Honey Pear & Ricotta Crostini Recipe - Sugar & Cloth (2024)

Looking for a unique twist on the classic crostini? Try our mouth-watering Honey Pear and Ricotta Crostini version, perfect for gatherings or a cozy night in.

If you love recipes that are quick but pack a big punch, then these Honey Pear and Ricotta Crostini are the perfect appetizerfor your party!

We prefer recipes that are quick but deceivingly look elaborate. Because we’re just totally not the type to slave over something just for them to be eaten up 10 minutes later. (Unless it’s dessert… then we’ll slave away).

On the other hand, we don’t need to tell how obsessed we are with presentation. And this Honey Pear and Ricotta Crostini recipe is the perfect mix of both, especially as a holiday party finger food (that we paired with our Red Currant Champagne)!

What is a Crostini?

In Italian, crostini means “little crust”. It is made of toasted baguette slices, typically French baguette.

It’s like a smaller bite-sized version of the bruschetta. Brushcetta uses wide and whole slices of large bread such as sourdough. Whereas crostini uses small breads, which is why it’s a popular appetizer choice.

It can be savory and/or sweet like our recipe.

Ingredients Needed to MakeHoney Pear and Ricotta Crostini

Ricotta cheese —If calories aren’t an issue, then we recommend whole milk ricotta for the creamiest texture.

Baguette

Fresh pear slices— The ripper, the sweeter.

Coarse salt and ground pepper

Honey — To drizzle.

Rosemary sprig — Optional for garnish

What is the Difference Between Cottage Cheese andRicotta? Can You Use Them as Substitutes?

Ricotta cheese and cottage cheese are similar but have more differences. Both are lumpy and spreadable.

However, cottage cheese has a more lumpy curds texture since it is made with curds. While ricotta is made from whey.

Cottage cheese is saltier whereas ricotta is high in saturated fat. So cottage cheese could be an alternative if you are looking for something “healthier”.

Ricotta is typically the preferred cheese choice for crostini since it’s easier to spread. If you do have time, we recommend taking the extra step for some whipped ricotta.

Simply, whisk or beat the ricotta by hand or with a mixer with some olive oil until you get a creamy texture. And now you’ve got a whipped ricotta crostini!

How to Make Honey Pear and Ricotta Crostini

1 — Cut the baguette at an angle into 1/2″ thick slices. Toast the sliced baguettes long enough to get them golden brown on both sides.

2 — Divide ricotta cheese among slices of toasted baguette. We simply used a knife to spread them over the bread, but you can use a piping bag also.

3 — Top each piece with several ripepearslices.

4 — Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and drizzle each with honey.

5 — Optional: Add a tiny sprig of rosemary to the top to garnish. Nowthey’re ready to serve!

Tips to Toasting Your Bread

For the sake of saving time, we popped our baguette slices in the toaster oven.

However, you can also lay your slices on a large baking sheet to toast them in the oven at 375°F for about 5-8 minutes.

Another option is to grill your bread.

Whatever process you choose, just make sure that the bread slices are lightly toasted and slightly browned. Get a nice golden crisp on both sides. But watch them so that they don’t burn.

It helps to get a quick crisp if you drizzle or brush extra virgin olive oil on both sides of the bread.

How to Keep Fruit from Browning

Once you cut fruit, they start to brown (especially pears).

As a tip: Lightly squeeze lemon juice over your pear slices to keep them from browning while they are on display.This also makes it easy if you want to prep your ingredients in advance.

Other Ricotta CrostiniToppings to Try

We kept our toppings simple. But there are lots of garnish pairings that work well baked ricotta crostini.

And it might also be fun if you set up a crostini bar for your guests to customize their ricotta crostini themselves, especially since ricotta can sit at room temperature safely for 2 hours.

Here are sometopping ideas below —

— Fresh herbs: Swap out the rosemary for some freshoregano, thyme, or dill.

— Instead of pear slices, use a sweet fruit like apples or peaches for a ricotta peach crostini.

— For a savory crostini, opt for roasted red peppers, yellow peppers, roasted tomatoes or even make a butternut squash crostini.

— Other drizzle options: maple syrup, fig jam, lemon zest or truffle oil

— For extra crunch:pomegranate seeds ortoasted walnuts

More Easy Recipes with Ricotta

If you like this ricotta cheese appetizer recipe, check out a few of our other ricotta recipes below —

• French Toast with Whipped Ricotta and Blood Orange Compote
• Peppermint Bark Cannoli
• Heart Shaped Donuts
• Citrus Galette

Photos byKimberly Chau Photography.

Don’t forget to share your Honey Pear and Ricotta Crostini with us onInstagramusing the hashtag#sugarandclothloves. We always love seeing all of your creations! Looking for more quick and delicious recipes? You can find them allright herewith a fewco*cktailsto go along with them!