Lemon Ricotta and Butternut Squash Crostini

Fun fact: I don't like the smell of raw butternut squash.  Ripe or not, when I smell raw butternut squash I notice a sour aroma.  But don't fear, the sour smells resolves with cooking. And the taste, oh the taste, when seasoned and sweetened, is warm and comforting.  One of my favoritebutternut squash dishes is the Autumn Squash Soup from Panera Bread.  I have yet to find or make a recipe that compares to Panera Bread's soup so I leave this soup to the Panera professionals.  If you have a great copycat recipe please send it my way.

Fun fact 2: My husband doesn't like butternut squash, but, and this is a big but (and I cannot lie), he loves this appetizer.

He specifically asked me to make it for our Quarantine Easter.  But a global f@cking pandemic prevented us from making this appetizer.  Our family is taking this physical distancing thing seriously.  I've only physically gone into a grocery store once since March 16 and that was because tons of items on my grocery pickup were unavailable, including butternut squash, lemon, and sage, and I wanted to see if the items were really "unavailable" or if the shoppers were just too overwhelmed / lazy / burnout / all of the above(?).  The short version of that story is many items I wanted were available when I went in to the store, but the items I needed to complete this dish were not.  So fast forward to last week when I was finally able to get my hands on lemon, sage, and a beautiful seeded baguette from my local health food store and we were in business.



I first had a variation of this appetizer served at a holiday hosted by my husband's aunt, a phenomenal cook.  We haven't shared Easter or Thanksgiving with that part of his family in a few years now, but this appetizer is still one of my absolute favorites (and clearly my husband's as well).  It is sweet and savory and when assembled is a gorgeous few bites of food.

It is also a great dish to let guests DIY.

Another reason I love this appetizer is the ricotta, butternut squash, and sage may be cooked the day before.  Just make sure you let the elements come to room temperature before serving.

Lemon Ricotta and Butternut Squash Crostini 

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

• 20 ounces of butternut squash, peeled, seeded, roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), divided
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 sourdough baguette, sliced 3/4 inch thick
• 3/4 cup ricotta cheese
• Zest of one lemon
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Toss butternut squash with 2 tablespoons EVOO, brown sugar, nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and transfer to parchment paper lined baking sheet.  Roast squash until soft, approximately 30 minutes, tossing butternut squash halfway through.  Once roasted, set squash aside *(see notes below).
2. Meanwhile combine ricotta and lemon zest in small dish.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Set aside.
3. Heat butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Once butter is melted add sage and cook until sage turns dark green and edges start to curl, approximately 2 minutes.  Transfer sage to plate lined with paper towels to absorb excess oil.  Reserve butter in skillet for next step.
4. Once butternut squash has roasted, reduce heat to 350 degrees **.  Dip one side of bread in sage butter.  Transfer bread to baking sheet butter side up.  Toast bread until browned, approximately 10 mins.
5. Layer toasted baguettes with lemon ricotta, butternut squash, and a piece of sage.  

      Or transfer the elements to pretty dishes and let your guests get their DIY on.

Notes:
* Taste before serving and season with additional salt and pepper to taste if needed.  I tend to like things salty, my husband not so much, so I tend to be conservative with the salt (IMHO).
** If you are bougie and have two ovens, use your second oven to toast buttered bread slices while the squash finishes roasting.