The Prosciutto and Mozzarella Crustini

This Appetizer Mixes Soft Cheese with Salty Italian Ham

Jan 26, 2009 Armand Famiglietti

If you're in a pinch for a dinner party appetizer, try the Prosciutto and Mozzarella Crustini appetizer. The simple, fresh flavors will leave your guests asking for more.

The preparation time for the Prosciutto and Mozzarella Crustini is about 20 minutes. This dish can also be made ahead of time, placed in the fridge and then removed from the fridge 30 minutes before guests arrive. This will allow the Prosciutto and Mozzarella Crustini’s to reach room temperature before serving.

Things You’ll Need:

• French Bread
• ¼ pound of Prosciutto
• Fresh Mozzarella
• Olive Oil
• Large Bowl
• Baking Sheet
• Knife
• Cutting Board
• Oven

Making the Crustini:

1. Pre-heat your oven to broil.
2. Slice the French bread into rounds about half an inch thick.
3. Place the rounds into your large bowl.
4. Toss the rounds by hand while pouring in a healthy amount of olive oil into the bowl. Allow the rounds to soak up the olive oil.
5. Place the rounds on your baking sheet.
6. Broil the rounds for 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown.
7. Remove the French bread rounds from the oven and allow them to cool.

Assembling the Prosciutto and Mozzarella Crustini:

1. Remove the prosciutto from it’s packaging. Most prosciutto layered with a piece of deli paper between each slice to prevent the meat from sticking together. Discard the deli paper and work with one piece at a time.
2. Trim any excess fat found on the prosciutto. While a little fat is good, some pieces of prosciutto have an immense amount. Use your judgment to remove any pieces that seem to have more fat than meat.
3. Roll the piece of prosciutto.
4. Slice the prosciutto into 3 equal pieces. Repeat until you’ve prepped all of your prosciutto.
5. Place a small piece of fresh mozzarella on each crustini.
6. Follow with a piece of prosciutto and voila. Your Prosciutto and Mozzarella Crustini is ready to serve. This recipe yields 20 to 30 rounds of crustini.

A Note about the Mozzarella:

Look for the fresh mozzarella that has been pre-separated into little balls. It’s usually sold sitting in water in the specialty cheese section of your grocery store. One little ball will be enough cheese for 2 crustini appetizers. Working with the smaller balls of cheese is much easier than the large block of mozzarella.

Consider Adding Herbs:

Fresh basil is always a nice touch on this appetizer. To add basil, simply roll the leaves and then slice them into 4 pieces. As you uncoil the leaves, you’ll have a nice sprig of basil to place on top of your crustini.

Purchase Bread with a Hard Crust:

All French breads were not created equal. Look for a freshly baked loaf that has a hard crust on the outside. These will crisp better when they are broiled. The crunch of the bread mixed with the soft cheese and salty prosciutto give this appetizer a nice texture.

The copyright of the article The Prosciutto and Mozzarella Crustini in Party Food is owned by Armand Famiglietti. Permission to republish The Prosciutto and Mozzarella Crustini in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

A fresh piece of mozzarella

The cheese case where you'll locate the mozzarella

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