Crostinis offer flavor of the Southwest

Crostini is a general term that refers to "little toasts" that are usually topped with one or more garnish items. This Southwestern version combines the creaminess of black beans with the heat from guacamole for terrific hors d'oeuvres or a snack idea.

Any of the garlic parsley butter not used for the crostini recipe can be used as a sauce for pasta or steamed vegetables. The butter may be placed into a ramekin, or shaped into a log and rolled in plastic wrap. The butter can be held for up to one week in the refrigerator, or frozen for several weeks.

Black Bean and Avocado Crostini

24 baguettes, ¼ inch thick

¼ cup Garlic and Parsley Butter (recipe below)

½ cup small-dice Vidalia onion

2 plum tomatoes, cut into small dice

¾ cup cooked or canned black beans, drained and rinsed

1½ tablespoons chopped cilantro

1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

2 avocados

2 tablespoons lime juice

1 garlic clove, minced

¼ teaspoon chili powder

…› teaspoon ground cumin

24 cilantro or parsley leaves, rinsed and dried

Garlic and Parsley Butter

1 cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley (1 bunch, leaves only)

4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste

1 pound unsalted butter, diced into small cubes, cold

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Toast the baguette slices in the oven for 5—7 minutes, or until the outside edges are golden brown. Spread each baguette slice with approximately ½ teaspoon of the garlic butter. Reserve the toasts until needed.

3. Combine the onion, tomatoes, black beans, cilantro and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Peel and core one of the avocados and dice into ¼-inch pieces. Combine the avocado with 1 tablespoon of the lime juice and add the garlic, chili powder, and cumin. Season with salt and pepper.

5. Peel and core the remaining avocado. Cut the avocado crosswise into thin slices (you will need 24 slices). Sprinkle the avocado slices with the rest of the lime juice to keep them from turning brown.

6. Spread 1 heaping teaspoon of the avocado mixture on each crostini. Top with 1 tablespoon of the black bean mixture. Garnish with an avocado slice and a cilantro or parsley leaf.

7. Arrange the crostini on a platter or individual plates and serve.

Garlic and Parsley Butter

1. Place the parsley, garlic and salt in a food processor fitted with a metal chopping blade and pulse until evenly minced and well blended.

2. Add the cubed butter to the parsley-garlic mixture. Process, scraping down the sides as needed, until butter is softened and mixture is well blended. The butter should be light green in color.

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