White Bean Crostini
Chef Tim McDiarmid, owner of The Good Kind and Tim the Girl Catering, is a culinary powerhouse in the San Antonio food and hospitality industry. The James Beard fellow and Food Network’s Chopped contestant got her start with catering gigs, and these white bean crostinis were always a crowd favorite. Simple yet elegant, the trick to making them is to prep your ingredients ahead of time, then assemble them right before your guests arrive so the bread doesn’t get soggy.
Ingredients
- 24 slices of ciabatta bread sliced ¾-inch thick on the bias
- 6 Tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 teaspoon dried red chilies
- 8 cloves garlic chopped
- Salt
- 1 can (15.5 ounces) white beans drained
- 2 cups escarole cleaned and sliced
- 1 Tablespoon sherry vinegar
- 4 Tablespoons honey
- Handful picked fresh thyme leaves
- 8–10 fresh figs sliced
Instructions
- Heat large griddle or frying pan on the stovetop on medium heat.
- Brush both sides of the bread slices with olive oil and place in pan. When bottoms of slices are toasted to a nice light brown, flip to the other side.
- When both sides are done, remove and set aside to cool.
- In the same pan, add 4 tablespoons of olive oil, dried chilies, garlic. Sauté until lightly browned, then add the white beans.
- Cook for another 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add 2 large pinches of salt to the beans. Remove the bean mixture from the pan, then puree the beans with either the back of a spoon or a food processor. Set aside.
- Wipe out the pan and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Lightly sauté the escarole. When done, add the vinegar.
- To assemble the crostini, top each toasted bread slice first with a thick layer of the white bean purée, then the escarole, a drizzle of honey, sprinkled fresh thyme, and a fig or two on top.
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