Goat Cheese and Cranberry/Pear/Ginger relish crostini

Leftovers..leftovers...leftovers. What to do with the Cranberry/Pear/Ginger Relish leftovers.  I have to admit..my husband still digs the canned jellied cranberry sauce. So, you can still find it on on our holiday tables.  But....cranberry sauce is so easy to make there's no reason not too. Not only does it taste delicous, it looks festive as well.  So lets get to it:

Cranberry/Pear/Ginger relish ingredients:

2 bags Fresh cranberries

2 Bartlett Pears cored and diced

2 Oranges

1 Lemon

1 ½ cups sugar

½ Cup Dried Cranberries

2 tsp fresh grated ginger

¼ Cup Apricot Preserves

In a large saucepan over medium low heat combine the cranberries, pears, ginger, sugar, zest from two oranges and one lemon and the juice of one orange.  Let cook down until berries pop and the mixture becomes thick and syrupy.  This should take about 10-15 minutes.  Add dried cranberries and the apricot preserves and stir.  Continue to cook over low heat for 5 more minutes just to give the dried cranberries time to plump up.

Remove mixture from heat and cool.  Once cool, place in the fridge to thicken.  Relish will keep for at least a week in the fridge.   Before assembling crostini, remove from refrigerator and bring to room temperature

Crostini’s

2 6 oz logs of goat cheese

2 skinny baguettes

Pinenuts

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Slice the baguettes on a bias in quarter inch thick pieces and place on cookie sheet. Drizzle with EVOO.  Place the crostini in the oven.  At the same time, put the goat cheese in oven safe dish and place that in the oven as well.  Bake the crostini until lightly golden brown and the cheese until warmed through.  It will be easily spreadable.  In order to keep the goat cheese warm, you can do two things.  You can place an oven safe serving platter in the oven to heat it.  Transfer warmed goat cheese to the heated service plate. If your serving dish isn’t oven proof, fill with boiling water while the cheese and crostini bake.  This will heat the plate enough to keep the cheese warmed.   While the cheese warms through, put pinenuts in small dry skillet over low heat just until they begin to turn light brown.  They will burn easily so be sure to not take your eyes off them. Immediately remove from heat. 

To assemble:

Spread a layer of the warmed goat cheese on a crostini, followed by layer of your cranberry relish.  Garnish with pinenuts and serve.