Crostini-Bruschetta with Prosciutto or Anything you want

People are somehow led to believe that crostini are not small bruschette, but they are.

Bruschetta, toasted bread – from the word “bruscare” to toast, is made from day old, the dryer the better, Tuscan style or ciabatta bread. Tuscan style bread is also made in other regions of Italy. The bread is made with a starter or “biga” which if prepared two to three days ahead, left at room temperature to ferment, will have a sour odor and taste, henceforth, like sourdough style bread. There is a belief that says that in the old days, before all was mechanized, the bread would have been so stale that it would have to be soaked in stock or oil or juice to make it chewy and edible again, there is some truth to that. However, in this day and age you don't have to do this.

Crostini, little “toasts”, on the other hand are made from smaller loafs of bread, Italian loafs, also cut on the thin side and most of the time at an angle (on the bias) so they seem longer than they really are.
In Sicily we simply grilled a slice of bread, in the fireplace, put a small amount of olive oil and any leftovers and we had a snack.

In the fifties, with the flow of tourists, restaurants took this idea further. They used Tuscan style or ciabatta bread rub it with a clove of garlic, drizzle some oil, season them with salt and pepper and top it with flavorful condiments.

1 loaf of Tuscan style or ciabatta bread, cut into ½ inch slices
1-3 large cloves of garlic, peeled
12 ripe figs or other ripe fruit – cut into thin slices
6 slices of prosciutto, cut in half
Fresh mint
Extra virgin olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper

Grill your slices of bread, Tuscan style or ciabatta
While they're still hot, rub with the garlic and drizzle the extra virgin olive oil

Place a piece of prosciutto over each of your crostini or bruschetta, a slice or two of fig or other fruit and top with a leaf of mint

Serve with another light drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, a drop of balsamic vinegar, and some freshly ground black pepper