Goat Cheese Toasts

Recipe Courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients
36 slices (1/2 inch thick) baguette bread
3 Tbs. Olive Oil
8 ounces soft goat cheese
4 ounces cream cheese
2 tsp. finely chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
2 tsp. finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 tsp. finely grated lemon peel
Salt and coarsley ground multi-colored or black peppercorns
1/2 cup Siciilian green olives or kalamata olives, finely chopped
2 Tbs. thinly sliced chives

Preparation
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Arrange the bread slices on 2 heavy large baking sheets. Brush olive oil over the bread slices. Bake until the crostini are pale golden and crisp, about 15 minutes.
Blend the goat cheese and cream cheese in a food processor until smooth and creamy. Add the parsley, thyme, and lemon peel. Using hte on/off button, pulse just to blend. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Spread the cheese mixture over the crostini. Sprinkle or dollop with the olives, chives, and more pepper. Arrange the toasts on a platter and serve.

Do-Ahead Tip: The crostini and cheese mixture can each be prepared 2 days in advance. Store crostini in an airtight container at room temperature. Cover and refrigerate the cheese mixture. Let the cheese stand at room temperature for 1 hour to soften slightly before spreading over the crostini.