I have made many friends happy over dinner in our home with my tasty goat cheese and avocado toasts, but I am always looking for a tasty new topping to enjoy with pre-dinner cocktails. This one found inspiration with locally grown baby squash and zucchini, simply roasted with fresh garden thyme, Champagne vinegar, and a touch of olive oil.

Recipe:

Roasted Summer Squash Crostini with Thyme
Ingredients:
1/2 baguette, sliced into 1/2 inch rounds and toasted over low heat for just a few minutes (just below browned)
2 small yellow squash, sliced into thin rounds
2 small zucchini squash, sliced into thin rounds
1 tablespoon Champagne vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil + more for drizzling
Zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
Pinch red pepper flakes
4 springs fresh thyme, stems removed
1 tablespoon fresh parsley or extra thyme for garnish, chopped
3 ounces fresh goat cheese
Salt and pepper

Preparation:
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Toss together the squash, vinegar, lemon, oil, thyme, red pepper flakes and a pinch each of salt and pepper.
Roast for 10 minutes until just starting to become caramelized. Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Lay the baguette slices on a tray and spread with a thin layer of goat cheese. Top each slice with a few pieces of squash, fanning out the pieces in a slightly overlapping pattern zucchini then squash then zucchini and so forth. Make sure to keep any of the zest or thyme or red pepper with the squash. Add an extra drizzle of olive oil.  Sprinkle with a bit of fresh thyme or parsley and serve.