Roasted Acorn Squash Crostini with Crispy Prosciutto and Goat Cheese

This Roasted Acorn Squash Crostini with Crispy Prosciutto and Goat Cheese is one delicious two (maybe three) bite app! Acorn squash is diced and roasted until golden brown and slightly caramelized. A generous spread of creamy goat cheese is the base and crispy prosciutto and walnuts give some delicious flavour and texture. Perfect for upcoming holiday parties!

Hey guys!  How was your weekend?  If you guys follow me on Instagram, you may have noticed that hubby and I were in Montreal.  Boy oh boy, did we eat well!  We had a little trip to celebrate our anniversary, which is actually today!  We’ve been married for 13 years (and been together for 22 !!)  It’s been a blast so far and looking forward to the next 22 years making memories with my BFF.

I remember the day we got married.  It was lovely fall day, but unbelievably cold.  We grew up in a small town in rural Newfoundland by the Atlantic ocean and wanted to get some wedding pics on the shoreline with the rugged rocks and the ocean in the background.  We froze our buns off, but the pictures were lovely.  It was worth it for the pics, lol 😀

What are Newfoundland Dogberries?

You may be wondering what type of berries are in my pics. They are dogberries that grow on the dogberry tree.  These trees are quite popular in Newfoundland and can be found all throughout the Province this time of year.  Dogberries are hard to miss because of their beautiful red colour. At our wedding ceremony we had some around for decoration, along with pumpkins and the like – it was definitely a fall wedding.

The colour of these berries is so vibrant, I couldn’t resist using them in my pics for this fall inspired crostini!  After that, I made a lovely centrepiece for my kitchen table….that is as crafty as I get, lol 😉

Some people make jams or wine from the berries, but I would not recommend eating them raw.  However, my father did.  The day that I made these Roasted Acorn Squash Crostini, my parents popped by.  I wanted them to try the crostini.  I had my back turned for .5 seconds and dad had eaten a dogberry.

‘Hmmmm……whatever that was, it was really hard….kinda spicy.’

Mom and I looked at each other, wide eyed.

‘Dad, they aren’t for eating!’

Jokingly, he said his tongue was getting numb.

In all seriousness, though, I don’t think it’s a bad thing to eat dogberries, it’s just not recommended. They are quite bitter raw (as dad found out the hard way).

They say (whoever they are) that if dogberries are plentiful this time of year, then the winter will be rough (aka a lot of snow).  And we have a lot of dogberries this year.  A lot.  Beautiful to look at but, please, no snow!!

Roasted Acorn Squash Crostini

Like most crostini, these are pretty easy to assemble (and even easier to eat).

Prosciutto is crisped in the oven and acorn squash is roasted for about 15 minutes until golden brown.  The squash is diced in small pieces so it doesn’t take long to cook through.  Before roasting, I tossed with Herbes de Provence.  I use this quite often (especially for roasted potatoes).  You can usually find it in the grocery store where you would find other herbs.  Herbes de Provence is basically a mixture of herbs, typically thyme, lavender, rosemary and oregano.   If you don’t have this on hand, you can use a pinch of each of these herbs or even just thyme would work lovely.

After the bread is golden brown and crisp, top with a generous spread of goat cheese, roasted acorn squash  and the rest of your ingredients.  A drizzle of balsamic reduction adds a lovely touch. I sprinkled with fresh parley as the colour contrasted nicely, but that is totally optional

These crostini are best enjoyed right away, but I’m sure that won’t be a problem!

Crostinis are one of my favourite things to eat and perfect for this time of  year when entertaining.  If you want to some more awesome recipes, check out my Roasted Strawberry Crostini and Chanterelle Mushroom Crostini.  Bread, good cheese and some quality toppings – there is no going wrong, am I right?

Before I go, I want to give a shout out to Annie from New York as the winner drawn for the copy of More Than Poutine on my giveaway!  Enjoy Annie!

I hope to share more about our trip to Montreal on my next monthly faves….stay tuned!  Until next time, take care and chit chat again soon 🙂

P.S. If you missed my last post, you can check it out here.

P.P.S. If you think this Roasted Acorn Squash Crostini with Crispy Prosciutto and Goat Cheese will make your belly happy too, please be sure to hit that little Pin button.  Many thanks, you guys! XO

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5 from 11 votes

Roasted Acorn Squash Crostini with Crispy Prosciutto and Goat Cheese

This Roasted Acorn Squash Crostini with Crispy Prosciutto and Goat Cheese is one delicious two (maybe three) bite app!  Acorn squash is diced and roasted until golden brown and slightly caramelized.  A generous spread of  creamy goat cheese  is the base and crispy prosciutto and walnuts give some delicious flavour and texture.  Perfect for upcoming holiday parties!

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Italian

Keyword roasted squash, appetizer, finger food

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings 8 crostini

Author Dawn Coombs

Ingredients

• 3 slices prosciutto
• 2 cups acorn squash -small dice
• 2 tbsp olive oil -divided
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp herbes de provence -or thyme
• 8 slices baquette -cut about 1/2 inch thick
• 1/3 cup goat cheese
• 2-3 tbsp walnuts -chopped
• 2-3 tbsp balsamic reduction -see recipe notes below
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley -roughly chopped, optional

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375F. Toss acorn squash with 1.5 tbsp. of olive oil, salt, pepper and Herbes de Provence (or thyme). Place on baking sheet and bake 15-20 minutes until tender and golden. Carefully remove from oven.
• The last 5-6 minutes of the acorn squash roasting, place prosciutto on a sheet pan and cook in oven alongside for 5-6 minutes or until crispy. Don't burn. Carefully remove and lay to one side.
• Brush slices of baguette with remaining 1/2 tbsp. of olive oil. Turn oven to broil and crisp about 2 minutes per side. Watch to ensure it doesn't burn. Carefully remove from oven.
• Spread goat cheese equally among bread slices, top with roasted acorn squash, walnuts, crispy prosciutto (crumbled) and walnuts. Drizzle with balsamic reduction. Garnish with parsley, if desired. Enjoy immediately.

Notes

You can find balsamic reduction in the vinegar section of your supermarket or you can make your own. To make your own balsamic reduction,  mix 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar with 1 tbsp. of maple syrup in a heavy bottomed sauce pan on low heat for 12-15 minutes until reduced slightly and mixture coats the back of a spoon.

Tried this recipe? That's awesome!Mention @dawn.girlheartfood or tag #girlheartfood!