Nectarine Crostini with Whipped Ricotta

This Nectarine Crostini with Whipped Ricotta pairs in-season nectarines with savory ricotta cheese for the perfect summer appetizer. Easy but so flavorful, this will quickly become a go-to recipe for a fancy snack, meal, or appetizer at your next party!

Summertime and nectarines go hand-in-hand! Sweet, juicy, is there anything better than nectarines right now? Okay, maybe a peach, but that can be debated and is really boils down to a personal preference. What isn’t up for debate? How delectable they both are! Stone fruit is at its prime right now and is begging you to make all the things: Stone Fruit and Burrata Salad. Peach Popsicles. Or simply eating them and letting all the juice dribble down your chin.

Crostini means ‘toasts’ in Italian. It’s the perfect base for your pick of toppings and couldn’t be any simpler to make. Not to mention that once you learn how simple crostini is to make, it’ll become your favorite appetizer for parties, BBQs, and festive gatherings! All you need to make crostini is a simple Italian loaf or a baguette of your preference. Slice it as evenly as possible, brush with a little olive oil, and toast just enough to crisp the slices. Day-old bread is great to use as you’ll be drying out the bread. Then pair with one or more of your favorite toppings and you’ve got your next favorite appetizer. This time around is Whipped Ricotta, Nectarines, and basil drizzled with a balsamic glaze!

Ingredients: Nectarine Crostini with Whipped Ricotta

• Crostini: Ideal for crostini is a baguette since the surface area is the perfect size for these appetizer toasts. A long Italian loaf or baguette of your choosing. Remember, the bread doesn’t have to be fresh since it’ll dry out in the oven. A day-old baguette is perfect to use (and waste less food!)
• Whipped Ricotta: Opting for ricotta here, however, a goat or feta would work great as well. Remember, the key is pairing flavors together that taste great. Goat cheese and cherries. Feta would pair well with tomatoes and olives for a more savory crostini!
• Nectarines: Look for ripe nectarines as they’ll be served as is. You want them sweet, juicy, and ready-to-eat! I keep the peel on as there is more fiber this way, but also, no one has time to take the peel off! Peaches can be used in place of nectarines!
• Basil: Any herb really can go well with nectarines: thyme, parsley, mint. However, I opted for basil as I had some leftover from another dish. Use what you have on hand and also enjoy!
• Balsamic Glaze: drizzled on top is the perfect finishing touch. This adds some added sugar, however, there is no sugar added in the whipped ricotta, and no extra added to the nectarines. You could opt for a drizzle of honey, but that too is added sugar. As always, think of your total added sugar for the day and this in fact is quite minimal for how much is used.
• Other Topping Ideas: Tomatoes, Grilled vegetables,

How To Make Nectarine Crostini

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Slice the baguette into 1/2″ pieces. Lightly brush or spray the slices with olive oil.
3. Place the bread slices on a baking sheet and bake for 3-5 minutes, until golden brown. Be careful not to burn the bread!
4. Cool bread completely.
5. Whip Ricotta: Whip ricotta with olive oil, lemon juice and pepper.
6. Cut Nectarines: Halve and remove the pit of the nectarines then thinly slice and/or dice – no need to peel the nectarines!
7. Assemble crostini: Spread a little of the whipped ricotta on each slice of bread, top with 1 or 2 nectarine slices/dices, drizzle with balsamic glaze and sprinkle with thinly sliced basil.
8. Serve immediately and enjoy!

A Few Helpful Tips

• Pick the freshest nectarines from your farmer’s market (if you’re so lucky to be where they’re grown) or your grocery store.
• Give them the smell test: nectarines can smell fragrant and sweet.
• Check the color. Aiming to look for vibrant in color nectarines, free of bruises and blemishes.
• Finally, give them the squeeze test: if the squeeze gives a little, the nectarine is ripe and ready to be eaten.
• If they’re ripe and ready to go but you’re making the recipe in the next day or two, store them in the fridge so they won’t continue to ripen and wrinkle and/or get too ripe..

Other Easy Appetizers

• Baked Brie in Puff Pastry
• Easy Shrimp Cocktail
• Marinated Mozzarella
• Mezze Board

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