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Brown sugar and Dijon coat thick-cut bacon for these goat-cheese crostini. Bake the bacon on a rimmed tray, toast the baguette separately and assemble shortly before serving. Let the bacon cool enough to handle before chopping its sticky coating.
Bacon releases fat while the sugar mixture heats. A rim contains the runoff; line the tray without covering its edges or allowing lining to hang near an oven element. Keep the hot tray level when moving it.
Ingredient amounts and preparation
- Set out: 1 pound thick-cut bacon
- Set out: 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
- Set out: 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- Set out: 1 French baguette, cut into 1/2-inch slices
- Set out: Olive oil, for brushing
- Set out: 8 ounces goat cheese, at room temperature
- Set out: 2 tablespoons fresh chives, finely chopped
- Set out: 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- Set out: Freshly cracked black pepper
Cooking sequence and doneness
- Stage 1
- Heat the oven to 400°F and line a rimmed baking sheet.
- Stage 2
- Lay the bacon in one layer without overlapping.
- Stage 3
- Stir brown sugar and Dijon together and spread over the bacon.
- Stage 4
- Bake about fifteen to twenty minutes, checking early and continuing until cooked and browned without burning the sugar. Transfer carefully with tongs and let cool enough to chop.
- Stage 5
- Arrange half-inch baguette slices on a separate tray and brush lightly with olive oil.
- Stage 6
- Toast about eight to ten minutes, checking and turning as necessary until lightly crisp.
- Stage 7
- Mix softened goat cheese with chives and thyme.
- Stage 8
- Spread the cheese over the toasted bread and divide the chopped bacon on top. Finish with black pepper and serve promptly.
Look for cooked bacon with a browned coating, not black sugar. Thickness and brand affect the time, so begin checking before the estimate ends. Transfer it off pooled fat with tongs and allow it to firm slightly as it cools.
Should the bread and bacon share a tray?
Toast the half-inch baguette slices on a separate tray brushed lightly with oil. Bread sitting in bacon fat and melted sugar will have a different texture. It also becomes harder to remove the toast as individual slices brown.
How does the goat cheese spread easily?
Let the cheese soften briefly while preparing the bread, then stir in the chives and thyme. Spread a thin, even layer on toast that is warm rather than piping hot. Keep unused cheese refrigerated instead of leaving it out for the full party.
What can be prepared in advance?
Bake the bacon fully and refrigerate it promptly once portioned for cooling. Toast can be made ahead and kept dry after cooling. Assemble only the platter being served; cheese and bacon gradually soften the bread.
Storage and serving later
Refrigerate perishable leftovers promptly in shallow containers at 40°F or below; do not wait for a large hot batch to cool completely on the counter. University of Illinois Extension’s leftover guidance gives a three-to-four-day refrigerated window and 165°F for reheating foods served hot. Keep cold salads and toppings chilled, and follow shorter product-label limits where applicable.
Related recipe choices
For another complete recipe, see Bacon Cheddar Potato Rounds with a Two-Stage Bake or Baked Pears with Goat Cheese and Fresh Cranberry Honey. Each has its own ingredient quantities and cooking sequence; keep those measurements separate when choosing a meal.
USDA’s temperature guidance specifies 165°F when reheating cooked poultry. Thermometer placement guidance explains checking the thick center rather than relying on surface color.
Common Questions About This Recipe
- Why use a rimmed tray?
Bacon releases fat while the sugar mixture heats. A rim contains the runoff; line the tray without covering its edges or allowing lining to hang near an oven element.
- How dark should the bacon become?
Look for cooked bacon with a browned coating, not black sugar. Thickness and brand affect the time, so begin checking before the estimate ends.
- Should the bread and bacon share a tray?
Toast the half-inch baguette slices on a separate tray brushed lightly with oil. Bread sitting in bacon fat and melted sugar will have a different texture.
- How does the goat cheese spread easily?
Let the cheese soften briefly while preparing the bread, then stir in the chives and thyme. Spread a thin, even layer on toast that is warm rather than piping hot.
- What can be prepared in advance?
Bake the bacon fully and refrigerate it promptly once portioned for cooling. Toast can be made ahead and kept dry after cooling.