Slice leftover bread such as French stick or ciabatta at an angle and about 1cm thick. Too thin and they may snap; too thick and it will be tricky to eat.
Brush both sides with olive oil and place on a baking sheet in the oven at fan bake 180deg for 5-8 minutes on each side.
The slices should now be golden. Rub the toast with the cut edge of a clove of garlic to flavour.
To make tomato topping, cut the sides of the tomato down like petals, take out the seeds and chop into fine dice, tucking your fingers out of the way.
Slice a few leaves of basil finely.
Mix basil with the tomato, a dessert spoon of balsamic vinegar and about the same of olive oil, and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Spoon the topping carefully onto the crostini.
Daniel Pfyl, hospitality management lecturer at Otago Polytechnic, shows you how to make crostini.
Note: It's best to toast the crostini the day you need them. They can go stale and chewy if made too far ahead.
More information on cooking from the Otago Polytechnic can be found on www.otagocookeryl4.blogspot.com
