Bobby Flay Schooled Instagram On Pantry-Ready Crostini

When it comes to hosting a gathering, one thing is for certain; you need to have delicious food and drinks. If you're hosting a dinner party, it's best to have a small snack to nibble on when guests walk in the door, so you can avoid any hangry guests spoiling the mood. If you're hosting a casual after-work cocktail hour, easy appetizers like buffalo chicken dip or potstickers can save the day for those needing a quick, yet filling bite. If you're hosting an upscale, elegant cocktail party, you may want to try fancy appetizers that focus on quality ingredients, like caviar blinis or mini lobster rolls.

While you can always buy frozen, store-bought appetizers, it may be even easier to whip up something delicious from ingredients in your pantry. For those of us who may be a bit clueless about where to start, we can look to our favorite chefs for advice. Celebrity chef Bobby Flay is no stranger to hosting a good party. According to Epicurious, Flay's favorite holiday is Thanksgiving, which he hosts almost every year. He suggests serving some small bites before the meal, but only enough to whet their appetite. While he's published a list of last-minute appetizers, he also generously shared one of his must-have appetizers on Instagram.

The time between Christmas and New Years can be a blur full of parties, family gatherings, and travel. Knowing that many people may be hosting a gathering or party, Bobby Flay took to Instagram to share his favorite party snack, crostini. Crostini is Italian for "little crusts and the bread acts as a small piece of toast (per Cookie and Kate). The singular version, a crustino is the perfect appetizer as it is handheld and small enough to eat in a few bites.

Flay dug through his pantry to find ingredients to make three different kinds of crostini. Flay topped one with ricotta, honey, and hazelnuts and another with white bean and piquillo pepper salad. Instead of having to spend hours cooking, Flay simply finds pre-made ingredients to spread on the toasts. He uses ciabatta bread that he lightly toasts, but any crusty bread will work. Crostini are similar to another popular party appetizer, known as bruschetta. The main difference between crostini and bruschetta is that bruschetta typically uses sourdough bread that is charred over a grill or open flame (per Delallo).