Savory Goat Cheese Toasts

Yield: 6 servings

This recipe is another great use for homemade pesto. Rich and flavorful, one of these savory toasts is usually enough, but you better make two per person, just in case. Slice any extra bread and freeze it for future toasts.

Ingredients:

• 1 loaf Italian bread, sliced on the diagonal, into twelve  ¼ ” slices
• olive oil
• salt
• ¾ cups pesto
• 6 ounces goat cheese
• ¼ cup pistachios or pine nuts, toasted

Procedure:

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. On a sheet pan, toast the nuts for about 8 minutes or until fragrant. Set aside. If using pistachios, once cool, chop the nuts up just a bit.
2. Lay the slices of bread out on a sheet pan. Brush each slice with olive oil and sprinkle them lightly with salt. Toast them in the oven for about 8 minutes until toasted but not totally crisp.
3. Let the toasts cool for just a minute. On each toast, spread one tablespoon of pesto. Top the pesto with a schmear of goat cheese, evenly divided among the toasts (about ½ ounce cheese for each toast). Put the toasts back in the oven for a few minutes until the goat cheese is hot and melted. Remove the toasts from the oven and sprinkle each one with a few nuts. Serve warm.