members recipes

A delicious and unexpected appetizer or cocktail party snack. The flavors blend so well with one another, with the sweet of the chocolate, the kick of the chile, garden fresh tomato and basil, and crunch of the bread. They will disappear from your plate!

Ingredients
16 plum tomatoes, each cut into 4 slices
3 T• olive oil
Freshly cracked black pepper
1 French baguette, cut into about 30 ½ inch slices
4 oz Scharffen Berger 62% cacao semisweet dark chocolate, or other dark chocolate of your choice
4 t sauce from canned chipotle chiles in adobo, or more/less to taste
1 bunch fresh garden basil, washed, leaves patted dry and picked from stems
Maldon salt, to garnish

Method
For roasted tomatoes:
Preheat oven to 275 F. Spread olive oil onto a foil lined baking sheet. Place tomato slices in a single layer on baking sheet and season with black pepper. Roast for 3 hours until very soft, golden and caramelized around the edges. Allow to cool slightly before removing from the baking sheet. (Can be prepared 1-2 days in advance. Store the tomatoes in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before assembling the crostini.)

For the bread:
Put the baguette slices on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake at 400 F for about 5 minutes until lightly toasted.

For chocolate sauce:
Break chocolate into squares and place in a microwave proof glass bowl. Melt in 30 second intervals until creamy when stirred. Add 2-3 teaspoons of adobo sauce, mix gently, taste, and adjust to your liking.

To assemble the crostini:
Place a slice of baguette on work surface. Spread about 1 t of the chocolate sauce on top. A basil leaf goes next, followed by 1 or 2 tomato slices (depending on how big they are). Sprinkle with a few grains of Maldon salt. Repeat with remaining baguette slices. Serve immediately.