Ricotta and Goat Cheese Crustini Topped with Balsamic Blackberries and Honey

Okay… who doesn’t love a savory appetizer with cheese, fruit, carbs and a little bit of sweets? These are wildly simple. And they’re probably a just a tinge different from what you typically find at your app spread. You’ll feel a little swanky and your taste buds will be happy. And if you’re like most of us you love mixing fruit and cheese. If you don’t please ask baby Jesus for another soul; or better taste buds.

Makes roughly 30 crustinis… so you can always halve the recipe

Ingredients/Instructions:

For the Crustini:

Long Baguette

Olive oil and salt

1. Cut the baguette into slices 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch thick pieces.

2. Arrange them on a baking sheet and lightly drizzle with olive oil and a pinch of salt.

3. Place in the oven, on broil, until browned. This will be roughly 3-4 minutes.

4. Remove them from the oven and set aside until later.

For the Blackberry topping:

24 oz blackberries

2 sprigs of rosemary, finely chopped

1/4 cup balsamic

1. Place the blackberries, the vinegar and the rosemary into a sauté pan.

2. Stir on a medium heat for 15 minutes until the blackberries have absorbed some of the vinegar and they flavors have cooked together.

For the Goat Cheese/Ricotta Spread:

3 oz goat cheese

7 oz ricotta

1/2 tsp salt

pinch red pepper flakes

1. While the blackberries are cooking mix the above ingredients in a bowl until they are mixed smoothly together and set aside.

Putting it all together:

Other ingredients: Honey

1. Spread the goat cheese ricotta onto the crustini.

2. Spoon 2-3 blackberries onto each crustini with a slotted spoon. Make sure you don’t dump the unabsorbed vinegar onto the crustini or it will begin to get soggy. J

Drizzle with honey and plate.