honey basil pear brussels sprouts and cranberry chevre crostini
Look familiar? I featured these crostini on Venturing East’s Instagram in one of my Trader Joe’s hauls. Each week I develop a simple lunch recipe using at least one TJ’s product (never sponsored, just out of pure obsession) to highlight some of my grocery finds and favorites. Cranberry Chevre, or goat cheese, and the Chili Crunch seasoning in part create these simple delicacies that appear ripped straight from a professional chef’s secret recipe box but take no time and few ingredients to concoct.
Toast features at least once per day for me. I reach for a slice every evening, slather some almond butter atop and lay out a few banana coins for an extra layer of fun. Some riff or another of avocado toast shares many a plate with a big salad or roasted vegetables or soup. Those who avoid bread make no sense to me. I prefer whole grain and bake up a pretty mean loaf relatively often – said loaf is the base of my photographed crostini here.
I encourage you to find whatever bread suits you, though, be it baguette or Italian or sourdough or gluten free if you must. Round or oblong or square. Sliced or whole. Doesn’t matter. The importance lies in crispy Brussels sprout, sweet and soft pear slices, crumbles of chevre, and drizzles of honey over shreds of fresh basil. Amplify your holiday table with a speckle of spirit on a serving platter.
Ingredients
- 16 slices crusty bread (I recommend a ciabatta or French bread)
- 1 lb Brussels sprouts, halved
- 2 bartlett pears, quartered
- 1/4 cup Trader Joe's Chili Onion Crunch seasoning
- 4 oz chevre (I used a cranberry flavor)
- 2 cups arugula
- 1/2 cup fresh basil, torn
- 1/4 cup honey
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment. Toss Brussels sprout halved and pear slices in chili crunch mix. Season with salt and pepper as desired and spread evenly on both pans – it's okay if the pans are pretty full but try not to create multiple layers of your sprouts and pears. Roast for 20 minutes, tossing halfway through. Remove from oven and let cool until able to be handled easily. Slice Brussels sprouts into smaller pieces – I more or less cut each half into 4 more bits.
- Heat broiler to HIGH. Toast bread slices until they reach desired crispiness.
- To assemble: add a pile of Brussels sprouts on each bread hunk. Slice pears into four wedges per chunk and layer atop sprouts. Crumble chevre atop along with torn basil and arugula. Drizzle with honey.
