Sweet Pea & Ricotta Crostini

Friday night, I cooked dinner for two friends. As usual, I bucked the old adage to avoid trying out unfamiliar recipes on guests; when the hell else will I ever get inspired to make something new?

The strawberry ice cream and peanut tuiles drew rave reviews, but for me the hit dish of the night was the app. I think I'm going to make these sweet pea and ricotta crostini for every party I have as long as it's pea season. They're quick and easy and almost everything can be done ahead of time. Plus, they disappear fast.

I'd initially planned to make a fava bean puree,  but I couldn't find any at the market on Tuesday. What I did find was a squat paper bag overflowing with fat pods of shelling peas. After Adam made such a fuss over some fresh ricotta he tried at Cowgirl Creamery last weekend, I popped in and sampled two, one made from sheep's milk, the other from Jersey cow milk. The latter was almost golden, like butter, and you could taste the cream in the milk. Cha-ching.

Sweet Pea & Ricotta Crostini
Makes about 40 crostini

I made the pea puree ahead of time, but I left it out of the fridge so that it would be at room temperature. I think you could serve it warm, cold, or in between depending on your preference. Don't be alarmed if you taste the pea puree alone and find it too lemony or garlicky; when you assemble the final toasts, you'll find that the mild ricotta cheese smooths everything out just so.

1-2 sweet baguettes, sliced
olive oil
1 1/3 cup peeled and cooked fresh peas
1/2 cup olive oil
1 clove garlic
juice from half a lemon
2 TBSP grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup best quality ricotta cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Make the crostini. Preheat the oven to 400º. Lightly grease a rimmed cookie sheet. With a pastry brush, give each piece of bread a good dab of olive oil. Bake until golden brown, about 6 minutes.

Make the sweet pea puree. In a food processor, blend the cooked peas, 1/2 cup olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and Parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Assemble the crostini. Top each crostino ("i" is plural, "o" is singular, right?) with a spoonful of ricotta cheese. Top with a smidge smaller spoonful of pea puree. Grind fresh pepper over top and serve.

Comments

[Mom]

Sounds really good! What was the beverage of choice to accompany it?

[Catherine]

I think it was a Viognier.

[Robyn]

Yes, it was a Voignier, a lovely Voigner, perhaps the best I've ever had. Details, please ! (even if you have to consult with Mr FM).
We loved the crostini too ... but by the end of the evening we were so 'wine-saturated' all we could remember was the very last course - ice cream. Until this post, that is.

[alison]

catherine - this sounds lovely. btw, love your new format.

[Catherine]

Robyn -- it's a Miner, Simpson Vineyard, 2005.

Alison -- thank you! I needed a change.