| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 1 hr 15 min |
| Prep: | 30 min |
| Inactive: | 25 min |
| Cook: | 20 min |
| Yield: | 8 to 10 servings |
Ingredients
- 2 zucchini, sliced lengthwise into 1/4-inch thick planks
- 1 red pepper, cheeks removed from 3 sides
- 1 eggplant, sliced into 1/4-inch thick circles
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons good quality aged balsamic vinegar
- 1 loaf country sourdough, cut into 3/4-inch thick slices
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup pine nuts
- 1/2 cup orange blossom honey
- 2 cups good-quality whole milk ricotta
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves, hand torn
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 pounds mixed olives (queen, kalamata, ceringola)
- 1/2 pound finely sliced San Daniele ham
- One 8-ounce wheel Mt. Tam Triple Cream
- One 12-ounce Cypress Grove Chevre Truffle Tremor
- One 8-ounce wedge aged Monterey Jack cheese
Instructions
- For the vegetables: Heat a cast iron grill pan over high heat until smoking, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the vegetables to a large bowl, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Grill the vegetables on the hot grill pan for 2 to 3 minutes per side, without moving so they get nice grill marks. Remove to a large platter and drizzle with aged balsamic vinegar.
- For the sourdough: Heat a cast iron grill pan over high heat until smoking, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drizzle the bread slices with olive oil and arrange on the hot grill pan for 2 to 3 minutes per side, without moving so they get nice grill marks and toast evenly.
- For the ricotta spread: Begin by toasting the pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat. Toss over low heat until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add the honey. Mix well so the nuts get coated evenly and honey melts. Allow to cool slightly, then add to a large bowl. Add the ricotta, olive oil, mint and salt and pepper, to taste. Refrigerate until the ricotta firms up a little before serving with grilled sourdough and antipasto items.
- For the platter: Arrange the grilled vegetables, grilled sourdough, ricotta, olives, prosciutto and cheese on a large platter and serve.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 10 servings |
| Calories | 915 |
| Total Fat | 59 g |
| Saturated Fat | 19 g |
| Carbohydrates | 80 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 31 g |
| Sugar | 21 g |
| Protein | 28 g |
| Cholesterol | 89 mg |
| Sodium | 1254 mg |
Reviews
The ricotta with honey and pine nuts is absolutely delicious! I’ve made it several times served with grilled sourdough and it’s always a hit!
Tried this recipe without seeing the show. Should have read the reviews first (usually do! The texture was not acceptabe. The flavor was promising. I threw it out and made it over with cream cheese. I added two 8oz pkgs of cream cheese, salt, pepper, mint and 3 Tbs. olive oil to the blender. Shaped the cheese mixture in my serving dish. Browned the nuts and coated with warm honey. Covered the cheese mound with nuts. VERY tasty. This combination is not familiar to me. Neither of my Italian grandmothers made anything like it, but I believe it will be a nice addition to my Christmas Eve Antipasto Platter. Sorry Mr. Florence. You are one of my favorites still!
Made the ricotta spread this weekend and it was great. I wasn’t sure about the olive oil whether to mix it in so I decided to just drizzle it over the ricotta before adding the pignola nuts and honey. Our Italian family loved it; not everyone might. The veggies were great but not much different than what I already do. Adding the aged balsamic was a nice addition. I did it in the broiler but had to keep watching it. It took some time though. You can do it ahead since it is served at room temperature though.
When I watched the episode on TV, Tyler mixed together the ricotta, mint, salt and pepper, placed it in a bowl and then poured the pine nut mixture over the top. You would take a piece of bread and spread on the ricotta mixture, with a few pine nuts on top…it would not be as sweet. This recipe called for the pine nuts and the ricotta to be mixed together…Tyler didn’t do that! We loved the ricotta topped with pine nuts. Delicious!
I always wanted to have a pizza party but wasn’t sure what to serve beforehand as an appetizer. The grilled veggies were a huge hit, (still not sure what the cheeks of a red bell pepper are). I couldn’t find the cheeses listed, but decided on a smoked gouda and herb brie and a really great cracker called 34 degress, the rosemary flavor. I had several types of olives, and our guests really loved the garlic green olives and the blue cheese stuffed olives. We had the grilled bread and the pine nut ricotta dip. I agree, the texture was strange, and no one liked how sweet the dip was. I am determined we will finish the dip because of the royal cost of those pine nuts. That really was my only criticism of the antipasto platter. Other than that, it was a huge hit at our party. Thanks Tyler for the great idea!
The grilled vegetables were fantastic. Layered roasted red peppers and Zucchini on platter toppped with zucchini – looked as wonderful as they tasted!!
I made the ricotta / pine nut dip and honestly, I threw it out and never served it. The texture was wierd and the flavors just did not go well together – my opinion.