Twist Up Your Traditional Cranberry Sauce with These Cranberry Pomegranate Crostini

One of my biggest problems during the holidays (besides wondering how I’m going to survive my family’s political debates) is figuring out how to not stuff myself before I even get to the main meal. With these bite-sized cranberry pomegranate crostini appetizers, you can start your holiday meal on a festive note while saving some room for the mountain of cookies awaiting you later.

The Sriracha and ginger add the perfect amount of kick to the cranberry-pomegranate relish, blending well with the tartness of the cranberries and the sweetness of the honey and sugar. If you’re not feeling cream cheese, goat cheese would make a great substitute, and parsley can be substituted for the cilantro if you know your guests will snub anything cilantro-related.

The cranberry-pomegranate relish recipe makes more than what you need to garnish the crostini, so get creative and put it on sandwiches, or eat it next to your holiday ham just like traditional cranberry sauce. I promise it’s just what you need to feel like a gourmet holiday host without spending a million years in the kitchen.

Cranberry Pomegranate Crostini

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 30 minutesCook time: 15 minutesTotal time: 45 minutesServings:40 servings

Ingredients

• 1 pound fresh or frozen cranberries
• 2 teaspoon chopped fresh ginger
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup honey
• 2 teaspoon Sriracha sauce
• 1 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 cup pomegranate seeds reserve a few for garnish
• Finely chopped fresh cilantro for garnish
• 1 thin quality baguette
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 8 ounce whipped cream cheese or goat cheese

Instructions

1. 
   

   Place the cranberries, ginger, sugar, honey and Sriracha in the bowl of a food processor. Blend until cranberries are coarsely chopped. Don’t process too much.

2. 
   

   Add cilantro and pulse a few times, making sure not to over process. You want to see little bits of green still in the mixture!

3. 
   

   Transfer to a storage container and add the pomegranate seeds.

4. 
   

   Preheat oven to 350˚F and slice baguette into ¼ think pieces.

5. 
   

   Place baguette slices on a baking sheet and brush lightly with oil. Bake for 14-18 minutes or until golden, rotating sheets halfway through baking time if baking multiple sheets at once.

6. 
   

   To assemble, spread about ½ tablespoon whipped cream cheese or goat cheese on each crostini. Top with a scoop of the relish, and garnish with a few pomegranate seeds and some chopped cilantro.

7. 
   

   Enjoy!