Prosciutto & Asparagus Crostini

Prosciutto & Asparagus Crostini
Bundles Of Tasty Goodness! 
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients
1 French Baguette, 12 slices
12 slice of Prosciutto
24 asparagus spears, cleaned and trimmed to 4 inches
small wedge of double cream Brie
2 tbsp Italian herb seasoning blend
chives for ties
olive oil

Cooking Tools
Sheet pan
Small sauce pan
Small mixing bowl with ice water

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 Degrees F.  Slice French baguette on the diagonal.  Place slices on a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with Italian herbs evenly.  Bake for 15 minutes until crispy.  Boil some water in a small sauce pan and place asparagus in boiling water for about 30 seconds and immediately drain and place in ice bath to stop the cooking process and to maintain bright green color. You can also do that with the chives to make it more pliable. Remove from ice water and drain off any excess water. Spread double cream Brie on 1/3 of the Prosciutto and lay 2 asparagus spears on top and roll from from end to the other, creating a pinwheel.  Tie each Prosciutto asparagus wrap with a chive and place each bundle on a cooled crostini.
Yields 12

Caramelized Balsamic Fig Crostini

Caramelized Balsamic Fig Crostini
The Pure Essence Of Figs!
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Great Accompaniment To A Salad Or A Beautiful Appetizer!

Ingredients
1 small multi grain baguette, 8 slices
8 fresh figs
8 slices Brie cheese
8 tbsp brown sugar
8 tbsp Vanilla Fig Balsamic Vinegar + drizzle http://gourmetblends.us/
olive oil for drizzle

Cooking Tools
2 small parchment lined sheet pans

Directions
Preheat oven 350 Degrees F.  Place figs on the baking sheet and cross cut the top of the figs 3/4 of the way down the fig.  Spoon 1 tbsp of brown sugar inside the fig then spoon 1 tbsp of the Vanilla Fig Balsamic Vinegar on top of the brown sugar.  Bake in oven for about 20 minutes.  The fig will start to open up like a flower and the sugar will start to caramelize.  Remove from oven and set aside to cool for a few minutes. Place baguette slices on and sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil and place in oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and add the Brie slices on each crostini and place back in oven for additional 10 minutes, just to soften the cheese. Once baked, remove from oven and place the caramelized figs on top of each crostini with the Brie and drizzle with some more Vanilla Fig Balsamic Vinegar.  Garnish with chopped parsley (optional).
Serves 4

Cook's Note: The figs and crostini can be baked at the same time, just put the figs on the rack above the crostini.