Apple, goat cheese and honey crostini

This past weekend I hosted a girls’ night to celebrate the 10th anniversary of our first year of university. I haven’t hosted at home in a while, so it was lovely to have an excuse to make some tasty nibbles for my friends!

Of our group, I’m one of the only ones who stuck around the Guelph area after graduation in 2008. Right after undergrad I did my masters, also at Guelph, and then got a job just a stone’s throw from campus. Most people I knew either travelled/worked abroad for a while, headed to grad school or teacher’s college in Toronto or moved back home for a bit.

I’ve never regretted putting down roots in our university town, but living in separate cities means that our get-togethers are fewer and far between than in our university days. We have “grown up” jobs now and other commitments, so it’s almost impossible to find a weekend that works for everyone. (Also I’m a bit more of a homebody than I’d care to admit!) But whenever we’re able to get together as a group, it’s always a fun time.

Last weekend was no exception. To kick off an evening of nostalgia, we took a stroll around campus, visited our old residence and then enjoyed some snacks and drinks at my place before heading downtown for dinner (more drinks) and dancing. Even our 3 am walk in the bitter cold, attempting to hail a cab, had a nostalgic feel to it!

For the drinks and apps part of the evening, I went with a simple mini-menu of autumn-inspired eats which we enjoyed on the floor around my living room coffee table (a.k.a. Big Bang Theory/student-style):

– Pumpkin hummus with vegetable dippers {recipe coming soon}
– Apple, goat cheese and honey crostini topped with pumpkin seeds
– White wine sangria with apples, pears and warming spices (cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves)

The original crostini recipe I was toying with used ricotta instead of goat cheese, so I had some of the girls do a taste test comparison. The vote was for the tangy, deeply flavoured goat cheese as the more mild ricotta gave it a lighter dessert-like quality – understandable since the already sweet apples and honey need something sharp to cut through. I kind of wish I always had a panel of eager taste testers handy (other than my husband, of course)!

While these apple and goat cheese crostini aren’t exactly health food (bread plays a starring role after all), in the realm of crowd-pleasing party appetizers, it’s a winner compared to most other options.

To keep it on the healthier side, be sure to use a whole grain baguette, slice it thinly and go easy on the olive oil and honey when drizzling.

Happily, goat cheese is naturally lower in calories compared to most other cheeses, and the pumpkin seeds provide a dose of fibre, healthy fats and other nutrients. As for the apples, I purposely left the skin on for an extra bit of fibre and health-boosting plant compounds.

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