CROSTINI WITH CITRUS RICOTTA

It’s not only possible to make ricotta cheese at home — it’s actually fairly easy! We like to flavour it with fresh herbs and citrus peel. Serve it on toasted baguette with our Fig and Date Jam as a flavourful party appetizer.

Yield: Makes 30.

CROSTINI WITH CITRUS RICOTTA

Ingredients

  • ​4 cups homogenized milk
  • 3 tbsp pure white vinegar
  • Pinch salt
  • 1/2 cup whipping cream
  • 1 tbsp finely chopped chives
  • 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh basil
  • 2 tsp finely chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 tsp grated orange peel
  • 1/2 tsp grated lemon peel
  • 1/2 tsp grated lime peel
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper
  • 2/3 cup Fig and Date Jam
  • 30 toasted baguette slices, 1/4 inch thick

Directions

  1. To prepare citrus ricotta, place milk in a large non-reactive saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring, until milk reaches 190°F, about 8 minutes. Do not boil.
  2. Add vinegar and pinch of salt; stir once and remove from heat. Let stand until mixture thickens and forms curds, about 10 - 15 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, place a sieve over a large bowl. Line sieve with two layers of cheesecloth.
  4. Transfer mixture to prepared sieve; allow to drain and cool to room temperature.
  5. Cover filled sieve and refrigerate sieve and bowl for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours. This allows mixture to drain further.
  6. Remove sieve and bowl from refrigerator. Press on mixture to remove any excess moisture; discard liquid in bowl.
  7. Transfer strained mixture to a separate bowl. Fold in cream, chives, basil, parsley, orange peel, lemon peel, lime peel, 1/8 tsp salt and pepper. Citrus ricotta may be prepared to this point and refrigerated for up to 3 days.
  8. To prepare crostini, spread about 1 tsp Fig and Date Jam evenly over one side of each baguette slice. Top each with about 2 tsp citrus ricotta. Serve immediately.
Nutritional analysis per crostini:

74 calories, 2.8 g fat, 2.3 g protein, 10.2 g carbohydrate, 0.6 g fibre, 91 mg sodium

FIG AND DATE JAM

Ingredients

  • ​1 1/2 cups apple juice
  • 1 cup dried Mission figs
  • 1 cup dried pitted dates
  • 3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tbsp chopped fresh ginger

Yield: Makes about 2 cups.

Directions

  1. Combine all ingredients in a medium non-reactive saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
  2. Transfer mixture to a food processor; process until almost smooth. May be refrigerated for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 1 month.
Nutritional analysis per 1 tbsp serving:

38 calories, 0.1 g fat, 0.4 g protein, 9.4 g carbohydrate, 0.9 g fibre, 3 mg sodium