Delicious Peach Ricotta Crostini with Thyme and Balsamic
This post for Peach Ricotta Crostini was originally posted on the 14th of June 2021.
It’s been boiling in London, and you know what that means? We have not turned the stove on for days now. I feel sick just thinking about turning it on and don’t even get me started on how I feel if I try and put something warm in my stomach. But every household is bound to have some stale bread around at all times. And what’s better than toasted bread, even if stale? Nothing, absolutely nothing. So of course, you know we hate throwing away food – the solution to this was these peach ricotta crostini.
While we don’t get to get our hands on these amazing Georgia’s peaches, we have found some pretty juicy ones and it was bound to happen. The marriage of flavours you never even thought of: peach and ricotta cheese crostini! A balsamic glaze, fresh peaches, baguette slices and some fresh thyme all bound together by some creamy ricotta. It will be a huge hit anywhere you take it, believe me. We love it!
What’s a crostini, you might ask?
Well, if you insist: it’s nothing more than an Italian word for toasted bread. Yeah, I know, the word sounds so posh and fancy. But I remember eating crostini just when we had plenty of stale bread. It could either turn into pangrattato, also known as breadcrumbs, or into bruschetta. But no one makes bruschetta like our nonna in Rome does, so you have to make crostini. A simple recipe of toasted bread you can get ready in no time, because it’s always extra when your golden brown piece of bread gets a revamp.
Crostini is also slightly fancier as a word in Italian, making it just that extra. Am I not right?! Bring this to yet another BBQ and you’ll be the star. Or make it for dinner tonight, no one will be able to resist it – even your worst picky eater! These peach ricotta crostini are colourful, fresh and crunchy – it’s bound to be a winner. They can be served at room temperature, making them the perfect appetizer for all those hot day dinners you’ll try to avoid making.
I remember going to the countryside with my grandparents in Rome every summer. We’d be there from early morning, making a mess with mud and water. Then we’d be called once the fire was on to start eating all the snacks my mother would be cooking – or assisting the cook for! From sausages to meat & veggie skewers, and bruschetta piled with garlic & fresh tomatoes. We’d be picking peaches straight from the trees that our grandpa planted years and years before. And we never ever thought about grilling them. Sweet peaches are the perfect item to grill, think about slices of peaches becoming a delicious appetizer for your next dinner party. Sweet, delicious and oh so good to show as well.
How did we get to ricotta peach crostini?
Let me just tell you – grilling peaches it’s amazing. It just helps the peach release its full flavour, making the flesh a little bit more tender and just full-on super tasty. Just by slicing the peach and grilling each side, this would make a great snack. Drizzle with honey and you’re sorted, and even some honey ricotta will make it even more delicious. Or, if you are a bit more adventurous, drizzle balsamic vinegar. Because balsamic goes with pretty much everything sweet, not just strawberries!
Peaches, my friends – they rock.
Yes, peaches are honestly amazing. Not only do they taste absolutely amazing, with their extremely juicy flesh, oh no! They are also soft and sweet, smell incredible when ripe and you can eat them both cooked or fresh. The best of both worlds, really! But are they good for you? Let’s see it together:
- they are packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, so honestly, you’d be mad not to eat them;
- peaches are packed with plenty of nutrients like magnesium;
- they are low in calories and are a moderate source of vitamins like vitamin C, vitamin A and potassium
- peaches also help with improving your digestion, your heart health (peach extract can help lower your cholesterol and high blood pressure) and also your skin
- and if you suffer from allergies, they help reduce the effect of allergies too. (Healthline)
I mean, if this doesn’t sell peaches to you, I do not know what will. If you plan on a stronger immune system and healthy eyes too, while you’re there, I would say start eating peaches.
Anyways, before I blab even more – and you know I can – let me show you how to prep these quick, tasty and fancy peach ricotta crostini with thyme and balsamic vinegar!
What ingredients do I need for these peach ricotta crostini?
First of all, crostini need good bread as a base. I highly recommend a good french baguette, maybe the best one you can find around. It has to have that crunchy crust and soft, bubbly middle that you can chew away on happily. I would say the bread is the king of this dish, if you disagree…well, we will have to agree on disagreeing.
Then it comes to the whole milk ricotta. Now, I know it might be difficult to get your hands on some fresh ricotta, the one you can literally eat by the spoon. In Rome (and most parts of Italy) you can still buy it from the farmer straight. It’s a whole deal of bring your own pot but to tell you it is absolutely delicious, would not fully give the ricotta justice. It’s still warm, in a sea of whey, and just perfect to eat as it is. I have not found such experience in London, so I tried to get my hands on some great ricotta. Do the whole experience if you can, I highly recommend it.
Then it comes to the peaches, and here I am recommending some hard ones, simply because you would be having an issue or two when grilling them. Peach season is upon us, so you will find them to be sweet and juicy anyway, because juicy peaches are the best.
Then at long last, for the best peach ricotta crostini recipe easy, you do need some fresh thyme and the best balsamic vinegar you can find. We have used a very strong, aged balsamic, which is more creamy than your average supermarket one. Splurge on a good bottle and you will not regret it, ever. Other fresh herbs like fresh basil for example could work well here, but we have found for thyme to make the perfect combination in this case.
How do I make the easy peach ricotta crostini?
You can sort of guess it, but you cannot find an easier recipe than these peach ricotta crostini. The prep for this crostini recipe is minimal and the cooking is borderline inexistent. The perfect recipe for summer, am I right?!
All I am saying here it’s the below:
- take the gas grill out and warm it up properly, you can also use a small skillet as long as you cook your bread and peach slices over medium heat;
- slice your baguettes, make sure you do so at an angle to have a better bread-to-condiment ratio;
- slice your peaches as well, ready to be grilled, no need to remove the skin (after all, that is where all the goodness of peaches is);
- prep the ricotta by adding salt and pepper, then mix it with a fork loosely, or use a food processor if you want a whipped ricotta sort of consistency to it;
- prepare the thyme sprigs, ready to decorate, the balsamic vinegar and the extra virgin olive oil too.
And that it’s all you have to do. Aside from sitting down to enjoy your favourite glass of wine with one of these peach ricotta crostini. I do admit these peach ricotta crostini go extremely well with a nice cold glass of white wine! Are you not sold yet? Mmm, I wouldn’t think so!
Can I substitute anything in this recipe?
Now, such an easy recipe as the peach ricotta crostini cannot be unchangeable. What if you have guests who follow a vegan diet? Or cannot eat gluten? Do you really want to deprive them of such goodness?
Or what if your guests do not like balsamic vinegar? Blasphemous, I know, but there are people who don’t, somehow. Well, let me tell you there is a solution to everything, and I am here to tell you all about it.
If you are attempting these peach ricotta crostini in a gluten-free version, I would strongly advise swapping the bread for some really good gluten-free crackers instead. There are some brilliant ones on the market, and we are yet to find some amazing gluten-free bread. And I don’t mean just any bread but like artisanal, crusty bread. So the best option would be crackers.
When it comes to catering and adjusting this same peach ricotta crostini for a vegan crowd, you might have to play a little harder. Start by checking the vegan section of your trusted supermarket for vegan ricotta or mascarpone. You need a cheese you can spread, but vegan. I am sure you will be able to find it, and that would be pretty much the only swap you really need to make here. Incredible, am I right? You can also use goat cheese instead, if ricotta cheese is not your thing.
And if you want to turn this recipe sweet, or just simply avoid balsamic vinegar… Well, you can switch that with a drizzle of good-quality honey! Swap the thyme for fresh basil and you’re ready to rock and roll that dessert table at your next family get-together.
Peach & Ricotta Crostini with Thyme and Balsamic Vinegar
Ingredients
- 2 baguettes
- 2-3 medium sized peaches
- 250 g fresh ricotta
- salt to taste
- 1 packet of fresh thyme
- balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Start by cutting the baguette side-wise, so that the slices are just slightly longer.
- Toast on the grill so that both sides are golden and set aside.
- Now prepare your peaches for grilling: slice them to 1cm thickness each and grill on both sides, until slightly charred on both sides.
- Grab the ricotta from the fridge and add salt to taste, then mix well and spread on each baguette slice.
- Top the ricotta with the peach slices, add the tyme sprigs and drizzle with balsamic vinegar.
Not only is this recipe for the peach ricotta crostini with thyme and balsamic vinegar so quick to make, but it’s also quite a healthy snack too! If you really fancy making the peach ricotta crostini, but have no bread or are allergic/intolerant to gluten, fear not! This will work great on crackers, too – just so you keep that crunch to the recipe itself! And how about turning the peach ricotta crostini into a peach salad instead? The fresh flavor works brilliantly for the summer season we’re about to embark into – think of it as a stone fruit caprese salad of sorts!
If you fancy making these peach ricotta crostini sweet – and serving them at the end of a BBQ or light dinner – omit the balsamic and swap it for honey! A quick drizzle can turn these peach ricotta crostini into a summer dessert! Need an extra crunchy layer? Dust with crushed pistachios for the most amazing sweet dish this summer. So versatile, it hurts my heart.
Shop the grilled peach crostini post
I have a couple of recommendations for this dish:
- don’t toast the bread slices too early, toast both sides of the bread just as you are ready to serve the peach ricotta crostini;
- the same goes for the peaches: grill them over medium-high heat just after the bread slices and they won’t go mushy;
- keep the ricotta as cold as you can, it will be a great contrast with the hot bread and peaches, then use a spoonful of ricotta for each slice of bread;
- we used a strong, aged balsamic which is a lot creamier than your average supermarket-bought one, it might be worth looking into if you enjoy balsamic vinegar. If not, a shaving of fresh lemon zest will make this summer appetizer perfect anyway!
You know we are obsessed with peaches – and one of our most-searched-for recipes here it’s the most amazing and simple to make peach curd or peach basil hand pies! If you are after something scrumptious to eat for a summer breakfast, look no further. It takes less than an hour to prep, does not need many ingredients, and will surprise everyone around you for sure! The best alternative to lemon curd, hands down my new favourite curd. For now! I am planning to try and make some summer fruits ones as well, will be scouring our local farmers’ market for sure.
Pin this peach ricotta crostini!
These sound absolutely awesome!
Oh wow, that looks delicious!! So yummy! <3
Lots of love,
Krissi of the marquise diamond
https://www.themarquisediamond.de/
This recipe sounds so tasty. I can’t wait to make them. Thank you for sharing.
I would never have thought to put peach with ricotta! This looks absolutely delicious. I like a peach. I will try in future very soon
Thank you Maria x
These look delicious! It never crossed my mind to add peach on a crostini but I can totally imagine it works. Thanks for sharing xx
It does indeed – thank you Jenny x
This looks absolutely delicious. I like ricotta. I’ll definitely be showing my fiancé this. We are always on the lookout for new and interesting dishes to try, and to add to our list of things that we really want to make. Thank you so much for this recipe.
Clementine xx
https://www.clemloves.co.uk
Awww thankyou Clementine! Hope you both love these x
This looks divine! I’m craving peaches now!! I can’t wait to give this a try at some point!
Hopefully soon Stephi!
I would never have thought to put peach with ricotta! Ever! But I do love crostini and they have an amazing gluten free crostini over here. I’m always looking for new lunch ideas so this is definitely on the list. Thanks for the introduction and recipe! x
Hope you enjoy them Vourneen xx
This recipe looks good, and I am a huge fan of ricotta! Thanks for sharing this, a must try recipe!
Thank you Natalie, hope you enjoy x
Oh wow! This honestly look divine! Would love to give this a go. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you so much Soffy x
We love making crostini. This looks delicious.
Thank you!
this reminds me of the Tiktok…
“balsamic vinaigrette…that’s a big word for Elmo” haha
oh another note though – this looks absolutely tasty!
I need to catch up on that TikTok! x
This looks absolutely incredible! I adore crostini!
Thank you Amie x
Yum! Being from Sicilian parents, this sounds amazing! Do you soak your peaches in wine by any chance? My parents and grandparents used to do that, dunk slices of peaches into their wine and eat them after a minute or two and then have the wine.
We didn’t for this – but that is a treat we do often when back home!!
Peaches always taste great and the crostini sounds like a great partner for them.
Thank you Jamie x
These look so good – you have shared some great photographs! This sounds like a delicious recipe to try! Thank you for sharing how to create this.
Lauren
Thank you Lauren x
Ah, this looks fantastic. I am in love. I love your picture, and the whole recipe. This combination is pure perfection. I am a huge fan of peach everything. ♡
Thank you Monica x
Okay so that is my mouth watering at 10.30am!!! Great recipe and I love the section on possible substitutes too.
Thank you Dorothy x
Please don’t hate me for my following confession: I don’t care for ricotta. Okay, now that that’s out in the open, I will say that I’d still give this recipe a go! Mostly because the combination of peach, thyme, balsamic, and a crunchy crostini sounds incredible! And while I might not *love* ricotta, I could see how a bit of that flavor alongside the others would be really great. Also, if I were to try it and not enjoy it, I could see swapping ricotta for goat cheese! I know that’s a good one with the other flavors as well, so maybe it would work out in the long-run, right? Excellent dish idea here!
I think goat cheese could work ohhhh so well here, Stephanie! Or mascarpone, if that’s more down your kind of cheese! And no offence whatsoever on the ricotta, please! x
This looks and sounds gorgeous. I must admit I didn’t know what crostini was but as I read on I had to giggle. I shall call my toast crostini from now on. 😂
yeah, make that toast sound fancy!
This looks so good, I haven’t tried to cook something using peach. I would love to try this recipe. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you Fransic x
Yum! They look absolutely delicious! You had me at Italian, ha ha. I never thought that peaches would go with ricotta, but they’re you go. I’d love to try these 🙂
Thank you Lindsay x
Your pictures are incredible. I love peaches, and this looks like a wonderful preparation. Yum!
Thank you so much Irene x
Thanks for sharing, this looks very yummy, perfect for a lazy lunch 🙂
Thank you Nic x
I can’t wait tp try this! This looks amazing!
xoxo
Lovely
http://www.mynameislovely.com
Thank you Lovely x
Oh my goodness this looks so delicious! I love peach and ricotta together!
Thank you for reading Charity x
These look so yummy and now I want to grill haha. I don’t think I’ve ever had grilled peaches, but now I want to try it!
They are so so yummy! x
Grilled Peaches on a bed of ricotta cheese is a great summer party idea. Thanks for sharing such a easy recipe.
Thank you for reading Kevin!
Wow! This sounds perfect 🙂 Super yummy, thanks for sharing.
Emma | http://www.lifeofemmax.co.uk
Thank you Emma xx
This looks amazing! I’ve pinned this as I’m excited to try it – I love peaches and grilling them makes them so flavorful it’s one of my favourites! Thanks for sharing this 🙂
Thank you Alex xx
Wow, this has my mouth watering! This looks and sounds absolutely delicious. I’ve never thought of putting these ingredients together but I’ll for sure be trying this recipe. Thanks for sharing Xo
Elle – ellegracedeveson.com
Aww thank you Elle xx
I love reading food recipes. I’m not the best cook myself and I love getting to learn how to cook foods I was not aware of. I don’t believe I have tried a meal link this before. Totally need to try it out.
This is so easy, you will be showing off I’m sure!
Now I understand what a crostini is… this sounds delicious! Although a few years ago, I’d not have gone anywhere near something with fruit and CHEESE? Like what? But honestly this sounds like heaven to me now! Such a unique dish x
Oh I am glad Jenny! The combo is delicious! x
I am not a fan of ricotta (or any cheeses) but this looks so tasty and would be a great starter for vegetarians at a dinner party!
I’m sure you could replace the ricotta with a good drizzle of olive oil!
Peach and ricotta is such a delicious combo and one of my favourites! Never tried it with a croissant though, sounds delish 😋
Oh yeah? I’m glad Anika x
I’m intrigued by this sounds interesting 🤔 will have to try
Thank you guys x
Looks so delicious and simple, never thought about
something like this..
Thank you x
Yum! This looks so good! I love peaches and I also love balsamic so I bet they go great together. I’m pinning to give it a try later. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you Samantha x
This looks incredible! I never thought of grilling peaches before, but now I’m definitely going to try it! Thank you for sharing this! 🙂
Thank you Melissa x
This is a lovely recipe! I love the sound of peach and ricotta together! x
Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk
Thank you Lucy x
This is amazing. I love your recipes ❤️ Thanks for sharing
Thank you x
Oh my gosh, this sounds amazing! The flavours sound so unique yet delicious! I’m always on the hunt for new creative dishes to try, I’ll have to give this one a go sometime x
Thank you Sophie x
Cool recipe! I’m not a huge fan of peaches but I haven’t tried them grilled. Might try this!
Thank you Tangela x
Wow, I didn’t know that peach and ricotta could go so well together! I have to try this out!
Thank you for reading x
This looks sooooooooo good!! I can’t wait to try it. Thanks for sharing!!
Thank you Tiffany x
Oh wow, this is perfect summer food – I’ve had basalmic on strawberries before but never tried it with peach. Cannot wait to try this now, yum, thank you for sharing! x
You’ll be amazed, Lisa x
This looks incredible! Definitely going to make this!😍
Thank you Kat x
Hi Simona
These sound absolutely awesome!
It could, of course, as you intimate, just be that everything sounds better in Italian. But I don’t think that is the reason. It’s the delicious ingredients and … a little bit of shared Grumpy Olive knowhow 🙂
Thank you Richie, you are always so so nice xx
This looks sooo good. I’ll definitely be saving this for when I want to cheat and have some gluten yummies even though I’m not supposed to lol
I’m sure you can try with gluten free bread or crackers! x
This sounds absolutely amazing — and perfect for summer! This is going on my fancy brunch list, I love it!
Thank you Molly x
Omg this looks delicious!! Definitely pinning this guy to try later. I’ve always loved the mix of flavors when combining cheese, fruit and balsamic. Awesome recipe!
Thank you Kelsey x
Omg I love the look of this meal, peach is one of my favourite ingredients! Thank you for sharing xx
Thank you Eleanor xx
This looks so so delicious, I need it in my life right now. Honestly your recipes are always so yummy xx
Thank you Della baby xx
Thank you for sharing such a amazing article I jist loved it all your post are amazing
Thank you x
I’ve never been a big fan of ricotta but I love the look of this mainly because of the peach? It looks like it would have an incredible texture
I’m sure you can remove the ricotta and replace it with some olive oil instead 🙂
That looks surprisingly good!
At first thought, I was unsure about this.
Now I wanna give it a try!
Thank you Amy x
I’m eating a peach as I read this and the need to go downstairs and douse it in balsamic is overwhelming. This sounds delicious for summer! All those flavours – yummy!
Rosie
Ohhhh yes to balsamic! x