Whipped Ricotta & Crostini
Whipped ricotta is the perfect appetizer for late spring and summer. The dill pollen really comes through in this creamy recipe. You can modify this with other flavors like roasted garlic, fresh mint, or crushed fennel seed. Serve this ricotta fancied up on crostini, or as a dip for veggie sticks and crackers. This ricotta recipe also makes an outstanding base for huge chunks of late-summer tomatoes.
Submitted by: Geoff Marshall from Chicago, Illinois
Yield: 2 cups of spread, 3 or 4-dozen crostini
Preparation Instructions:
For the crostini:
Preheat oven to 400F
Slice baguette into 1/4-inch-thick chips.
Brush each side of the bread slices with a generous amount of oil. Season with salt and garlic powder.
Bake in the oven for 7-10 minutes, flipping them halfway through. Crostini should be golden brown and crunchy.
For the marinated tomatoes:
Whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper in a small mixing bowl.
Add sliced tomatoes to the bowl and give them a gentle toss so everything is coated. Set aside.
For the ricotta:
Whip ricotta in a standing mixer on medium-high for about 2 minutes until it is fluffy.
Fold in olive oil, dill pollen, salt, pepper, and the optional lemon zest.
Taste the ricotta mixture, adjust salt to taste.
Assembly:
Spread ricotta over each crostini. Add a couple marinated tomato over each crostini, and finish with additional dill pollen if desired. You can also drizzle some of the leftover tomato dressing over each crostini.
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More About This Recipe
This recipe comes together incredibly quick and can even be prepared a day ahead of time. (Whipped ricotta will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days.) The marinated tomatoes often get better after 24 hours, but should not be kept longer than that.
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