Download these hot apps

Downloading apps is a compelling pastime. As soon as you get your Angry Birds and Grocery iQ nicely aligned, it's time to download something new.

Just like the cocktail party. Drink, sure. Chitchat, of course. But for the committed, it's all about scoping out the best tray of hors d'oeuvres and downloading, frequently.

The well-designed app rests on a platform. Likewise the well-designed appetizer. It may be a curl of endive, a tiny potato pancake or a slice of bread crisped into crostini. The platform allows the appetizer to be installed efficiently, without the wait for plate or fork. Plus, bread toasted in olive oil tastes good.

The app moves from the platform to its target device. Likewise the appetizer. Consider the sausage crostini, which is nothing but spicy sausage, creamy cheese and sharp fennel seeds browned over bread. It's easy to make, fully portable and simple to install. And it tastes a lot better than an angry bird.

Sausage crostini

Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Makes: About 32 appetizer-size crostini

Ingredients:
1 pound Italian sausage, spicy or mild
¾ pound taleggio cheese, rind trimmed
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
1 loaf Italian bread, sliced
Olive oil
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

Mix:
Slip casings off sausages and discard. Break up sausage into a bowl. Break up cheese and add along with fennel. Mix with a fork or fingers.

Spread:
Cut largest bread slices in two. Brush two rimmed baking sheets with olive oil. Arrange bread over olive oil. Spread each slice with about 1 tablespoon sausage mixture. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Bake:
Slide into a 350-degree oven and bake until sausage has browned and cheese melted, about 15 minutes. Enjoy hot.

Leah Eskin is a Tribune special contributor e-mail her at leahreskin@aol.com