crostini de mozzarella aux baies roses
"Baies Roses” – In English you can call them “Pink Peppercorns”. I discovered these gorgeous dried berries in one of my favourite French recipe books, Apéros et petits plats d’été…a tiny little book which I purchased from a crowded Parisian bookshop in Montmartre about a year ago. This recipe called for pepperoncino OR baies roses…and since I had never used these cute little pink berries before, I definitely opted for them!They do differ greatly in taste from their dark counterpart, the black peppercorn, as they have a milder, sweeter taste to them which I found very palate-pleasing. These pink peppercorns are actually the dried berries [hence the name] from the baie rose plant and originate from Madagascar then are exported worldwide [more importantly France]. Luckily I had no problems locating them and was very pleased to finally make this recipe that so caught my eye! Truly, the recipe couldn’t be simpler…fresh baguette, fresh mozzarella, olive oil, baies roses, oh and little crushed chilies for some proper heat! Bring it all together and you have a fresh & bright crostini appetiser that I feel can be served just as well on a hot summer’s day picnic or on a cool wintery evening of food and drinks. Either way, you won’t be disappointed in the amount of flavour punch packed on this crostini.
Equipment
- 1 oven
Ingredients
- Fresh baguette sliced diagonally
- Fresh ball of mozzarella di Bufala Campana thickly sliced
- Baies roses lightly crushed [keeping some whole]
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Coarse Sea Salt
- Red chilies crushed
Instructions
- Drizzle olive oil on top of baguette slices, sprinkle with sea salt.
- Set in preheated oven of 350° and toast for 10 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Place a piece of mozzarella on each slice of bread. Sprinkle the baies roses over the soft and fresh mozzarella.
- Add a little bit of crushed red chilies for heat and drizzle lightly with olive (if desired).
- Plate and enjoy!