Whipped Feta and Marinated Tomato Crostini

 
 

This Ina Garten recipe for crostini with whipped feta and tomatoes is a total crowdpleaser. Friends made this for us at a dinner party recently, and we could not get over the swoon-worthy whipped feta spread. This is the perfect time of year for a recipe like this: highlight the bounty of fresh tomatoes in the peak of their season. You can use any kind of tomato, so long as you cut it into small, bite size pieces. The tomatoes are tossed with vinegar, salt, pepper, fresh basil, garlic and shallot. They're sweet and acidic, which makes them an ideal pairing for whipped feta. Did we mention the feta is mixed with cream cheese? YESSS.

Don't get Dak started on Ina Garten. We made this video hours before she gave a talk (with a slide deck) on queen Ina Garten herself. Did you know she got her pilots license and worked in the White House on the nuclear budget in the era of Carter and Ford? That's right. She not only treats us with reliable recipes, but she gives us ultimate Hamptons fantasy. Known her for chambray shirts and phrase, "store bought is fine," the people can't get enough, including her 1.6M Instagram following. Yes, Ina is on Instagram thanks to her assistant. Try this recipe out and let us know (also let Ina know) what you think.

If you like the salty, creamy, spreadable vibe of this recipe you might also love Alison Roman’s labneh dip, which we have a video for here.

 

Ingredients

  • 6 ounces feta, crumbled

  • 2 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

  • 2/3 cup olive oil, divided

  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • 2 tablespoons minced shallots (2 shallots)

  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic (2 cloves)

  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

  • 2 pounds ripe heirloom or cherry tomatoes, ½-inch-diced

  • 3 tablespoons chiffonade fresh basil leaves

  • 20 to 25 (½-inch-thick) baguette slices, toasted

 

Instructions

For the whipped feta:

  1. Place the feta and cream cheese in the bowl of a food processor — pulse until the cheeses are mixed.

  2. Add 1/3 cup of the olive oil, the lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and process until smooth.  

For the tomatoes:

  1. Combine the shallots, garlic, and vinegar in a medium bowl. Set aside for 5 minutes to let the flavors combine and soften the onions.

  2. Whisk in the remaining 1/3 cup olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Add the tomatoes, stir gently, and set aside for 10 minutes. Stir in the basil and taste for seasonings.

To assemble the crostini:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice baguette into 1/2 - inch slices, cut at an angle. Arrange on a baking sheet and toast until lightly toasted and golden around the edges, about 10-12 minutes. Keep an eye on the slices so that they don’t burn and remember they will cook slightly after you remove them from the oven.

  2. Spread each slice of bread with a generous amount of whipped feta. With a slotted spoon, place the tomatoes on top. Plate crostini and sprinkle with any leftover fresh basil, and flake salt.