Turn your next autumn appetizer into a flavorful, high-protein treat with our Apple and Farmer Cheese Crostini with Hot Honey recipe. This quick and easy appetizer packs in a variety of tastes and textures into a colorful contribution of nutrients from the apple, arugula, walnuts, prosciutto, and Lifeway Farmer Cheese.
Lifeway Farmer Cheese is often called cottage cheese’s better, smoother cousin. Our handcrafted, cultured cheese is high in protein, creamy and rich in flavor, and spreads as smooth as silk onto toast and bread recipes like crostini. Since it’s made with live and active probiotics, Lifeway Farmer Cheese is also easy to digest and up to 99% lactose-free. The variety of live cultures contribute to its mild, tangy flavor making it versatile enough to use in sweet and savory recipes alike.
Here, we topped freshly baked crostini with our cheese, then added peppery arugula, sweet and spicy hot honey, juicy Honeycrisp apple slices, savory prosciutto, and nutty walnuts for the perfect variety of textures and flavors. This recipe is the ultimate fall appetizer and one you can feel good about enjoying from the first bite to the last!
The Benefits of Cultured Dairy for Better Health:
Research continues to show the importance of eating healthy foods, including cultured dairy such as kefir, for optimal digestion and gut health, a strong immune system, and to support the microbiome. Fermented foods like kefir hold important value in this line of research due to the link between the gut-brain axis and overall health. Specifically, kefir has been shown to help diversify the microbiome, improve digestion, reduce inflammation, support healthier blood sugar levels, and improve satiety since the bioavailable protein it contains triggers the release of GLP-1.
Lifeway Kefir is packed with a variety of vital nutrients important for overall health, including bone and muscle health; these include vitamin D3, K, calcium, and vitamin B12. Along with our probiotic-rich kefir, Lifeway also offers artisan-made Farmer Cheese, a creamy, high-protein cheese made with live and active cultures to support healthy muscles and a healthy microbiome. Lifeway Farmer Cheese is easy to spread, free of gums and thickeners, and contains no added salt or sugar for optimal health benefits.
Prep Time: 10-15 minutes Servings: 10-12Ingredients
- 1 French baguette, cut diagonally into 1/2 inch slices
- extra virgin olive oil, for brushing the bread
- 1 ¼ cups Farmer Cheese
- 1 large Honeycrisp apple, thinly sliced
- 2 oz. prosciutto, cut into 20 pieces
- 1 cup arugula
- hot honey, to taste
- 1/4 cup crushed walnuts
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and place baguette slices on top. Brush both sides of each slice with a little olive oil and bake for 8-10 minutes, or until golden and toasted. Remove from the oven and let cool.
- Spread about one tablespoon of Lifeway Farmer Cheese on each crostini. Top with an apple slice, a piece of prosciutto, and a few leaves of arugula.
- Drizzle with hot honey to taste, and sprinkle crushed walnuts on top.
- Serve and enjoy!
- Bread can be toasted in advance. Let it cool completely before storing in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days.
