This is a combination of some of my favorite Italian ingredients and it works incredibly well. I love the creaminess of the ricotta with the sweet acidity of the wine-poached figs. That’s why I always go with full-fat ricotta.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 38 min |
| Prep: | 13 min |
| Cook: | 25 min |
| Yield: | 15 crostini |
Ingredients
- 1 pint (about 15 to 20) dried figs, preferably Calimyrna
- 2 cups full-bodied red wine
- 1 demi-baguette (or half a regular baguette)
- 1 cup whole milk ricotta
- 1/4 pound prosciutto
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Using a small knife, trim the stems off the figs and cut the figs in half lengthwise.
- Place the figs and the wine in a small saucepan, bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, and simmer about 20 minutes until figs have absorbed most of the wine and they are tender and fat. Remove figs with a slotted spoon to a bowl and reserve for later. Some reduced wine should remain for sauce; return wine to medium heat and simmer again until reduced by half and a syrupy liquid remains. Let cool slightly.
- Slice demi-baguette into 1/2-inch slices. Lay the bread slices on a baking sheet and toast lightly in the oven, about 5 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
- Spread a tablespoon of ricotta on each crostini then lay a small piece of prosciutto on top of the cheese. Place fig halves on top of the meat and finish by drizzling the remaining reduced wine on top of the figs. Serve immediately.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 15 servings |
| Calories | 176 |
| Total Fat | 3 g |
| Saturated Fat | 2 g |
| Carbohydrates | 25 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 10 g |
| Protein | 7 g |
| Cholesterol | 14 mg |
| Sodium | 341 mg |
Reviews
The recipe works well and is very tasty. In order to make it easier to eat, I cut the figs into thin slices and recommend breaking up the prosciutto so that when you bite into it, it doesn’t slide off of the cheese and bread.
Although it sounds like it would melt in your mouth, it fell short of expectations. I did it twice. It was better when the toasts were just out of the oven. I didn’t think any flavor really jumped out. Perhaps a goat cheese or something with more flavor than the ricotta would have tied it all together. I think the cheese was the downfall.
I love the combination of the sweet figs with the ricotta cheese and prosciutto. I tried them with the green figs and white wine, and they were actually sweeter and tastier than with the black figs and red wine! The only thing was that they were a bit messy to eat. Next time I might try cutting the bread slices in half to make smaller bite size pieces.