Sweet and savory onion and fig jam with creamy brie, crispy prosciutto and roasted garlic on top of buttery toasted crostinis makes an impressive appetizer that’s just as easy to make for 20 as it is for 50.
These crostinis look seriously impressive. Like they were made by a proper chef. Only they weren’t. We made them. And YOU can make them. Easily. And totally impress the heck out of your guests!
They are O.M.G. delicious!
Roasted garlic is spread on the bottom of a buttery crostini topped with a crispy piece of salty prosciutto paired with the creamy brie and the sweet and tangy onion and fig jam made with wine and thyme.
The great thing about these little appies, taste and looks aside, is that they are very scale-able. It’s just as easy to make 50 or even 100 of these as it is to make 20. It just takes a tiny bit more time to assemble.
They are a great option for a more upscale dinner party because they look fantastic, but you can prepare EVERYTHING before hand and then just assemble 15 mins before you want to serve them.
The only thing we would recommend doing right before you serve them is cutting the cheese slices (throw your brie in the freezer for 10 mins before you cut it to make the slicing even easier).
When we make these, we like to double the amount of crostinis, garlic, prosciutto and have an extra round of brie in the fridge just in case you need to make more in a hurry. It hardly takes any more effort to roast extra garlic, crisp up a few extra slices of prosciutto, and toasts another baguette.
Everything keeps well in the fridge and the crostinis keep well for a few days if you store them in an airtight container or ziplock bag.
The onion and fig jam is the star of this appetizer and it is a cinch to make, it just takes a little while to cook down and become all nice and jammy. Use fresh figs if you have them but you can also use dried ones as long as you get the ones that aren’t all shriveled up. They need to be at least soft.
We love this onion and fig jam because it can easily be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge until you are ready to use it. On these crostinis, a condiment for a cheese board, a pizza topping maybe…
It would make a wonderful gift! You could fill little jars of this onion and fig jam and give it away over the holidays. How awesome would you be if you made extra jam, filled a few jars, made this appy for a dinner party and then sent your guests home with a small jar of their own!
Kevin and I are planning a Christmas party in December to celebrate the season as well as our move into our new shop where we will live while Kevin builds our house. We’re inviting all our family and friends and this appetizer is firmly on the menu!
Are you planning any holiday parties this season?
Fig & Onion Jam with Prosciutto & Brie on a Roasted Garlic Covered Crostini
Ingredients
ONION AND FIG JAM
- 10 cups sliced sweet onions
- 6 figs , chopped
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 big sprigs thyme
- 1 tbsp butter
- 3 tbsp balsamic reduction
- 1/2 cup white wine
FOR THE CROSTINIS
- 1 skinny and long baguette , cut into ¾ inch thick slices on the bias
- ½ cup olive oil
- 2 tbsp garlic plus (or other garlic seasoning for garlic bread)
- sprinkle of parmesan cheese on each crostini
- drizzle of olive oil
Instructions
MAKE THE ONION AND FIG JAM
- Add all the sliced onions, figs, butter, olive oil, and thyme sprigs to a large pan. Heat to medium-low and cook, stirring every few mins, until the onions caramelize and the figs break down. This will take 15 - 20 mins or so. Then add the second bit of butter, balsamic reduction, and wine. Stir well. Cook for another 5 - 10 mins until the mixture breaks down even more and gets nice and jammy. Remove from heat and cool. Set aside or store in the fridge until you are ready to use it.
MAKE THE CROSTINIS
- Heat your oven to 350 degrees. Slice your loaf of bread up. Mix the garlic seasoning with the oil, and brush a little on both sides of the bread. Place on a baking tray and bake in the oven till they brown a little. About 5 - 8 mins. Flip them over and cook till they are browned on the other side as well. About 3 - 5 mins. Set aside.
GET THE REST READY
- While the onion and fig jam is cooking and you''re making your crostinis, roast the garlic. Turn the oven on to 400 F. Cut the top off of each of the heads of garlic and place each one on a square of tin foil. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Wrap each one up in the foil and place in the oven on a rack. Roast for 30 - 35 mins until they feel soft. Pull them out and let them cool.
- Crisp up your prosciutto. Heat a large skillet to medium heat. Place the strips of prosciutto in and cook for a min or two on each side. They will crisp up quick and you don't want them so crispy that they will crumble. Remove from the heat and cut into crositini size pieces. Set aside.
PUT THE CROSTINIS TOGETHER
- First cut up the brie in long skinny strips. Then into 2 inch pieces or so.
- Take a crostini and a clove of roasted garlic and smear the garlic on the crostini. Next put on a piece of crispy prosciutto, followed by a slice of brie and top all of that with a generous tablespoon of the onion and fig jam. Garnish with a sprig of thyme.
- Serve
Sandy says
I have a question about the Onion and Fig jam portion of his recipe. Does it call for just 6 figs or should it be 6 cups of chopped figs? My figs are small brown figs, so 6 would not add much fig flavor.
Julie & Debbie says
Hi Sandy, just 6 figs is good. You chop them up and add them and they melt in. However, if you dont think thats enough, just add some more 🙂 This recipe doesn’t have to be exact. I wouldn’t add 6 cups though!
Brenda says
The jam is AMAZING! I just made it for a wine tasting event. I can’t wait for my guest to try it.
Julie & Debbie says
Thank you Brenda!! We love it too 🙂 So good with wine…!
Lisa Alteri says
This recipe looks wonderful and I am considering making it for a party I am having for around 50 people. Maybe I missed it. You talk about how the recipe is as easy to make for 20 as it is for 50 or 100 but I don’t see where you give a yield for the recipe as written. About how many pieces does the recipe as written make? Does the onion and fig jam recipe make more than enough to cover one loaf of bread or is it just enough. Thank you.
Julie & Debbie says
Hi Lisa, you are right. Sorry about that! Ive added some notes to the recipe. This jam recipe makes enough for about 3 skinny baguettes turned into crostinis. For 50 people I would probably make at least 2 baguettes, but that depends on the other food that you have for your guests as well.
Tracey says
Hi there! I can’t wait to try this recipe! Do you use dry figs or fresh figs? Thank you!
Julie & Debbie says
We used dried, but ones that were still moist. You could use either though. If we had fresh, we would have used them.
Alkinoi says
Hi there! I am salivating just reading this! I recently started making Marmelade and I was wondering whether I could preserve this one, (sterilize the jars and store them in the cupboard). Do you reckon it would spoil? Thank you!
Julie & Debbie says
I think you could. We haven’t tried it, but if you do it just like you would do any other kind of jam, it should work the same.
PeggySue says
Seems to me it’s not acidic enough to be canned in a water bath. Might be worth a go in the pressure canner.
Debbie says
I made this for s bday party last week and it was amazing. Everyone loved it. Thank you for a great recipe.
Julie & Debbie says
Yay! We really love hearing this. Thanks for letting us know 🙂 We’re so glad you loved it.
Deb says
This sounds amazing. Making it for Xmas eve cocktail party but I would like to make the onion fig jam ahead of time. Do you know how long this will keep in the refrigerator?
Julie & Debbie says
Good idea! That’s what we would do too 🙂 It will keep in the fridge for a couple weeks just fine. Let us know how they turn out!
Soha Khairat says
Hi, I just read the recipe and I so excited to do it, but I have 2 question. First, what other options I can use rather than prosciutto? (because I don’t eat pork) Second, I already made fig Jam, can I add from it rather than using 6 Figs or I have to use them?
Julie & Debbie says
Hi 🙂 First of all, ya! I would use the fig jam and just mix it with some caramelized onions, thyme, wine and balsamic. As for the prosciutto… you could try Bresaola which is a air dried curred beef. Or you could try some other smoked meat. Or just take it out all together, the crostinis with cheese and the jam will still taste great. Or maybe try turkey bacon…?? Let us know how they turn out!
Dina says
How many large sweet onions would 10 cups be?
Julie & Debbie says
It honestly depends on the size of your onions which is why we chose to measure in cups. I would think that if you got 6 – 7 onions you would be safe. Onions don’t go bad quick anyways so if you have extra just use them in your dinners next week 🙂
Theresa says
So excited to try this recipe-it looks amazing! Do you know if this jam can be preserved in jars? Thanks.
Julie & Debbie says
Please let us know what you think! And yes, I imagine that it could be preserved in jars. We havent tried it, but we have thought about it. If you try it, PLEASE let us know!
Sara says
Would this recipe be able to be canned for long term storage?
Julie & Debbie says
I do think you could, however we havent tried it. Yet 🙂 If you do, please let us know how it turns out.
Kathy says
Loved this recipe. I had really small figs so I had to increase the figs to get the kind of color you had in your jam. I want to keep the jam for use at Christmas. Do you know it will freeze well?
Julie & Debbie says
Yes I think it should freeze ok actually. Though I haven’t tried it!
joe mattingly says
I want to make these for my wifes birthday, but she hates brie. What would be a good subsitute?
Julie & Debbie says
You could use any other soft cheese like fresh mozzarella or burrata, camembert, or if she doesnt like any of those, you could use something more firm like gruyere, which would also be excellent. Let us know how it goes.