Pear, Brie, and Wildflower Honey Crostini

It's no secret that I love cheese, it's becoming a problem for our food budget. Thank goodness my husband shares in the obsession.

Cowgirl Creamery is an artisan organic cheese shop in the Penn Quarter neighborhood of DC. Their signature is their triple cream Mt. Tam named for Mt. Tamalpais in San Francisco Bay.

This amazing cheese shop also serves sandwiches, among other things. My favorite was the Blue Ridge for awhile, with Fra'Mani Turkey Galantine, Torregio cheese, and herb mayo with local field greens. Before I caught on that they have that one every Thursday, I would be forced to try alternatives. A few Tuesdays ago I tried their vegetarian for the day, the Morning Dew sandwich. Wow. With local pears, Mt. Tam, wildflower honey, and local field greens, it was quite delicious and refreshing. Depending on the time of year, the pears might be subbed out for a different seasonal fruit.

Cowgirl Creamery's Morning Dew was the inspiration for this crostini I put together for a vegetarian brunch we hosted last weekend. And I found myself making it again as an after work snack just a few days later, it's that good.

I'm sure that this crostini would taste great with any brie, but if you can get your hands on Mt. Tam you will be in for a treat. If you're in the DC area, follow them on twitter @cowgirlcheesedc to find out what sandwiches they have each day. Of course if you're lucky enough to live in San Francisco where they're based out of, you can visit them there as well.

Pear, Brie, and Wildflower Honey Crostini

Ingredients:

• One fresh baguette, sliced thinly at an angle
• Several organic ripe Bosch pears, peeled, core removed, and sliced about 1/8" (If pears aren't in season, you can sub another fruit, such as apples)
• Fresh organic spring mix
• local wildflower honey
• Mt. Tam or other good quality triple cream brie

Prepare your ingredients, or "mise en place" if you want to get all fancy and french. You can toast the sliced baguette if you'd like, but I did not. Spread a generous portion of wildflower honey on each slice of bread. Gauge this on how sweet you'd like the crostini to be; you want to taste the honey but it shouldn't be the dominant flavor. Place a few sprigs of spring mix on top of each, then a slice of the cheese, and lastly about three slices of juicy pear. Marvel at how wonderful your cute little crostini look, and enjoy! Then continue making this great snack or appetizer until you run out of supplies.