This year marks the 13th National Diwali Celebration in Ottawa. Diwali known has a Festival of Lights attracts people from all across the country to be part of the national celebration. It is celebrated by Hindus and Sikhs (and some Buddhists) worldwide and some are already getting ready by lighting small tea lights and baking traditional Indian sweets. Diwali signifies the hindu God Lord Rama coming home after being in exile for 14 years. Not only Diwali is fun to celebrate it is also about spending time with their family and friends. Some exchange gifts and get together to eat and have a good quality time together.
Diwali is observed on the 15th day of the month of Kartika in the Hindu calendar and this year it will be November 3rd. The celebration are spread over five days, you will see that homes are lit with hand painted clay lamps. If you visit some friends that are celebrating Diwali they may offer you some of their favorite sweets like gulab jamun (spongy milky balls soaked in rose scented syrup, gajar ka halwa (a traditional Punjabi sweet pudding made with carrots and milk), or jalebi (sugar-dipped, deep fried circular sweets).
I have been chosen to be an Ambassador for Patak's Canada by Mom Central. We received a very nice box of products to try new recipes and introduce these products to our family. When I think celebration the first thing that comes to mind is an appetizer to serve guests before we sit down to eat. In my box there was a jar of Patak's Sweet Mango Chutney. These Mango Chutney and Cheese Crostini were prepared following a recipe on their website. I am featuring a crostini with blue cheese but you can use brie cheese instead. I have made some with brie cheese and my son loved them. I prefer a strong blue cheese for mine. They are very quick to prepare and your guests will enjoy them.
Happy Diwali!
MANGO CHUTNEY AND CHEESE CROSTINI
Ingredients:
1 French Baguette cut 1/2 inch slices
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
Cheese of your choice like Blue Cheese, Brie, Gouda
1 jar Patak's Mango Chutney
A few sprigs of Herb of your choice
Directions:
1- Preheat oven to 400F. Place a parchemin paper on a baking sheet.
2- Brush both sides of the bread with olive oil. Place on the baking sheet.
3- Bake for 3 minutes. Turn over and bake another 3 minutes.
4- Top each slice of bread with cheese and Chutney. Decorate with herbs.
Serve.
Disclosure: I am part of the Patak’s Canada Ambassador program with Mom Central Canada and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.
