Ricotta Toast Recipe on Food52

Photo by James Ranson

Test Kitchen-Approved

Author Notes

When I’m feeling hungry and I don’t want to make anything too involved, this is a recipe that I turn to. The pillowy brioche toast, the creamy ricotta, and the interplay of acidity (from the lemon), sweetness (from the honey), and spice (from the black pepper) all work together to create a bite of food that is deeply satisfying. This quick and easy recipe is perfect for breakfast, snacks, or even a passed hors d'oeuvre at a party. Don’t let the simplicity of this dish obscure the fact this it is absolutely delicious.

The quality of the brioche and the ricotta is key to this recipe. Whenever there are only a few ingredients in a recipe, those ingredients must be the highest quality. —Josh Cohen

Makes 2 thick slices of ricotta toast

Ingredients

³/₄ cup whole-milk ricotta cheese (approximately 6 ounces)
1 tablespoon heavy cream
zest of ½ lemon
1 small squeeze of fresh lemon juice
¹/₄ teaspoon salt
2 thick slices of fresh brioche bread
honey
freshly ground black pepper

In This Recipe

Directions

Add the ricotta and heavy cream to a mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt, and whisk to combine. Taste the ricotta and adjust the flavor with more salt or lemon as necessary. Remember that the acidity from the lemon will ultimately be balanced out by the brioche toast and the sweetness from the honey.
Toast the slices of brioche bread until they are a deep golden brown. Spread the ricotta mixture over the toasted brioche. Drizzle honey over the top of each slice of toast. Crack some freshly ground black pepper over the top of each slice of toast (I like a lot of pepper). If you’re serving guests, I encourage you to cut each piece of toast into quarters. Serve and enjoy.

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debbykc
Karen
ustabahippie
Kerry Grisley

Review

Born and raised in Brooklyn, I'm perpetually inspired by the diversity of foods that exist in this city. I love shopping at the farmer's market, making ingredients taste like the best versions of themselves, and rolling fresh pasta.

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4 Reviews

ustabahippie September 14, 2017

Looks delicious. Have to adapt it for my 7 and 4 year old grandsons. I'll use whole grain bread (don't gasp, they aren't allowed white bread). But without the black pepper they'll love this. I'll make it as is for myself and friends.

debbykc November 2, 2016

very similar recipe to one of our favorites---instead of ricotta, goat cheese. just soften and thin goat cheese, spread on bagette slices and drizzled with honey....couldn't be easier and a real crowd pleaser..

Karen June 12, 2016

I made this for a gathering at a friend's pool. Easy and people loved it. I couldnt' find a brioche bread on short notice and used a sourdough baguette, cutting the slices about 1/4 inch thick. I found the combination of flavors quite addictive. I also tried putting a blueberry on top of one slice and really liked it, although I didn't have time to serve them all this way.

Kerry G. May 19, 2016

This seems so simple, but the sum of the parts... I mean, it's really heavenly! How could I have been an eater for this long and not known about this magical combination?!

Serves a Crowd

Ricotta Toast