So, just to get a few things off the table before I go all (non) recipe on your butts:

1. Spain is RIDICULOUSLY gorgeous. I’d heard all the things about all the cities we’d be visiting, and I went in completely assuming I’d leave with a strong bias toward one or the other, but so far I’ve fallen in love with little bits of Barcelona (the jamón, Gaudi everything, and some of the most excellently executed vegetarian food I’ve had in a while), San Sebastian (pintxos, of course — and the views!) and Madrid (palaces and patatas — what’s not to like??). I’ll do the best I can to get a recap up on the blog in the weeks (ok, let’s be real: months) to come, but if I don’t, I’ve been posting a few snippets on Instagram along the way if you wanna get all caught up. 🙂
2. UM, how traumatizing is the end of ET? Seriously, my mom is already crying, and if it weren’t for my fear of dabbing this shitty, scratchy hotel toilet paper all over my preciously just-eye-creamed eyes, I’d be right there with her. #foreignTVproblems
3. I ate chicharrones for dinner.

Alright, let’s blog about crostini.

I kind of stumbled onto this crostini after getting a bounty of pears in our farm box a few weeks in a row. Pe(a)r the usj, I had all these high hopes for making something pe(a)rfectly stunning and totally imp(ea)ressive, like this p(ea)retty situation from Grace, and then I remembered I’m a total slacker (oh yeah…that…..). So, total fail. Also: totally p(ea)redictable.  I should just know these things.

(Are we already over the clever pear p(ear)uns? Did that one even count? Ok, done.)

Happily, thanks to a tub of ricotta I had leftover from those s’ghetti squash fritters and a lovely little jar of honey from the hippie beekeepers down the road, these came together in a super non-recipe kind of way, and I’m so glad they did.

Sweet, salty, crunchy and perfectly satisfying due to the rich, creamy savoriness of whole milk ricotta (I’m going to insist you go that route — calories be damned!), these are the perfect little gourmet snack for chillin’ in front of the tube, rosé in hand.

And, of course, they’re the just-right (maybe even last-minute?) addition to your Thanksgiving spread or holiday table because they’re in your face in under 10 minutes — maaaaybe even 5 if you’re an efficient slicer of pears and your broiler kicks ass.

Remember that time I made a whole baby Thanksgiving meal in under an hour? Get these going before you pop the sheet trays in to roast, and you’ve got something for your guests to munch on while you slave over a hot stove  do a sinkload of dishes  worry about everything coming together at the same time drink wine and look pretty.

Wait, are you a dude reading this?
Hunky. Drink wine and look hunky. 😉

Crostinis4Eva!!

Besos! <3
Em

p.s. Just in case you’re still stuck for Turkey Day ideas, I’m loving these inspiring roundups:

• 99 gluten-free Thanksgiving recipes from Beth. I mean, 99! Do I even need to go on? (You know I will…)
• THIS super well-curated spread of 15 pretty Thanksgiving appetizers from Jen
• 15 Meatless Thanksgiving Recipes over at Cookie + Kate (those cranberry ‘ritas!)
• I’d so gladly kick off a holiday meal with any of these tasty soup-weather recipes from Jeanine
• EVERYTHING on Gaby’s table. I’m so smitten.
• And because it’s worthy of its own shoutout: Steph put miso butter in her mashed purrtaters!!

Stoneware by Akiko! Not sponsored – I just love her to bits!!

pear + ricotta crostini with honey + thyme

 

Print

Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

5 mins

Total time

10 mins

 

By: Emily Stoffel

Makes: as much as you need (see note)

Ingredients

• soft French or narrow seeded baguette, sliced about ¼" thick
• olive oil
• whole milk ricotta cheese
• thinly sliced pears
• good honey (local + raw, if available!)
• few pinches dried thyme
• crushed red chile flakes (optional - crushed black pepper is also nice)
• good, flaky sea salt

Instructions

1. Preheat broiler.
2. Arrange sliced baguette on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Broil until golden and toasty, just a minute or two -- keep an eye on it! (For crunchier crostini, you can actually bake them at 350F, but I prefer the texture of only one toasty surface. Less crumby, too!)
3. Just before serving, top toasts with a generous smear of the whole milk ricotta, a couple of pear slices and a drizzle of honey. Lightly crush dried thyme in the palm of your hand to release aroma and sprinkle over top. Finish with chile flakes (or black pepper) and a good sprinkle of sea salt. Enjoy!

Notes

This is less of a recipe and more of a method that results in a fantastically tasty (and shamefully simple -- but elegant!) snack or starter. I really do believe that using whole milk ricotta is the key to making these little toasts feel more substantial than they appear. For a gluten/grain-free variation, skip the toasts and smear the ricotta directly on a thicker slice of pear, adding just a drizzle of olive oil over the top (along with the honey) to maintain that key savoriness. Yum!

Also, I've not provided specific quantities since you can make as many or as few as you'd like. For an extra-small portion (let's say, a personal-sized snack to enjoy while watching Vampire Diaries), the toasts broil up perfectly in a toaster oven. 🙂

3.2.2807

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 Oh hey, before you go…