I try not to obsess over certain restaurants, the way I did (do!) with Five Points, but some places are just like that, they make such wonderful dishes that simply inspire you to make it yourself. We had our anniversary dinner at Ava Gene’s not too long ago. Everything was amazing as we’ve come to expect from them. One of our starters was something like this, their version had red currants and gooseberries but I couldn’t seem to find them anywhere the other day. Which I was pretty bummed about, I would just love some of those red currants, I’m going to plant a red currant bush but it’s looking like that will have to wait until the fall. But I did find black currants, so for this dish I made do with what I could find. It was listed on their Pane section as “fresh sheep’s cheese, currants, gooseberries, pecans”. They didn’t list mint but it was definitely there and definitely tasty. It’s funny every time I make a crostini I wonder why I don’t make them more often, they are ridiculously easy to make, so pretty and so delicious. (by the way I finally found gooseberries so I’m hoping to work them into a new recipe soon!)

Black Currant + Mint Crostini

1/2 cup black currants
A sprig or two of fresh mint
1/4 cup pecans, chopped
2-3 tablespoons sheep’s cheese (or goat cheese)
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
Rustic bread, 4 slices toasted or grilled
Sea Salt

In a small bowl combine the currants, mint and pecans, stir in the olive oil and set aside for a few minutes. Grill the bread slices, allow to cool until just warm, spread the cheese on each slice then top with currant mixture and drizzle the remaining olive oil on the slices. Sprinkle a bit of sea salt on each. (The amounts listed in the recipe are approximate, it will really depend on your loaf of bread and the size of the slices.)