If you haven’t figured it out yet, I am a big sucker for crostinis of any kind. Evidence includes my lip-smacking grilled pear, honey and brie crostinis with rosemary, strawberry crostinis and roasted mushroom and herb crostinis with parmesan. And honest to God – they are dead simple! Typically an essential to the crostini is the bread itself. Once you have that, all the fun begins with permutations and combinations of pantry goods, fresh produce and favourite staples.
The history behind the crostini (meaning “little toast” in Italian) and our need of the day are one and the same – bite size simple do ahead appetisers to be served at a get together or during Happy Hour.
The blushing peaches in season begged to be used for my latest foray into crostinis. I tried a few varying versions, this one using ricotta, but also another version with the Spotted Cow’s Brie. Both versions were lovely, and instead of choosing between the two, I also once made a board with half of both!
I found that despite the freshness of the in-season peaches, without a smattering or quick maceration in some honey, the peaches lacked that sweet after taste – allowing the bread and cheese to slightly overpower the peaches. Lavender honey that my mom gifted me was in my cupboard, so I used that, but any honey will do.
The same with the onion micro greens – I excitedly purchased them because, why the hell not!? Their life was rather short, and in flavour, they barely added anything at all. So for the sake of prettiness, yes, use them, especially if you want to entertain and want the food to be a bit of a conversation starter. But if you’re not that fussed about the prettiness, just swap with a few threads of fresh basil instead.
So here it is – my recipe for Peach & Ricotta Crostinis with Lavender Honey and Onion Micro-greens.
- 1 Baguette (8" should be fine)
- 2 peaches, sliced
- 1 tbs lavender honey (or regular honey)
- 1 tbs water
- 8-10 fresh basil leaves, cut into ribbons
- 200gm ricotta cheese (or 100gm ricotta and 100gm Brie)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Onion Micro-greens, for presentation (optional)
- Slice the baguette into 1cm discs, and toast under the griller slightly till crisp but not browed.
- In a bowl, mix together the peaches and the honey, making sure that the honey has managed to coat each slice of peach. If the honey is very thick, thin it down with a few drops of water.
- In a separate bowl mix together the ricotta with the basil and season slightly.
- Now, assemble the crostini. First fork over 1-2 teaspoons of the cheese mix over each crostini. Top with a slice of peach each, and finish with the onion micro-greens or basil.
- Even if you assemble an hour in advance, these crostinis tend to remain crispy, making it an ideal appetiser when you're planning to entertain!
