Recipe: Butternut squash, sage and ricotta crostini

A few weeks ago, a couple friends of mine decided to tell the whole world that they found their soulmate and got hitched by eloping in a the beautiful B.C. forest. It was a very fitting ceremony for the two love-birds, and a few weekends later, they hosted a party in celebration of the event. The bride, one of the loveliest human beings I know, is an excellent cook and baker. She’s someone who I love bouncing ideas off of. Luckily her now husband is a runner, otherwise I fear he would be the size of the house due to all the delicious food he gets to come home to.

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At the party the newlyweds hosted, there was a table of tasty morsels. While all of them were delicious, the winter crostini was by far my favourite. I smartly made myself comfortable in the corner by the food, so I could socialize and be near all the goodies. Granted the room was filled with runners and cyclists, so everyone ended up surrounding the table of sustenance. The crostini is simple, but absolutely delicious. The only time-consuming part is waiting for the squash to roast, but even that is only 30 minutes. It is such a great appetizer for a delightful party. A nice feature to the recipe is that most of the steps can be done a day in advance. The butternut squash, sage leaves, and ricotta can be made one day ahead, just be sure to cover and chill the squash and the ricotta mixture, and store the sage in an airtight at room temperature. When serving, bring squash to room temperature before serving and toast the baguette slices.

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Butternut squash, sage and ricotta crostini

INGREDIENTS: 

• 1 2-lb butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into ½ inch cubes (about 4 cups)
• 3 ½ tbsp olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 1 ½ tsp packed light brown sugar
• 24 fresh sage leaves
• ¾ fresh ricotta
• ½ tsp lemon zest
• 12 ½ inch baguette slices, toasted
• fresh lemon juice
• coarse sea salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 425°.
2. Toss squash, 2 tbsp oil, and sugar in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Arrange in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast, tossing occasionally, until squash is golden and tender (25-30 minutes). Let cool on sheet.
4. Heat 1 ½ tbsp oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add sage; cook until edges begin to curl and turn dark green, about one to two minutes. Using a slotted spoon, carefully transfer to paper towels to drain.
5. Mix ricotta and lemon zest in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
6. To assemble, spread 1 tbsp of ricotta mixture on each baguette slice. Top each with a few squash cubes. Drizzle crostini with lemon juice and olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top crostini with two fried sage leaves each. Serve.