Fig & Whipped Ricotta Toast with Rosemary Honey

- Amanda

Fig season is in full swing and I’m loving every minute of it.  And to think I thought that once we’re back in LA I would be missing out on the amazing figs in Istanbul.  Well, I do miss Istanbul and the figs there truly are second to none, but I’m very happy to report I’m still getting in on plenty of the fig action here in LA.  Not only does my sister have a fig tree in her backyard that is having a great harvest this year, but my childhood neighbor’s decades-old tree (which somehow we’ve never noticed) planted by her late grandfather is seriously producing the most lovely, ripe figs.  And she is sharing them with me by the plateful.  I couldn’t be more grateful and can’t help but think how the world really does work in mysterious ways.  And today, I want to share one of the latest fig-tastic creations, this Fig & Whipped Ricotta Toast with Rosemary Honey. 

This recipe, which is hardly a recipe at all, is simple, straightforward and hardly takes any time.  It’s the weekend after all, and we could all use a little more r&r, right?  So, the main ingredient obviously is figs.  Fresh is really  best for this, but you could try dried if that’s all you’ve got.  I haven’t gone that route for this yet.  Then the rest of the line-up consists of nice and crusty bread, good extra-virgin olive oil, ricotta, fresh grated parm, honey, fresh rosemary, and a little sea salt and fresh black pepper.  

For the assembling, you start by heating up the honey and rosemary on the stovetop about 30 minutes before you’re ready to eat so it can take on as much of that delicious herb flavor as possible.   Then once the honey is nice and infused, you’ll whip the ricotta with the parm and a little salt and pepper.  Set that aside while you slice the figs and get the bread good and toasty (you don’t want it to get soggy once you add the ricotta.) And while the toast is still warm, add a little extra-virgin olive oil and just a touch more salt to each bread slice. Then you’ll need to reheat the honey just a tad to get it drizzle-able again. And finally slather on some ricotta to each piece of bread, some of the fig slices, and a nice drizzle of the rosemary honey. A little flaked sea salt and a dash of fresh pepper and you’ll be in fig toast heaven.

This is seriously delicious and makes a wonderful breakfast, snack or even addition to a dinner salad. It’s got the sweet, salty, herby charm and all the fig love that only this time of year offers. Don’t wait to make this, the season will be gone before you know it. And I think it’s most definitely worth it. Just be sure to get a few extra figs so you can make it again. Happy Sunday. Hope you have a fabulous end to your weekend.

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Fig & Whipped Ricotta Toast with Rosemary Honey

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings 2 -4
Author Amanda – A Treat Life

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
  • 1 cup ricotta
  • 1-2 tbsps grated parmesan
  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt
  • pinch fresh black pepper
  • 4-6 fresh figs
  • 4-6 slices crusty artisan bread (about 1/2" thick) (I like country or sourdough)
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • Flaked sea salt & fresh pepper to finish

Instructions

  1. Begin by adding the honey and the rosemary sprigs to a small saucepan. Bring to simmer, then turn off and set aside to steep.

  2. Then in a medium bowl or bowl of an electric mixer, add the ricotta, grated parmesan, salt and pepper. Whip by hand with a spatula or with the mixer's paddle attachment until it's light and fluffy. This should take only about a minute. Set aside.

  3. Slice the figs into 6 or 8 little wedges per fig. Then toast the 4 slices of bread in the toaster until golden brown. While still warm, drizzle each slice with a little of the 1 tbsp of olive oil. Then sprinkle each with a little sea salt.

  4. Turn the flame back on for the honey and bring it up to heat so it's a pourable consistency. It should have taken on some nice rosemary flavor by now. Take it off the heat and begin assembling. Spread a little of the ricotta on each slice, then top with the fig slices. Drizzle each toast with some of the rosemary honey and sprinkle with a little sea salt and fresh black pepper. If desired, spoon out a few pieces of rosemary from the honey to place on top of each toast. Enjoy!