Crostini Making Tips
"I dream in crostini," Williams-Sonoma Test Kitchen cook Amanda Frederickson likes to say. So when pulled together hors-d'oeuvres for the cocktails served at blogger Ashley Rose's holiday cocktail party, the little toasts were a natural fit.

She developed four different crostini for the party: one with white beans and broccoli rage; another starring butternut squash, goat cheese and sage; a third with beef tenderloin, caramelized onions and blue cheese; and a sweeter bite with ricotta, pears and spiced walnuts. "I kind of like old school toast appetizers," she admits. "So I'm bringing back the eighties and nineties."

We asked the crostini queen herself to spill all her secrets, from her jumping-off points for crostini ideas to her make-ahead tactics. Keep reading for the recipe to crostini success.