While a lot of us may tend to have traditions for what we eat as the main dishes on certain holidays this time of year, I find it can be so fun to switch up the side dishes and appetizers. While our family does tend to stick to a few staples at Thanksgiving and Christmas every year, we also love to come up with different fun and easy appetizers and sides to go along with our old favorites.
Now while it is always the best to see all the final dishes laid out on the table, it's also so nice to be able to pass around a few quick and easy appetizers or snacks for people to enjoy with some drinks while everything else is being prepared. These fig crostini are PERFECT for a before-main-meal appetizer, for just so many reasons!
There are a couple reasons these fig crostini are the best thing to have out on the coffee table when people arrive, or to pass around while everything else is cooking, because they are:
Speaking of so simple (and so speedy), these will be the easiest addition to your holiday food assortment. When throwing in an extra appetizer or snack, that always seems like one of the most important things to me so it won't take time away from preparing the other dishes.
Which is another plus to making these easy crostini! With holiday meals often taking up prime real estate in the oven, these toasts can either be quickly toasted on a baking sheet in the oven, or popped into the toaster oven. That's my personal preference, and even if you need to do a couple batches, it still should only take a few minutes of your precious time! I like to mix a little olive oil and salt and pepper, then brush this on each of the sliced pieces of the baguette to ensure they'll toast up perfectly golden.
Time to grab some of the most delicious ingredients, which, in addition to the baguette, a little olive oil, and some salt and pepper, are just 5 things!
Starting off with the fig jam - if you've never had it, it is one of my absolute favorite sweet "condiments" that I think you will love too. It has a similar flavor to a fig (unshockingly…) but is perfectly sweet and has the best sticky texture. Pairing perfectly with the fig jam is of course, brie! When I think of holiday cheeses, my mind usually goes straight to brie. Something about it always seems a little fancy to me, and it also just goes so well with the fig jam.
Next you'll want to grab the prosciutto, which truly goes perfectly with the fig jam and brie. If you've never had this combo before it might be one of the best ever. The fig jam is perfectly sweet, the brie is mild and creamy, and the prosciutto adds that saltiness which is impossible not to love. I like to rip a piece of the prosciutto and place it on each toast which adds a little height and makes these extra pretty.
If you're able to find some fresh figs at the store, they are the perfect last addition before some fresh thyme and look so festive and pretty. Fresh figs can be a little hard to find, so these will also be delicious without them. If you are able to find them, you really don't need too many and I found that they were the perfect size when quartered.
To add a little pop of green and keep our sweet and savory layers going, one of my favorite parts of this crostini is to add a little sprig of fresh thyme on each of them. In my opinion, thyme is one of the best fresh herbs to add completely "uncooked" to any dish. While some of the stronger herbs like rosemary and sage sometimes do better with a little sauté, thyme pairs perfectly with the brie and figs and won't overpower the other fall flavors.
These crostini have the best flavor combination, but they're also so elegant looking and would be perfect to serve before a holiday meal, to bring as a party appetizer, or to have at home any night this time of year.
This simple appetizer has become something we love to throw into our holiday food rotation, and we hope you love these just as much as we do!
Servings: 16-20 crostini depending on size of baguette and slices
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Simple and festive prosciutto and brie fig crostini topped with thyme that are the perfect savory start to any holiday meal.
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