Tomato Crostini with Whipped Feta

The magic here comes from the whipped feta. Don’t skimp on ingredients for it, and buy high-quality, in-season tomatoes. Adapted from The Barefoot Contessa.

Ingredients

• 6 oz good feta, crumbled
• 2 oz cream cheese
• 2/3 c good olive oil
• 2 T freshly squeezed lemon juice (Note: you may not want to use this if you have very tangy feta and/or cream cheese)
• 2 T minced shallots
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 2 T good red wine vinegar
• 2 lbs cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• 3 T fresh basil, roughly chopped
• 20 to 25 diagonal baguette slices, toasted
• 3 T toasted pine nuts
• Salt and black pepper

Instructions

1. Place the feta and cream cheese in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse until mixed.
2. Add 1/3 cup of the olive oil, the lemon juice (optional), 1/2 t salt, and 1/4 t pepper. Process until smooth.
3. Up to an hour before serving, combine the tomatoes, shallots, garlic, vinegar, 1/3 c olive oil, 1 t salt, and black pepper to taste in a medium-large bowl.
4. Stir gently, then fold in the basil and taste for seasonings.
5. To assemble the crostini, spread each slice of bread with a generous amount of whipped feta. Spoon tomatoes on top, then scatter with pine nuts and extra basil.