Simply elegant crostini

New Year's Eve is almost upon us. If you're inviting people over to celebrate the event, remember that you don't have to serve anything fancy -- maybe just a cheese board, something salty, a little chocolate and some crostini.

Crostini look impressive, but they're pretty easy: They're just toasted rounds of bread that are topped with bits of seafood, meat, vegetables or cheese. One of my favorite recipes for crostini is made with smoked fish and thin slices of cucumber.

Rather than using butter or mayo to moisten the bread, I like to use dilled Greek-style yogurt. Greek yogurt is a bit thicker than our American-style yogurt, which makes it perfect for dolloping onto the crostini.

In our area, Greek yogurt is available from ethnic and specialty food markets, but don't fret if you can't find it. You can substitute drained American-style yogurt instead. To make it, simply place plain yogurt (not nonfat) in a cheesecloth-lined strainer and set it over a bowl to drain for about an hour until thickened. Refrigerate the thickened yogurt until needed and make a smoothie with the whey that drained from the solids.

Prepare the toasted bread rounds and dilled yogurt ahead of time, then assemble the crostini just before your guests arrive. Serve them with champagne or your favorite sparkling beverages to toast the New Year.

Tip: Save the leftover bread trimmings to make rustic, homemade croutons.