I had some ricotta cheese leftover from making wild mushroom ravioli (recipe here) and lemon ricotta muffins (recipe here).  But I didn’t really have enough to make anything else, so I made Ricotta and Tomato on Toast.  This is a lovely and fresh summer snack.  Toast any bread that you like (ie. crusty bread or rye).  Spread the ricotta on the toast and top it with thin tomato slices, a pinch of coarse salt, freshly cracked black pepper, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.  Infused olive oils are great for this, ie. garlic, herb, or lemon.  Use your favourite variety of tomato.

After John’s housewarming party, I made ricotta and tomato crostini to use up a variety of our leftovers.  Ricotta and tomato crostini are beautiful and easy to make for any party.  Top toasted baguette slices (baked in a preheated 350 degrees F oven for about 7 minutes) with a thin layer of ricotta cheese, baby arugula or rocket, and halved cherry tomatoes (try combining red and yellow cherry tomatoes).  Top with coarse sea salt, freshly cracked black pepper, a light drizzle of high quality extra virgin olive oil, and some fresh basil for garnish (if desired).