Description
Rustic honey roasted cherry & ricotta toast combines sweet Mediterranean flavors with creamy Italian cheese. Crisp sourdough becomes an elegant canvas for delicate cherries and rich ricotta, inviting you to savor each delightful bite.
Ingredients
Scale
- 12 slices Italian baguette (¼-inch thick)
- 26 large very ripe cherries
- 1.5 cups (12 oz / 340 g) fresh whole milk ricotta cheese
- 2 tbsps honey, plus more for drizzling
- Balsamic vinegar, for drizzling
- Sea salt, for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preparation: Preheat oven to 450°F (232°C), line a baking sheet with foil and apply non-stick spray.
- Cherry Roasting: Remove cherry stems, preserve pits, coat generously with honey, and spread in a single layer on prepared sheet. Roast for 15 minutes until skins wrinkle and juices emerge.
- Bread Toasting: Simultaneously place bread slices on a separate surface, whip ricotta to a smooth consistency. Toast bread for 4 minutes per side until golden-brown.
- Cherry Pit Removal: Extract pits by making a careful incision along the side of each roasted cherry, maintaining fruit structure.
- Toast Assembly: Spread ricotta generously across toasted bread, delicately position 2-3 pitted cherries on the creamy surface.
- Finishing Touches: Drizzle with honey and balsamic vinegar, sprinkle a whisper of sea salt to enhance flavor complexity.
- Serving: Present immediately, offering both individual and communal serving options for a personalized culinary experience.
Notes
- Pit Removal Technique: Create a small, precise cut along the cherry’s side to extract pits cleanly while preserving the fruit’s beautiful shape and juice integrity.
- Ricotta Preparation: Whip ricotta until achieving an ultra-smooth, silky texture that spreads effortlessly and provides a luxurious creamy base for the toast.
- Honey Roasting Secrets: Coat cherries generously with honey before roasting to develop deep caramelization and intensify natural fruit sweetness during the 15-minute oven transformation.
- Flavor Balancing Finale: Drizzle balsamic vinegar and sea salt strategically to create a complex taste profile that bridges sweet, tangy, and savory elements in one delightful bite.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Breakfast, Snacks
- Method: Roasting
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 13
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 7 g
- Sodium: 100 mg
- Fat: 6 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 20 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 15 mg