Radish Cream Cheese Spread for Spring

Are you a part of the radish fan club or do you not care for them because of their peppery and at times, sharp taste? If you already like radishes I don't need to convince you, but if you are on the fence about this vegetable or even hate the way it tastes (gasp) here are a few facts that might sway your mind. The little red root vegetable is actually good for you! Yes, I know, I know, all vegetables are good for you, but these little guys are full of vitamin C, have cancer fighting properties and are low in calories to name a few. See, I thought this might peek your interest. 

My husband loves radishes as much as I do, however my kids are staunch radish opponents. When I try adding them to our salads, they always end up picking theirs out. They really don't know what they are missing out on ;-) One of my favorite ways to enjoy radishes growing up was adding thin slices of them on top of a piece of buttered rye bread, with just a tiny sprinkle of salt. Super simple, but so tasty. In fact, I get fairly nostalgic thinking about the beautiful red radishes from my mom's garden along with that wonderful baked bread that German bakeries are well known for.

 
While radishes are available year round these days, I tend to think they are synonymous with spring. This easy to make radish cream cheese spread is the perfect appetizer or light lunch for the season. Cream cheese paired with plain yogurt, radishes, chives, lemon zest and lemon juice give this spread a light taste and make it irresistible. Add a dollop of the spread on top of a piece of seeded bread and sprinkle with some beautiful micro greens for added color. Arrange them on a platter and you now have the most perfect appetizer to serve for a spring luncheon or your Easter celebration. Oh, and for the record, everyone in my family enjoyed this radish cream cheese spread. Yes, even my radish haters!

Radish Cream Cheese Spread
~makes about 1 1/2 cups~
(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:
1 bunch radishes, washed and finely cubed (about 3/4 cup)
1/4 tsp. Kosher salt
8 oz. cream cheese, softened (can use 1/3 less fat cream cheese)
1/4 cup plain (2%) yogurt 
2 Tbsp. fresh chives, chopped
Zest from 1 lemon
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. Kosher salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Micro Greens
Sliced Bread

Directions:
Place your washed and cubed radishes in a small bowl. Sprinkle with 1/4 tsp. Kosher salt and let sit for about 20 minutes to draw out excess moisture.

In a medium bowl whisk together cream cheese, yogurt, chives, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.

Drain salted radishes well and fold into the prepared cream cheese mixture. Place mixture in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes before assembling.

When ready to serve place a dollop of the radish cream cheese on your bread slices. Top with micro greens and serve.


Notes: Drawing the moisture out of the radishes before adding them to the cream cheese is an important step that will prevent your spread from getting to watery after it sits.

You can also serve this radish spread as a dip. In this case place the dip in a bowl and serve with bread, crackers and assorted vegetables, like carrots, bell peppers, and celery.

For a change of pace, use the spread as a tasty bagel topping.

The spread will keep in the refrigerator for a couple of days.

Recipe inspired by: Kuechengoetter.de

"Irish" Hot Pockets

When I was trying to come up with a fitting name for this post I had to think twice about including the words "hot pockets". After recent unflattering news about the frozen convenience food was everywhere I looked, I wasn't too sure if this was going to attract my readers attention or turn them away. Good news though, my hot pockets have nothing in common with their grocery store namesake and you can safely cook and enjoy them for your own family. ;-)

 

St. Patrick's Day has been one of those holiday's that my kids, no matter how old they get, always look forward to because of the delicious food. My youngest started asking a couple of weeks ago if I was going to fix my Glazed Corned Beef and Colcannon, while my sixteen year old is all about the Irish Soda Bread. While all of these favorites, along with my St. Patrick's Day Chia Seed Pudding will be making an appearance on St. Patrick's Day, I'm always thinking of some new and interesting recipes to add to my collection for the holiday.

The idea for these Hot Pockets came to me the other day while in the kitchen and I thought they would be a tasty addition to our St. Patrick's Day menu. The filling is a fairly simple combination of fried cabbage and corned beef. The meat can either be bought from the deli counter at your local supermarket or you can use leftover cooked corned beef. The cabbage mixture gets topped with a sprinkle of Dubliner Cheese and then everything gets encased in a flaky puff pastry crust. A quick bake in the oven and you are all set with the tastiest hot pockets you've ever had. 

A homemade thousand island dipping sauce for the baked pastries adds the final touch, but if you prefer, mustard is also wonderful served alongside. The finished pockets are a great addition to any St. Patrick's Day celebration. Make them as appetizers for a party or simply add a salad on the side for a filling meal. If it's any indication, my boys inhaled them in 5 minutes flat and proclaimed they had a new St. Patrick's Day favorite.

"Irish" Hot Pockets
~makes 12 pockets~
(Print this recipe)

Ingredients:
For the filling:
1 Tbsp. olive oil
4 oz. corned beef, finely cubed (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup onion, finely diced
1/2 head green cabbage, chopped (about 4 cups)
2 Tbsp. water
1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 pinch white sugar
Kosher Salt and Pepper to taste

For the pockets:
3 sheets puff pastry, thawed (1 1/2 boxes)
Prepared cabbage filling (see above)
3 oz. Dubliner cheese, finely grated
1 egg beaten with 1 Tbsp. water for egg-wash
Flour for work surface
Thousand Island Dipping Sauce (Recipe to follow)

Directions:
For the filling: In a large skillet heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the cubed corned beef and saute until slightly crispy and golden brown. 

Add the onions. Cook for 1 minute, then add the cabbage along with water, vinegar, and sugar. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook until cabbage wilts, about 5 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and set mixture aside to cool.

For the pockets: Pre-heat oven to 375 ° F. Line three baking sheets with silpat or parchment paper. 

Flour your work surface. Carefully unfold one sheet of puff pastry. Roll into a 10x12-inch rectangle. Using a ruler, cut the rectangle in half (you should now have two 5x12-inch rectangles), then cut each of those rectangles into 4 equal pieces, leaving you with eight 3x5-inch rectangles.

Place 4 rectangles on one of your prepared baking sheets. Add 2 scant tablespoons of the prepared cabbage filling right down the middle of your rectangles leaving about 1/4 inch all the way around, making sure not to over fill. Top the filling with a pinch of the grated cheese.

Brush all 4 edges of each rectangle with your prepared egg-wash. Place the remaining puff pastry rectangles on top and using a fork seal all the edges by crimping all the way around.

Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator while you work on the second and third sheet of puff pastry in the same manner. Place all the finished  pockets in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes before proceeding.

Remove baking sheets one at a time from fridge and brush tops of the pockets with remaining egg wash. With a sharp knife, carefully cut 3 small vents in each pocket. Bake in your pre-heated oven for about 20 minutes (rotating once) or until golden brown.

Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving them with the Thousand Island Dipping Sauce.

Notes: I asked for a couple of slices of 1/4-inch corned beef at my deli, but leftover cooked corned beef would be equally wonderful.

The filling can be made a day ahead of time. Keep it in the refrigerator until ready to assemble the hot pockets.

I used Dubliner Cheese from Kerrygold. The flavor is reminiscent of cheddar, Swiss and Parmesan. If you can't find it, Swiss, Gruyere or a sharp white cheddar will also work.

The baked pockets are best eaten the same day and taste best right out of the oven (after a quick cooling time so you don't scorch the skin in your mouth. Trust me, I've been there).

The thousand island dipping sauce can also be made a day ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator until ready to use.

 A Susi's Kochen und Backen Original Recipe 

Homemade Thousand Island Dipping Sauce
~makes about 3/4 cup~
(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup plain (2%) Greek yogurt
2 Tbsp. Ketchup
2 Tbsp. sweet pickle relish
1 Tbsp. red onion, finely diced
1 tsp. white vinegar
1/4 tsp. Kosher salt
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
2-3 dashes Hot sauce (optional)

Directions:
Add all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together. Taste and add additional salt if desired. Refrigerate for at least an hour to allow the flavors to meld.

Sauce slightly adapted from: Kitchen Treaty

Canadian Bacon Cauliflower Cheddar Cups

Hi there, is this blog still on? I know, it's been forever and a day since you heard anything new from me, but a breather was much needed for my sanity. I won't be making any big promises about a regular posting schedule, but will say that I intend to keep popping in here when I have something interesting to share. Like today.

I came across these Canadian Bacon Cauliflower Cheddar Cups while thumbing through the newest Costco magazine. Let me tell you that they could have fooled anyone in my house. Unless you know that the filling has cauliflower in it, you could have mistaken it for mashed potatoes. I'm happy to report that they were gone in a flash and we all thoroughly enjoyed them. 

Low-carb, gluten-free AND tasty, I don't think you can go wrong with these cute little appetizers. Serve them with a salad for a simple meal or as appetizers for a party. They might even make a great addition to your Superbowl Sunday menu. Go Seahawks!!!

Canadian Bacon Cauliflower Cheddar Cups

~Makes about 24~

(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:

24 slices Canadian bacon

4 cups cauliflower florets

1 vegetable bouillon cube

4 Tbsp. sour cream

2 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped

3 Tbsp. green onion, chopped

Kosher Salt and Pepper to taste

2 ounces cheddar cheese, grated

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 F. Very lightly grease a 24-cup mini-muffin pan. Line each cup with a slice of Canadian bacon.

On the stovetop, add cauliflower to a pot, fill with about 2 cups of water. Add the vegetable bouillon cube and steam/cook cauliflower until very soft. Drain the cauliflower and add to a food processor.

Process cauliflower along with the sour cream, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper until well mixed and smooth. 

Transfer mixture to a bowl and fold in the parsley and green onions. Taste for more salt and pepper and adjust accordingly.

Fill Canadian bacon cups with cauliflower mixture. Top each cup with cheddar cheese. 

Bake for 15 minutes or until heated through. Let sit for a couple of minutes before serving.

Slightly adapted from: Costco Magazine

Spring Onion Jam Bruschetta

 The time has come for another Progressive Party. Progressive Parties, in case you are wondering, are a wonderful way for bloggers to get involved with companies or sponsors to showcase their creative side in coming up with unique recipes. Six bloggers taking a stab at one ingredient in six different courses, sounds like fun, right? The parties are the brainchild of Casey and are hosted over at Kitchen Play where you can find all the info and can check out today's and previous parties.

Many of you might remember my previous involvement last November when I created the "Bloody Olivia". Imagine my excitement when I was chosen again. This month the "mystery" ingredient happens to be spring onions or sweet onions and is sponsored by the National Onion Association. When I first received the assignment and it said spring onions, I was actually a little puzzled and wasn't quite sure what they were. Thankfully with some research on the association's great website, I was ready to get in the kitchen and start creating.  Spring onions are also called sweet onions and are typically available from March through August. They tend to have a much lighter, thinner papery skin and are sweeter than storage or fall onions. Their moisture content is also higher and with that, they are actually more susceptible to bruising. Some common trade-names that you all might be familiar with are Walla Walla Sweets, Maui Sweets and the ever popular Vidalia Onions just to name a few.

For this progressive party I was assigned the appetizer course and decided to go with Walla Walla Sweets for my dish. I was still able to find them at my grocery store in the fall, which is when I was assigned with this party. Unfortunately this particular kind won't be available again until the June time frame, but there are many other options that will work just as well, like Vidalias. Just head on over to the National Onion Associations' website to see what's available. Coming up with a recipe wasn't quite as easy as one might think. I use onions on a daily basis in my cooking at home and we are typically a family of onion lovers. However, I wanted to make sure to create a dish that showcased the onions' sweet taste, but was also light and "spring like" tasting.  My first instinct was to go with bruschetta which I love serving as an appetizer as you can really transform them to fit any season or occasion.

I played around with a few different applications for the onions, but finally decided that making an onion jam would highlight this great ingredient best. Typically, onion jam is made with dark balsamic vinegar, but in order to keep my jam light tasting, I decided to use white balsamic instead. That, along with light brown sugar and white wine, made for a great start. Some seasonings, fresh thyme and just a bit of apricot jam added the finishing touch. The onion jam turned out beautiful, with just the right amount of sweet to tart ratio. 

After taste testing several bruschetta combinations (I know, being a food blogger is rough), I decided to create a bruschetta that would satisfy all of my senses. I had in my mind that the bruschetta should be sweet, but also creamy, crunchy and salty. I found the latter three components by simply putting the onion jam together with crunchy, toasted baguette slices, creamy and slightly tart goat cheese and last but not least, salty slices of prosciutto. Topped with the spring onion jam, this appetizer turned out even better than I had dreamed.

This is really an amazing appetizer and I'm incredibly proud of this creation. I've served this already several times to friends and the reaction is always overwhelmingly positive. On a side note, while the jam is spectacular in the showcased combination, it is also fantastic in many other applications. Think of it as a tasty condiment which can perk up a vast array of dishes.

If at this point my recipe has made your mouth water, go ahead, make the spring onion jam bruschetta, blog about them and submit your link to Kitchen Play. By doing so, you will have a chance to win $100.You have until April 30th, 2011 to enter, so don't wait, I know all of you could use a little extra money with vacation time approaching!

Spring Onion Jam Bruschetta

A Susi's Kochen und Backen Original

(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

18 1/2 -inch thick diagonally cut baguette slices

Olive Oil

18 tablespoons soft goat cheese

9 thin prosciutto slices, cut in half crosswise

 Spring Onion Jam (recipe to follow)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Arrange bread slices on a rimmed baking sheet. Brush top of each with olive oil and roast bread until top is golden 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven and cool toasts on sheet.

Spread 1 tablespoon goat cheese on each cooled toast. Arrange prosciutto halves on top of the goat cheese and top each toast with spring onion jam. Arrange on platter and serve.

Spring Onion Jam 

A Susi's Kochen und Backen Original

(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 large spring onions (I used Walla Walla Onions), sliced thinly

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/3 cup white wine (Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio works well)

1/3 cup white balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons apricot jam

1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped

Kosher Salt and black pepper to taste

Preparation:

Melt butter and oil in a medium-sized skillet over medium heat. Add sliced onions and cook, stirring, until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes.

Add the sugar, wine, balsamic vinegar, apricot jam, thyme and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook over low heat, stirring, until the liquid thickens and coats the back of a spoon, about 35 minutes.

Transfer the onion jam to a bowl and let cool. Serve at room temperature.

Pepperoni Pizza Puffs

 
School is already back in full swing for us and pre-season football has made it's way into our home as well. What does that mean in terms of food you are wondering? It means, that I need to come up with lots of snack foods. Snack foods for "starving" children after school, and snacks for football watching. I prefer food that I can quickly make on a whim, but also recipes that taste like I spent a considerable effort preparing.

I found the recipe for these great little puffs on Noble Pig. The pictures drew me in like so often, and after reading how easy and fast this could be made, I was hooked. I did make a few small alterations to the original recipe to fit our taste, and they turned out great. Flour, baking powder and milk (I used 1%) are whisked together along with an egg. I added a bit of salt and some Italian seasoning to the batter since I thought it needed a little more "oomph". Shredded mozzarella cheese and diced pepperoni (I used turkey pepperoni) are folded into the flour/milk mixture before dividing the batter into a greased 24-cup mini muffin pan. They are then baked until light, "puffed", and golden, for about 22 minutes.

These little snacks are a definite "make again" recipe. It was amazing how much flavor each bite held. I served them per Noble Pig's suggestion with warmed pizza sauce (I made my own) but they were just as good dipped in a bit of ranch dressing (my youngest came up with that concoction). This is a great, crowd-pleasing recipe, no matter if for football watching, after school, or any other event that could benefit from finger foods. I can see these little puffs going in many different directions just by changing up the cheese, using cooked Italian sausage, or leaving all the meat out and making a vegetarian "puff" by adding peppers and mushrooms. There are a lot of options and I'm sure this is not the last you have seen of these little snacks!

Pepperoni Pizza Puffs
(adapted from "Noble Pig")

(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

3/4 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup milk (I used 1 %)
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
4 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
4 ounces pepperoni (I used Turkey pepperoni), cut into small cubes
1/2 - 1 cup of your favorite pizza or marinara sauce
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 24-cup mini muffin pan.
In a large owl, whisk together the flour and baking powder; whisk in the milk, egg, salt and Italian seasoning. Stir in the mozzarella and pepperoni; let stand for 10 minutes.

Stir the batter and divide among the mini-muffin cups. Bake until puffed and golden, 20 to 25 minutes.

Warm your pizza or marinara sauce, then stir in 1 tablespoon basil. Sprinkle the puffs with the remaining 1 tablespoon basil. Serve the puffs with the pizza sauce for dipping.

Swiss and Bacon Dip

There isn't much I can say about this dip besides the fact that it is good, really good. The combination of Swiss cheese, bacon, and smoked almonds is delicious. It is also a very "manly" dip. With football season only a few short weeks away, this is the perfect dip to be served on football watching days (Go EAGLES!). If football isn't your "thing", and you are more into book club meetings and a glass of Chardonnay, well then you are in luck as well since this dip tastes fantastic for any kind of entertaining.

The dip is made very quickly by mixing cooked bacon bits with cream cheese, mayonnaise, mustard, scallions, and of course Swiss cheese. The dish is then baked until golden and bubbly. Then, right before serving, it is topped with chopped smoked almonds. Easy enough, even my teenager could make this. You can also kick this recipe up a notch by adding a couple of teaspoons horseradish into the mixture before baking. I made sure to only add almonds down the middle of the dip since not everyone cares for them, and this gave people an option to choose with or without nuts.

I served this dip with fresh baguette slices and carrots, but any kind of cracker, flat-bread, or crostini would be wonderful served along side. This dip was very well received with everyone who tried it, and has now gotten a permanent spot in my recipe file. I know I will be making this recipe a lot in the coming months, especially considering all of the entertaining events fall will bring. I really hope you will give this dish a try, it is truly a wonderful combination that you don't want to miss out on!

Swiss and Bacon Dip
(adapted from Rachael Ray)
(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

8 slices center cut bacon, chopped
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 rounded teaspoons prepared Dijon style mustard
2 rounded teaspoons horseradish (optional)
1 1/2 cups Swiss Cheese, shredded
3 scallions, chopped
1/2 cup smoked almonds, coarsely chopped
Baby carrots and a selection of breads or crackers for dipping

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Brown bacon in nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Drain crisp bacon bits on paper towels.

In a mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, mayonnaise, mustard, horseradish (if using), Swiss cheese, and scallions with cooked bacon. Transfer to a shallow small casserole or baking dish and bake until golden and bubbly at edges, 15 to 18 minutes. Top with chopped smoked almonds. Place dip on a platter and surround warm casserole with breads and carrots for dipping.

French Onion Dip

Do you have a husband that on occasion will bring home some utterly delicious junk food from the grocery store? Well, I do, but mine only brings home salty snack food. I'm still working on getting him to buy all the chocolaty treats though. Anyways, one of those times he brought home a tub of French Onion Dip along with a bag of chips. He was even trying to be "good" and bought the low-fat kind. Calorie wise, it wasn't too bad unless you ate the whole container, but looking at the ingredient list I felt a little nauseous. I get extremely upset when you can't pronounce half of the ingredients in the product. I mean really, is it necessary to add all of this additional junk into it? Yes, I do understand that preservatives are necessary, but there are also a lot of unnecessary additives in convenience food. I'm very passionate about the fact that many of these foods can be simply prepared at home with great results. They do take a little bit longer to make than going to a store and purchasing them, and I know sometimes when in a bind they are convenient, but homemade is always better in my opinion!

I've made french onion dip before by taking sour cream and a Lipton onion soup mix envelope. Still better than the pre-mixed stuff, but after looking over the mix not much healthier. I figured there must be a recipe out there for a homemade French Onion Dip, and I was going to find it. Which is where Foodnetwork.com and Rachael Ray came to the rescue. I'm not the world's biggest Rachael Ray fan, but the dip sounded promising.

After cutting and cooking the onions along with some seasoning, all you have to do is add the onion mixture to the cream cheese and sour cream. That's it, easy enough, right? I had to tweak the original a bit, but not much. The result is a fabulous dip that actually tasted even better after sitting overnight in the refrigerator. This dip makes a lot, but can be halved easily for smaller gatherings. It can be served with chips, but is just as good with cut up vegetables or crostini. It is also a great dip to take along on picnic's or potluck's. This is definitely a new recipe to add to my collection to be made many more times.

French Onion Dip

(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

2 medium onions, quartered lengthwise then very thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cubes beef bouillon (I used 2 teaspoons of this)

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup beer (or additional water)

black pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 cups sour cream

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

Salt to taste

Directions:

Place a medium skillet over medium to medium high heat and add the extra-virgin olive oil and the butter. Melt butter into oil then add onions and garlic cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add bouillon cube to the pan with water and beer (or all water) and cook until it "melts" coating onions, stirring frequently, 3 minutes. Season the onions with pepper, thyme, and Worcestershire sauce. Remove from heat and transfer to a plate to quick-cool a bit.

In a medium bowl, mix together the sour cream and softened cream cheese using a rubber spatula. Stir in the onion mixture until completely combined, add salt if necessary. Chill for a couple of hours before serving.

Adapted from: Rachael Ray

Bruschetta with Rosemary, Roasted Plum Tomatoes, Ricotta, and Prosciutto

I love looking through bon appétit magazine. Many of their recipes have a certain special touch that make them stand out above other recipe magazines. I do have to admit though, only very seldom will I make a dish from their pages since some of their recipes seem almost intimidating to me, and a little fancier than what I would serve on a daily basis. But, if you are looking for wonderful meals to serve when entertaining guests, this is most definitely a magazine to turn to.

Always on the look out for new dishes, I vowed to take more advantage of all of my magazine subscriptions, which includes bon appétit. So when I received my August 2010 edition, I settled in by the pool and started marking recipes that looked interesting. I couldn't overlook many of their wonderful recipes in this edition that take advantage of the abundance of summer vegetables, which is when today's recipe caught my eyes.

Let's just say this dish is one for the senses. It is crunchy and creamy, salty and sweet and honestly one of the best things I have made in a while. The dish is certainly not hard to make, but does require a little bit of time. Tomatoes are marinated in olive oil and rosemary and then roasted in the oven for 30 minutes. Sliced baguette is brushed with leftover tomato marinade before toasting them in the oven as well. Smooth ricotta is spread on top of the toasted bread slices before layering the prosciutto, roasted sweet tomatoes, and finally, a tiny bit of baby arugula for garnish.

Words don't do this dish justice. This was a flavor explosion in your mouth, and we could not get enough of it.  I made this recipe for a light lunch on the weekend, and my husband and I enjoyed the bruschetta along with a nice glass of red wine. Perfection!

This dish is going in my permanent files and I can't wait to serve this as an appetizer to guests. This one deserves the highest rating available for sure!

Bruschetta with Rosemary, Roasted Plum Tomatoes, Ricotta, and Prosciutto

(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 large garlic cloves, minced 

2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary

1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

6 large plum tomatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds), quartered lengthwise

12 1/2-inch-thick diagonally cut baguette slices (each 3 to 4 inches long)

12 tablespoons ricotta cheese, divided

6 thin prosciutto slices, cut in half crosswise

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 cup microgreens or baby arugula

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Stir 6 tablespoons oil, garlic, rosemary, 1 teaspoon coarse salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper in large bowl to blend. Add tomato quarters and stir to coat. Let stand 5 minutes. Line rimmed baking sheet with foil. Lift tomatoes from marinade and arrange, cut side down, on prepared baking sheet (reserve marinade for toasts).

Roast tomatoes until skin is browned and blistered and tomatoes are very tender, about 35 minutes. Cool tomatoes on sheet. Maintain oven temperature.

Meanwhile, arrange bread slices on another rimmed baking sheet. Brush top of each with reserved marinade (including garlic and rosemary bits).

Roast bread until top is golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool toasts on sheet.

Spread 1 tablespoon ricotta cheese on each toast; sprinkle with pepper. Fold prosciutto halves over and place on ricotta. Arrange 2 tomato quarters atop prosciutto. Whisk lemon juice and remaining 1 teaspoon oil in medium bowl to blend; season with salt and pepper. Add microgreens (or baby arugula) and toss to coat. Top bruschetta with greens. Arrange on platter and serve.

Adapted from:  bon appétit