Roasted Tomato and Herb Ricotta Crostini

Sometimes don't you just love having appetizers for dinner?  My husband and I love roasted tomatoes and I've been addicted to ricotta lately.  I'm sure I served this with something else for dinner, but this was so good, I've quite forgotten what that other food could have been!  

I'm not going to lie, my tomatoes didn't turn out so pretty.  It almost turned into a chutney, just a thicker, chunkier tomato spread.  But it was still so delicious - the tomatoes get caramelized and they are heavenly!!  I cut my tomatoes into thin slices, but in the recipe I wrote to just cut them in half and seed them.  They will turn out much pretty that way!

Serves 2

Roasted Tomatoes and Herb Ricotta Crostini

1/2 cup ricotta
2 tablespoons half & half
1-2 tablespoons Italian seasoning

For the tomatoes 
6 Roma tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

For the crostini
4 slices thick multi-grain bread
olive oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Halve the tomatoes, remove the seeds and place on a baking sheet.  Drizzle with the olive oil and balsamic and top with the garlic, salt and pepper.  Using your hands, mix until all the tomatoes are coated evenly.  Bake for 25-30 minutes until the tomatoes become concentrated and caramelized.

On a smaller pan, arrange the bread slices and brush with olive oil on both sides.  Bake for 8-10 minutes (at the same temp as the bread) until the tops are golden.  

Meanwhile, combine the ricotta, half & half and Italian seasoning (use depending on your taste) in a small bowl and stir.  Set aside.

Once the bread has cooled a bit, top each slice evenly with ricotta mixture.  Follow with the roasted tomatoes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste and a drizzle of balsamic if desired.

(Source;  Adapted from Ina Garten)