roasted garlic whipped ricotta toasts with avocado and herbs
I feel like ass, so I needed some color.
I wrote in yesterday’s tempeh tacos that I experienced a sudden wash of fatigue and low energy after recipe testing. Welp, today it turned into a full-blown sickness. I am supposedly Covid-less, so it’s some virus or another more likely. But man, it sucks.
I managed to finish up these pretty springtime toasts before full-on faceplanting on the couch for the rest of the day. They became my lunch, since they were done and took no more effort than throwing them on a plate and chowing down. Spent the whole afternoon and evening thereafter sleeping or wandering into the kitchen to forage.
A perfect light lunch, a beautiful appetizer for a spring party, or an impressive snack, these simple little avo toasts are a millennial’s dream and a boomer’s nightmare. Maybe, depending on how crotchety the latter is. Creamy whipped ricotta infused with a bulb of roasted garlic – the dreamiest shit, the time to roasts is worth the wait – spread onto toasted breads with avocado and a big tuft of springtime herbs. Use what you have and like!
Aight, we’re going through this rapidfire since I feel like closing my eyes ASAP. Enjoy the plentiful hipster photos!
Garlic Breath
Yes, the ricotta does use a whole bulb of garlic, but be not intimidated. Roasting the garlic mellows the pungent cloves into a sweetness that mixes up with the ricotta amazingly well. You can certainly taste the garlickiness, but it’s not frightening.
If you’re worried, though, use less of the garlic in the finished ricotta or a small bulb.
Chop the top of the garlic off and peel away any excess skin. Drizzle with a bit of oil and sprinkle salt and pepper. Wrap in aluminum foil and roast for about 35 minutes at 400. Your kitchen will smell gourmet as fuck.
Let the cloves cool, then squeeze out of the skins into the bowl of a food processor. Here you can use as much or little as you prefer. Add in the ricotta – I always prefer whole milk ricotta – and some salt, then whip until creamy.
Avocado, Mr. Roboto
The rest here is just assembly, and is customizable in some ways!
First, the bread. I grabbed a nice sourdough, sliced it up, and popped the slabs on my grill pan for a nice char. You can use the broiler or your toaster oven if you prefer. Grilled bread just speaks to my soul.
Swipe on a good blob of ricotta, then pretty up your avocado and arrange over the ricotta. I like to drizzle some good-quality olive oil and lemon juice overtop and sprinkle a little flaky salt. Then, lots of herbs.
For herbs, I had some dill, basil, mint, and cilantro on hand so I threw those on top of each toast. I bet chives and parsley would be lovely too. Any kind of bright spring sprig.
Could use some rainbow in my life right now. I’m gonna be staring at my eyelids intermittently for the rest of the day, and hoping this damn fever breaks before long. I usually swat sicknesses aside pretty quickly, so I hope this is one that behaves as such.
Meanwhile, enjoy these toasts! A little bit of a different twist on your everyday avo toast (if you’re like me and enjoy a couple slices on the daily for breakfast) and nice on the eyes if you’re experiencing a lot of snow or dreary weather.
Tried this recipe out? Leave a rating and comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
Bravo, Avo!
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roasted garlic whipped ricotta toasts with avocado and herbs
Ingredients
- 1 head garlic
- 1 15 oz container whole milk ricotta cheese
- 8 slices thick-cut bread (like sourdough)
- 2 avocados, sliced
- 1 cup mixed fresh herbs, roughly chopped
- pickled red onions, extra virgin olive oil, flaky salt, and lemon juice, for drizzling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Cut off the top of the garlic bulb to expose the cloves and pick off any excess skin. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt and black pepper. Wrap a sheet of aluminum foil tightly over the garlic bulb and set on a small baking sheet. Roast for 35 minutes until fragrant. Let cool, then unwrap and squeeze the bulbs into a food processor.
- Add the ricotta cheese to the food processor, as well as a pinch of salt. Whip until very smooth and creamy, about 2-3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the food processor as needed. Taste and adjust salt as needed.
- Toast the bread slices with your preferred method. I brushed both sides of mine with olive oil and grilled on my grill pan for 90 seconds per side. You can broil or throw yours in the toaster as you please.
- Swirl the ricotta on top of the toasted breads. Top with about 1/4 of the sliced avocado, then drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice. Finish with pickled onions and chopped fresh herbs. I used dill, basil, cilantro, and mint!
