You will never escape my parmesan shortbread recipe but honestly, why would you want to when it’s this delicious?
Every quarter, the building I live in hosts a supper club where residents are divided into small groups and share a meal, each person contributing a dish. It brings together people of all ages, backgrounds, and culinary skill levels around one table.
This quarter’s theme was Italian, and I was tasked with bringing an appetizer. Luckily, I had leftover garlic parmesan shortbread tucked away in my freezer, which quickly became my inspiration. By the end of the night, every single Parmesan Shortbread Crostini was gone, and I received glowing praise from some of the most talented culinarians in my building. That says a lot, considering many of them have attended top culinary schools.
I hope you enjoy this recipe and use it to impress your friends at your next dinner party.
Topics
Recipe Notes and Substitutions
- Shortbread Temperature: Allow the shortbread to come to room temperature before assembling. If it’s too warm, the cookies will crumble easily; if too cold, the texture and flavor won’t be at their best.
- Cooking the Pear Jam: When cooking the pear jam, stir continuously to prevent scorching. Remove it from the heat as soon as the pears reach a jam-like consistency and begin to cling together with the sugar. Cooking beyond this point will cause the sugar to harden, resulting in a solid mass that’s difficult to separate.
- Crostini Shelf Life: The assembled crostini can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours, but they are best enjoyed shortly after preparation. Once opened, the prosciutto will begin to brown on the surface of the crostini, which can detract from both its appearance and flavor.
Select one of the buttons below to follow along with a step-by-step recipe demo!
Parmesan Shortbread Crostini
Serving Size:
12 crostini
Time:
1 hour
Difficulty:
Easy
Ingredients
Pear Jam
- 3 Bartlett pears
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
Assembly
- 12 garlic parmesan shortbread cookies
- 3-4 slices prosciutto
- 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- Sea salt to taste
- Chives to taste
Directions
Making the Pear Jam
- Finely dice the pears.
- Combine the diced pears, sugar, lemon juice, and apple cider vinegar in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a gentle simmer and cook for 30–45 minutes, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens to a jam-like consistency.
Assembling the Crostini
- In a small bowl, whisk together the ricotta, olive oil, and salt. Gradually add more olive oil as needed until the mixture is smooth and reaches a consistency suitable for piping.
- Transfer the ricotta mixture to a piping bag and pipe a small dollop onto each shortbread cookie.
- Spoon a modest amount of pear jam over the ricotta.
- Cut the prosciutto into small rectangles. Stack 2–3 pieces, then gently roll them into petite rosettes. Place 2–3 rosettes on top of the pear jam.
- Finely chop the chives and sprinkle over the assembled crostini to taste.
- Serve immediately, or refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
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