Honey Rosemary Cherries and Blue Cheese Crostini

This wonderful appetizer takes about 20 minutes to prepare.

You can also make up single-servings and present this as a first course.

This appetizer is a great start to a celebratory meal~it is a really beautiful pairing of ingredients.




Recipe~adapted from Southern Living Magazine


1 thin slice of garlic and 1 shallot, sliced very thin.
2 Tbsp. of olive oil
1 12 oz. package of frozen(thawed) or a large can of sweet, dark pitted  cherries. I used cherries from Oregon Fruit Products,15 ounce can.
2Tbsp. of balsamic vinegar
2Tbsp. of honey
1/4 tsp. of chopped fresh rosemary
2 cups of loosely packed arugula
1/8 tsp. of pepper
1/8 tsp. of salt
1 loaf of ciabatta bread, cut into 1/4 inch toasted slices
8 ounces of blue cheese, room temperature

Saute the garlic and shallot in the olive oil for 2 to 3 minutes. Add cherries,vinegar, honey, rosemary, salt and pepper.  I also added three tablespoons of the cherry juice I reserved from the can. Cook, stirring occasionally for 8 to 10 minutes. Let this mixture stand for 10 minutes. Place the arugula on the toasted bread slices. Top each with the cherry mixture and 1 slice of blue cheese.