Anytime Appetizer: Roasted Garlic Crostini

When it comes to entertaining, I often go to the hands down easiest to make appetizer in my recipe arsenal: roasted garlic crostini.  It's the perfect thing to make when you want to serve something that will be a sure fire crowd pleaser, but you still want to have time to actually enjoy your guests and not be stuck in the kitchen the entire time.  And the best part about it is that you can top these warm garlicky toasts with just about anything that you have lying around the house - sun dried tomatoes, olives, tapenade, cheese - the possibilities are endless! 

The other night I set out to make this dish as a pre-dinner appetizer, but everyone loved it so much, we ended up eating several crostinis each in place of dinner.  Vampires and those on a first date need not apply.  All others, dig in!  

Roasted Garlic Crostini

2 large heads of garlic (or more, depending on the number of guests you have)
extra virgin olive oil
1 baguette, sliced
assorted toppings

For the garlic:

Preheat oven to 400 F.  Cut the tops off of heads of garlic to reveal individual cloves like so:

Drizzle with olive oil and place in baking dish lined with aluminum foil:

Wrap foil around heads of garlic to completely enclose:

Then bake for 1 hour (or until garlic becomes soft and has just started to caramelize):

While garlic is cooling, place bread slices on a baking sheet and brush with olive oil:

Bake at 400 F for 10 to 12 minutes (bread will be lightly toasted but not dark brown - if you prefer your bread more toasted, place under broiler for about a minute):

Scoop garlic cloves out with a spoon or fork and place on toast:

The garlic should be soft enough that you can spread it with the back of a fork or a butter knife:

I topped one of my toasts with goat cheese and rosemary and the other with gruyere and balsamic vinegar, but like I said before, you could top them with just about anything and they'd still be delicious - enjoy!