well
• a lot of extra virgin olive oil: use your favorite brand. This is for pouring over the cheese for broiling and also for brushing on the crostini. I call for 1/2 cup in the recipe to make sure there’s plenty for brushing
• your favorite bread, sliced into 1/2″ pieces: I generally get a baguette from the grocery store. If you’re feeling fancy, you can make your own baguette, and if you’re in a time crunch, crackers work well, and you won’t have to broil them
• a broiler: You can also do this under the broiler in your toaster oven. You’ll just have to broil the crostini in batches
• salt, pepper, and garlic paste: I usually use kosher salt and the kind of garlic paste that comes in a squeeze tube

How to Make It

Put your log of goat cheese in the broiler-safe baking dish.

Douse it with extra virgin olive oil–it should pretty much be swimming in the stuff–and throw on a pinch of kosher salt, pepper, and a squeeze of garlic paste.

To broil the cheese and the crostini at the same time, put the dish under the broiler on one side of the oven, leaving room for the sheet pan on the other side.

Slice the bread into 1/2″ slices and arrange in one layer on the cookie sheet.

Broil until lightly golden brown, then flip and broil the other side. (Of course, you could also do this in the toaster oven or over your Open Hearth. Whatever).

Tips for Success

It’s important to note that, while this is a super easy appetizer, you are dealing with a very hot broiler, and the olive oil will be boiling by the time your cheese is hot and toasty.

To make it easier–and safer–to remove the dish from the oven, place it on a cookie sheet or half sheet pan. This is especially helpful when your dish doesn’t have a rim that makes it easier to grab. Mine doesn’t, so I always broil mine on a sheet tray.

To make ahead, you can always broil the crostini earlier in the day and then reheat for just a couple of minutes before serving.

Serving Suggestions

Might I interest you in a lovely bit of broiled goat cheese atop delicious bacon jam topped with blueberries?

Or substitute some savory onion jam for the bacon jam. You’ll be every bit as happy!

Or perhaps tomato jam is more your style?

Also consider using some fermented honey sauce, regular honey, pepper jelly, mixed berry jam, green tomato chutney, or some fruit compote.

Or just smear the soft goat cheese onto the crunchy, garlicky-olive oily crostini and call it a day.

So very good, friends!

Questions?

If you have any questions about this or any other recipe or post on the site, there are a few ways to get in touch.

You can leave a comment on the post, and I’ll be back in touch within 24 hours.

If your question is more pressing, don’t hesitate to email me, and I should be back in touch within 4 hours (unless I’m asleep) or often much more quickly than that.

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Thanks for spending some time with me today, friends. I hope you enjoy one of my very favorite appetizers. Because really, what’s not to love?

Take care, and have a lovely day.