Ham, Brie and Cranberry Crostini
This Ham, Brie and Cranberry Crostini post has been sponsored by Tyson Foods Inc. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Looking for a fun way to elevate your holiday appetizers? These Ham, Brie and Cranberry Crostini are layered with tasty flavors, and they’re a cinch to make!
Ham, Brie and Cranberry Crostini made with Sara Lee® Premium Honey Ham
Are you a planner? Or do you wait until the last minute? Our local news flashed up a survey the other night that said 40% of people have started their Christmas shopping by October. Another 40% of folks start in November. The remaining 20% wait until December, with 3% of the total population waiting until after December 15th to start shopping. Seriously? After December 15th? There is no way I could wait that long to get my Christmas shopping started!
When it comes to shopping, we pick up random gifts throughout the year when something jumps out at us. For instance, my niece is really into ballerinas, and we found a ballerina nutcracker for her way back in March. In general, I’d say that November is our go-to month for Christmas shopping. We make a list (and check it twice!), and then hit the stores or the internet (avoiding those post office lines).
I saw a recent study that the post office will deliver approximately 16 billion pieces of mail during the holiday season. That’s billion with a “b.” That’s 16 followed by 9 (!) zeros. The busiest mail day of the year is December 17 with nearly 3/4 of a billion pieces mailed on that day alone. That puts Santa’s deliveries to shame!
As astounding as those numbers sound, they kinda make sense. We mail out several dozen holiday photo cards in addition to a handful of packages to my family in Tennessee and Texas. And we’re just 1 family. Multiply that up, and I can see how you’d eventually land on 16 billion pieces of mail. (Mental note: Make sure to thank my mail lady this year!)
Ham, Brie and Cranberry Crostini
Ham, Brie and Cranberry CrostiniSwitching gears over to the food, one of my favorite dinners during the holiday season is actually appetizers. That’s right. Appetizers for dinner! After a long day shopping or standing in line at the post office, there’s nothing better than coming home to an easy meal of appetizers. Laura and I whipped up a batch of these Ham, Brie and Cranberry Crostini the other night…woah! There’s so many layers of flavor packed in these small bites.
I’ve become a big fan of brie in recent years, so these crostini started with a base of slightly crispy bread and warm brie cheese. Add a spoonful of cranberry relish and then a slice of Sara Lee® Premium Honey Ham, and you’re well on your way to deliciousness!
On my weekly grocery trips with Robbie, I typically stop by the deli counter and pick up a pound of Smoked Turkey or perhaps Chipotle-Seasoned Chicken Breast for lunch. Sara Lee® Premium Meats are my go-to for affordable, high-quality deli meat. Robbie has just gotten interested in sandwiches (no crust on that bread!), and I feel good about serving these high-quality deli meats to him. Plus, I love mixing up the different flavors each week! (Click here for a complete list of all Sara Lee® Premium Meats.)
This week, I decided to grab some See Lee Honey Ham, too, as I had this idea for Ham, Brie and Cranberry Crostini floating around in my head. These crostini came together in minutes, and they made for an excellent easy dinner.
Laura’s parents came up to visit for Thanksgiving this year, and they arrived the evening before. Since we didn’t know exactly what time they’d arrive due to holiday traffic, we decided to keep dinner pretty easy and flexible that night. We made another batch of these Ham, Brie and Cranberry Crostini…and I might have nibbled on a few before they pulled into the driveway!
These crostini would also be a great centerpiece for a holiday cocktail party with the neighbors. We love putting out a simple cheese board along with a couple of appetizers, and then letting folks graze for dinner. We’ve typically got a fire roaring in the fireplace, and the opportunity to catch up with friends and neighbors over an easy appetizer dinner is always fun!
One of the best things about these crostini is you can tailor the toppings to your favorite flavors. For instance:
- Instead of cranberry relish, you could use a flavored chutney, pepper jelly, fig preserves or even apple butter.
- Instead of brie, you could use a soft goat cheese or a triple creme camembert.
- Don’t feel like baking up the baguette? Use fun flavored crackers instead. Or you could use slider buns to turn these crostini into mini-sandwiches.
- You could even change the type of meat. I like Sara Lee® Honey Ham here, but I bet Sara Lee® Oven Roasted Turkey Breast would be delicious, too! (For even more fun ideas and how-to videos, check out this Sara Lee® Solutions page.)
As we head into the busy part of the holiday season, make sure to take some time for yourself! Make a batch of these Ham, Brie and Cranberry Crostini. Build a fire in the fireplace. And, most importantly, relax. The holidays are one of the best times of the year, so make sure you stop and enjoy the season! Cheers, friends!
Ham, Brie and Cranberry Crostini
Ingredients
- 1 French baguette
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 8 oz. brie cheese
- ½ cup cranberry preserves
- ½ lb. Sara Lee© Honey Ham
- fresh thyme chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Slice baguette at an angle into ½” slices; lay slices on a parchment-lined sheet pan.
- Brush baguette slices with olive oil.
- Slice brie into thin strips; set brie aside.
- Bake crostini for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and top with brie slices. Return pan to the oven and bake for 2-3 more minutes, or until brie just begins to melt. Remove tray from oven and let crostini cool slightly.
- Top each crostini with a small spoonful of cranberry preserves.
- Slice pieces of ham in half and layer each crostini with 1-2 slices of ham.
- Sprinkle with fresh thyme before serving.
Did you make these Ham, Brie and Cranberry Crostini at home? Leave a comment! Or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog).
Looking for more holiday appetizer ideas? Check out these other favorites:
Barbecue Chicken Pinwheels
Flammkuchen
Parmesan Garlic Monkey Bread
Marinated Feta
Spinach Artichoke Stuffed French Bread
Beautiful. I’ve never seen those large ham slices before, but maybe I should look harder. They look very handy! I always started shopping in January, not because of sales, but just because when I see a perfect gift I grab it. But things have slowed down now with my daughters in their 30’s. Now it’s about age-appropriate grand children gifts!
Those ham slices are straight from the deli case at our local grocery store, Mimi. Nice and easy! I just grabbed a pound of ham and then cut the slices in half for making these appetizers. And as far as gifts, I hear ya on the grandkids! We’re at the kid age (Robbie just turned 3), and I seriously keep seeing gifts he would love. The holidays really are a special time with kids around! Thanks so much, my friend!
Hi David! I love brie and these would be my idea of a perfect dinner! Quite often if we go out we eat off the appetizer menu, it’s more fun to get tastes of several different things, plus sharing!
I totally agree with you about appetizer menus, Dorothy! Yum! These appetizers were a breeze to make at home, and the flavor was off-the-chart good. I suspect these will appear at least one more time (probably soon) in our house during the holiday season! Thanks so much, my friend!
Just when we thought the internet would put the post office out of business!
David, these crostini look so delicious! I love the contrasting flavors and textures going on -sweet, salty, creamy, crunchy – they have it all!
Tell me about it, Kelly! I guess all that internet shopping still has to get delivered somehow. And apparently it’s all on December 17th! Hah. And I’m with ya 100% on these crostini, Kelly. The layers of flavor are awesome, and these have become a holiday favorite around here! 🙂
I’m not surprised at all at the 16 billion number–I feel like I contribute way more to that than I need to. Do old neighbors really want to see a Christmas card with pics of Cookie in it? Probably not but I send them anyway :). I LOVE an easy appetizer and have been known to make a meal out of crostini so I’m all over these!
So you’re saying you contribute 1 billion of the 16 billion? Haha! Of course friends and neighbors want to see photos of Cookie! Heck, why do you think I stop by your blog? (HAH…Just kidding!) I’m all about easy appetizers lately…there are still Christmas decorations to put up and ain’t nobody got time to actually make dinner when the tree isn’t trimmed! 🙂
Honestly, we haven’t even started Christmas shopping, and I’m not ready yet. Wondering maybe we can have a “no need for Christmas presents” or “a 10 dollar gift card as a present” policy this year haha? Indeed I bought Andrey a gift a month ago (He loves music crystal balls). But the problem is that I cannot hide presents for a long time, so I ended up…giving it away on the same day. Does this count as a Christmas gift now? Anyway, Christmas shopping isn’t my thing (unless buying Christmas ornaments is involved); however, I can share your love for delicious crostini. As you might have noticed (you must have hah), brie and cranberry is one of my fave combos too, so I’m 100% approving this!
So you’re the ones in that survey who wait until after December 15th to start! Well, I think you can be forgiven, Ben, as I know you’re spending all of your free time coming up with awesome Christmas pizza recipes! 🙂 Hah! I’m laughing at the fact that you got Andrey a gift and then gave it to him on the same day. You’re just too excited to wait! I do indeed know how much you like brie + cranberry. It’s a great combo, and these crostini are really tasty. Thanks so much, my friend!
Such pretty and delicious party fare! And I could gladly make a meal of these…love bite size toasts!
And how amazing is the USPS…just wow. That amount of mail makes my head swim!
Oh, we’ve totally made a meal (or two) out of these appetizers, and the holiday season is just kicking off. We’re thinking about hosting a cocktail party, and you better believe these crostini will be on the list! 🙂 Thanks so much, Marissa!
Definitely, a planner – especially when it comes to Christmas. I am so excited about this time of the year. I also tend to buy presents throughout the year whenever I see something that is just the perfect gift for a loved one. Appetizers are a wonderful thing and I am seriously craving your Ham, Brie and Cranberry Crostini right now!
You and me both, Miriam! I’m totally a planner myself, and we also pick up gifts throughout the year. I like to avoid the last-minute scramble for everything…especially the holidays. I mean the house looks so pretty all decorated that I want to make sure and enjoy it! These appetizers are really, really tasty…and they’re perfect for either appetizer-for-dinner night or even a cocktail party with friends. Thanks so much!
I have a brie crostini coming up next week too! I could live on crostini – no lie. I’m definitely a planner. And I definitely try to avoid the malls as much as possible so whatever I can order online I do. I can’t stand the crowds!! Anywho – this gets me all excited for the holidays. Can you believe it’s less than a month away? But, honestly, leading up to Christmas sometimes feels more Christmasey than the actual day. I don’t like when people say ‘oh well, it’s over’ on the 25th. I love to enjoy every minute of it 🙂
Haha! Great minds think alike, huh? I seem to have similar tastes in food, Dawn…and I think that’s why I like stopping by your site so much! 🙂 I hear ya on the crowds. I have crowds, and I really hate traffic. Online is the way to go for sure! And I agree about the lead-up to Christmas. The house is all decorated, and there’s just a general buzz in the air. It’s the best time of the year. Enjoy it, my friend!
Can I be both a planner and a procrastinator? 😉 These are such pretty appetizers. Love the flavors and the way the ham slices so easily sort of “ribbon.”
Hah! Yes, you can indeed be both a planner and procrastinator, Valentina. In fact, that probably describes me pretty well. 🙂 Thank you so much for the kind words on these appetizers, too. Not only are they easy, but they taste awesome, too! Hope you had a great weekend, my friend!
I have done some of my Christmas shopping but I’m have to buy some more. Time me is running out for me since I have to ship some gifts to Germany. I love those little sandwiches.
We’re more or less in the same boat here, Gerlinde. Most of our shopping is done, but now we have to lay it all out, wrap it and make sure we didn’t forget anyone! Gosh, I didn’t think about the extra challenge of shipping back to Germany. Thanks so much, my friend! Hope you had a great weekend!
Our Christmas shopping is done, but we still have to send the package to the US for our youngest grandson, the other two grandkids get gift cards. My brother used to wait until Christmas Eve to do his shopping. He got great deals, but his kids never got what they want for Christmas. We always plan and shop as you guys do.
Your Ham, Brie and Cranberry Crostini sounds like a fine flavor combo. Give me a couple of those guys and a bag of chips and I have lunch.
I bet shipping gifts back to the US adds another layer of challenges this time of the year. You’ve really got to be on your game! Hah…I’m imagining your brother out on Christmas Eve trying to scramble and find gifts. That would drive me crazy! And as far as these appetizers being a good lunch? I agree! We’ve totally done that here with the leftovers. 🙂 Thanks so much, Ron!
Love these crostini David. Brie and cranberry are two of my favourite flavours and with a slice of ham on top too, that’s perfect for me! My folks would love these served up as an appetizer!
These are a super fun appetizer, Neil! Not only do they taste great, but they’re really easy to make, too. Thanks so much, my friend!
In years past I’ve been super organized and sent out presents and cards by December 1st – this year – UGH – this year I might fall into that 3% as I haven’t even started my Christmas shopping! BTW that combo of Ham, Brie and Cranberry is killer! In fact I think I might need a plate or two of these Ham, Brie and Cranberry Crostini to motivate me to get my bootay into gear with the gifts and cards! Also, I didn’t realize that Sara Lee had premium meats – thanks David, this leads to so many delightful possibilities this time of year!
So we’re doing ok on the presents front somehow, but I feel like we’re slipping behind on everything else. It’s a wild time up here! But it’s also the holidays, and those are the best days of the year if you ask me. 🙂 And I’m all about yummy appetizers (and appetizers for dinner!) during this holidays. Hope it all settles out down there for ya soon, Shashi!