Olive-Stuffed Roasted Mini-Pepper Crostini with Caramelized Onions

Ingredients

• 24 slices of baguette
• 2 small red onions, peeled, thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup water or stock
• 12 mini red, yellow, and orange sweet peppers
• 1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and drained
• 12 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 24 black or green California Ripe Olives, drained and halved
• Several sprigs of fresh thyme

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Position one rack in the upper third of the oven and one rack in the lower third. Arrange the baguette slices in a single layer on a baking sheet, then set the sheet on the top rack and bake for 4 minutes, just to toast. Take the bread out of the oven and cool it to room temp. Put the thinly sliced onions in a 9x13-inch baking dish and coat them with 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
2. Scatter the onions evenly across the base of the dish. Add 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar and 1/4 teaspoon of salt over the top.
3. Pour 1 cup of water or stock into the baking dish with the onions.
4. Slice the peppers lengthwise through the stem, then remove and discard the seeds. Nestle the pepper halves over the onions in the pan with the cut, hollow sides facing up.
5. Add 3 to 4 capers to each pepper half. Divide the olive halves and cherry tomato halves among the pepper openings. Tuck a few thyme sprigs between the peppers. Spoon the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the peppers.
6. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil. Bake at 450 degrees F on the lower shelf of the oven for about 30 minutes, until the peppers have softened. Take off the foil, move the dish to the top shelf, and roast for 10 to 15 more minutes, until the pepper edges begin to brown. If the pan bottom looks dry at any point, add a little more water. Remove the dish from the oven and discard the thyme sprigs.
7. Slide one pepper over in the roasting dish so you can get to the caramelized onions underneath. Add a forkful of onions to a toasted baguette slice, then set a pepper on top. Continue the same way until every crostini is topped with a pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature, with a few fresh thyme sprigs on the platter for garnish.