Brian in the Kitchen Recipes
BRIAN IN THE KITCHEN brought to you by Stittsworth Meats
October 29 2025
Halloween - Caprese Crostini Ghosts
Image From foodnetwork.com
16 ounces fresh whole-milk mozzarella
1 fresh baguette
Extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1/2 cup pesto
12 ounces Campari tomatoes, thinly sliced into rounds
1 teaspoon balsamic glaze, plus more for drizzling
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the mozzarella in the freezer to firm up for 10 minutes.
Slice the baguette diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices and spread evenly on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat. Bake until golden and crisp, 8 to 9 minutes. Let cool.
Slice the mozzarella lengthwise into six 1/4-inch-thick planks. Use a ghost cookie cutter about 2 inches tall to cut slices into ghost-shaped pieces. Roughly chop all the remaining mozzarella scraps.
Spread the cooled crostini with about 1 teaspoon pesto each. Top 6 of the crostini with a few tomato slices and mozzarella ghosts. Pour the balsamic glaze into a small bowl and use a chopstick or the flat end of a skewer to dot the ghosts with eyes and mouths (see Cook’s Note). Top the remaining crostini with one slice of tomato and a tablespoon of the chopped mozzarella. Drizzle these non-ghost crostini with balsamic glaze.
Transfer the ghost crostini to a small plate, and the rest of the crostini to a large platter (you want your ghosts to be the attention). Serve immediately.