EVERGREENS AND TOMATOES
About the Recipe
Sweet and savory butternut squash crostini with ricotta and fried sage. This is an easy to make appetizer that can be made ahead of time and compiled right before serving. If you like a little extra sweetness you can drizzle with honey.
Ingredients
1/2 butternut squash (roughly 1-1/2 cups chopped)
12 sage leaves
1 baguette
1 Tbsp canola to toss butternut squash cubes in before baking
olive oil for drizzling
flaky sea salt
1 1/2 cups of whole milk ricotta
honey for drizzling (optional) - the butternut squash itself is fairly sweet, but if you have a sweet tooth you can drizzle a little honey over top before serving
Preparation
Step 1:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel the outside of the butternut squash. Then cut in half length wise and remove the seeds. Dice up the butternut squash and transfer to mixing bowl (alternatively you can purchase pre-cut butternut squash to save some time). Toss the butternut squash in the canola oil and salt to taste.
Step 2:
Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and transfer the butternut squash to the baking sheet. You want it to be in a single layer and not too crowded. Transfer to oven and let roast for 25-40 minutes until full cooked. I'd start really keeping an eye on it around 25 minutes and check on it every 5 mintues. You want some browning, but you don't want it to overcook and become mushy.
Step 3:
Remove from the oven and set aside to cool down to room temperature
Step 4:
Combine 1 cup of roasted butternut squash with 1 1/2 cups of whole milk ricotta in a stand mixer and let mix for 2-3 minutes. Set aside.
Step 5:
Add canola oil (amount depends on how big of a pan you are using) into the bottom of a pan or pot and heat up to around 350 degrees on the stove top. If you don't have a thermometer on hand, this is going to be below the smoke point and you can test on a few of the sage leaves - you want it to sizzle as soon as you add the leaves. Cook for 15-30 seconds or until it is no longer sizzling. Transfer to a paper towel on a cooling rack. Set aside.
Step 6:
Slice the baguette into ~12-16 slices. I recommend cutting at an angle to give wider slices. Then spray or brush the slices with canola oil on both sides. Grill or toast the slices.
Step 7:
Top the slices with the butternut squash and ricotta mixture, fried sage, and flaky sea salt, then drizzle with olive oil and serve.
