Fig & Almond Ricotta Toast, Two Ways
This cheese-free spread is very simple to make, requires only three ingredients (almonds, lemon juice and salt) and is a great alternative to traditional ricotta. I went with almonds here, but macadamia and cashews make great plant-based ricotta too.
You could add a little honey in the ricotta itself if you'd like a slightly sweeter version - I simply drizzled the honey on top of the toast here. I couldn't decide between the rosemary/toasted almonds and the tahini/sesame toppings, so I decided to share both recipes here today. You really can't go wrong with either of those. Fresh figs are divine right now, so go get your hands on some while they're at their best.
Notes: You could use blanched almonds to speed things up here. I’m using whole almonds in this recipe and explaining how to quickly blanch them and remove their skins yourself - it’s quite easy and more affordable.
Fig & Almond Ricotta Toast, Two Ways
For the almond ricotta:
1 cup raw unsalted almonds (or blanched almonds - see notes)
2 tsp lemon juice
A pinch of sea salt
Water as needed
Option 1: tahini sesame toast
Toasted bread of your choice
1 fresh fig, thinly sliced
A drizzle of runny tahini
A drizzle of raw unpasteurized honey
Black and/or white sesame seeds
Option 2: rosemary almond toast
Toasted bread of your choice
1 fresh fig, thinly sliced
A drizzle of raw unpasteurized honey
Fresh rosemary, thinly chopped
Sliced almonds, lightly toasted
For the almond ricotta:
Soak the almonds in boiling water for about 10-15 minutes. The skins should then peel easily off of the almonds. Use your fingers to gently squeeze the almonds and loosen the skins. Discard the skins, and rinse the almonds under running water.
Place the peeled almonds in a high-speed blender or food processor with the lemon juice and a pinch of sea salt. Add about 1/4 cup of water. Blend at low speed for a few seconds. Add more water as needed (I used a little over 1/2 cup) and blend until you get a ricotta-like consistency.
For the tahini sesame toast:
Spread the toasted bread with a generous portion of the almond ricotta. Top with a few slices of figs. Drizzle with a bit of tahini and honey and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
For the rosemary almond toast:
Spread the toasted bread with a generous portion of the almond ricotta. Top with a few slices of figs. Drizzle with a bit of honey. Top with chopped rosemary and toasted sliced almonds.
You can keep leftover almond ricotta in the fridge for about a week. Use it on toasts, pizza, or on this zucchini flatbread.
