For the marinated olive topping –
1 ¼ cups pitted castelvetrano olives
¼ cup olive oil
2 tsp liquid honey
½ tsp chili flakes
1 garlic clove, pressed
Zest of half a lemon
Juice of half a lemon (about 1 – 1 ½ tbsp lemon juice)
For the whipped ricotta –
2 cups (475g) full fat fresh ricotta cheese
juice of half a lemon (about 1 – 1 ½ tbsp lemon juice)
zest from half a lemon
1/4 tsp salt
pinch ground pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
- Make the olive topping: In a small bowl mix together the olives, olive oil, liquid honey, chili flakes, pressed garlic, zest of half a lemon and juice of half a lemon. Let sit for 15-30 minutes before topping the ricotta.
- Make the whipped ricotta: In a food processor add the ricotta, lemon juice, lemon zest from half a lemon, salt, pepper and olive oil. Blend on high speed until you get a smooth and creamy texture, about 1-2 minutes. Spread the whipped ricotta in a shallow serving bowl and set aside.
- Make the crostini: Preheat the oven to 375 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the ½ inch slices of baguette on the baking sheet. Brush both sides with olive oil. Bake for 5 minutes, flip and bake for another 5 minutes. Remove the crostini to a serving tray and set aside.
- Assemble the whipped ricotta appetizer: Top the whipped ricotta with the olive mixture along with the juices from the olive bowl (as much or as little of the juice as desired) and then add an extra pinch of chili flakes if desired. Serve with crostini and enjoy!
TIPS
- Make this ahead of time by whipping the ricotta and storing in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 day. Remove from the refrigerator 10-15 minutes before serving and then top with the olive mixture. Make the olive mixture ahead of time and store in the fridge for up to 1 day too.
