Beef and Blue Cheese Crostini

Father's Day. Third year as a grandfather. Travis brought Earl Thomas. Clay brought Sarah. Amber and James sent a video from Louisville of Nadia in a onesie that said "I love my PawPaw" that James ordered online and which made me sit down at the kitchen table and stare at my phone for five minutes because the words on a onesie shouldn't have the power to do that to a fifty-seven-year-old man, but they do, they absolutely do.

Connie grilled steaks. Over-seasoned, per tradition. I ate mine without comment, per wisdom. Travis gave me a card Earl Thomas had "signed" — a crayon scribble across the bottom that was either his name or abstract art and both interpretations are correct. Clay gave me a smoker thermometer, digital, wireless, the kind that sends the temperature to your phone. He said now you don't have to stand outside for twelve hours. I said standing outside for twelve hours is the point. He said I know, but now you can sit. He understands me. My son who is learning to be a man is understanding the man who is his father, and the understanding goes both ways now, which is not how it was for years, and the both-ways is the whole gift.

Connie had the steaks covered — over-seasoned, as always, and exactly right in every way that matters. But before the main event, while Earl Thomas was redistributing the crayon collection across the living room floor and Clay was explaining the wireless thermometer to me like I was going to change my whole philosophy, I wanted something to set out that felt worthy of the afternoon. Beef and Blue Cheese Crostini: bold, a little fancy without trying too hard, the kind of thing you put on a cutting board and people just reach for without being asked. That’s the right energy for a day like this one.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 10 min | Total Time: 25 min | Servings: 12

Ingredients

1 French baguette, cut into 1/2-inch slices
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 lb thinly sliced deli roast beef (or leftover grilled steak, sliced thin)
4 oz blue cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup sour cream
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

Instructions

Toast the bread. Preheat oven to 400°F. Arrange baguette slices on a baking sheet and brush each lightly with olive oil. Bake for 6–8 minutes until golden and crisp around the edges. Remove and let cool slightly.
Make the blue cheese spread. In a small bowl, combine softened cream cheese, crumbled blue cheese, sour cream, horseradish, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir until smooth and well blended. Season with black pepper.
Assemble the crostini. Spread a generous layer of the blue cheese mixture onto each toasted baguette slice. Fold or layer a slice of roast beef on top of each one.
Finish and garnish. Scatter sliced green onions over the assembled crostini. Top with a pinch of fresh parsley. Arrange on a cutting board or serving platter and set out immediately.
Serve warm or at room temperature. These hold well for up to 30 minutes at room temperature, making them ideal for a relaxed Father’s Day spread where people drift in and out of the kitchen.

Nutrition (per serving)

Beef and Blue Cheese Crostini — The Kind of Bite That Belongs on a Father’s Day Spread