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    Home » Recipes » Appetizer Recipes

    Garlicky Tomato, Ri(goat)ta Cheese, Thyme, Honey + Aged Balsamic Toast

    Modified: Feb 2, 2024 · Published: Feb 28, 2016 by Ashley

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    A colorful, sweet-yet-savory addition to any meal that's also perfect on its own as a light lunch.

    I picked up some fabulous goat milk ricotta from the Farmers Market last weekend. It was listed as Ri(goat)ta Cheese, which totally made me giggle, and I knew I needed it in my life!

    Garlicky Tomato, Ri(goat)ta Cheese, Thyme, Honey + Aged Balsamic Toast

    Aside from the fact that I love goat cheese, my (Italian) husband is lactose intolerant and ricotta is one of the cheeses that bothers his stomach more than others.

    So I knew he'd be in heaven with this gorgeousness!

    Garlicky Tomato, Ri(goat)ta Cheese, Thyme, Honey + Aged Balsamic Toast

    I picked up some beautiful bread that I wanted to make garlic bread with, but once I got this ri(goat)ta in my hands, I knew that I wanted to upgrade my toast game.

    And if you're looking for another fun goat cheese toast recipe, this goat cheese toast with honeyed citrus fruit is fantastic!

    One of my favorite ways to incorporate major flavor onto freshly toasted bread is to rub a garlic clove on it while it's still warm. I took some multicolored tomatoes and thinly sliced them and arranged them on top of that and dotted it with the cheese. I seasoned it with salt, pepper and fresh thyme leaves.

    A quick trip back into the broiler to meld the flavors and I was ready to dive in! I drizzled a bit of aged balsamic and honey on at the end to add a sweet-yet-savory finish to this gorgeous toast.

    Garlicky Tomato, Ri(goat)ta Cheese, Thyme, Honey + Aged Balsamic Toast

    And it.was.delicious. Oh man... I ate this as a meal on its own, but it would be a great appetizer for a larger meal, too. It definitely looks more complicated than it is.

    Print

    📖 Recipe

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    Sliced toast topped with tomato, cheese, thyme, honey, and aged balsamic with a honey dipper alongside.

    Garlicky Tomato, Ri(goat)ta Cheese, Thyme, Honey + Aged Balsamic Toast

    5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star No reviews
    • Author: Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen - Ashley Covelli
    • Prep Time: 5 minutes
    • Cook Time: 10 minutes
    • Total Time: 15 minutes
    • Yield: 4-6 appetizer servings or 2 lunch servings 1x
    • Category: Appetizer
    • Method: Oven
    • Cuisine: Italian
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    Description

    A colorful, sweet-yet-savory addition to any meal that's also perfect on its own as a light lunch.


    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 1 loaf crusty bread, such as a demi-baguette
    • 2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
    • 1 whole clove garlic, peeled
    • 8-10 grape tomatoes (preferably multi-colored), thinly sliced
    • Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
    • 3-4 fresh thyme sprigs, leaves stripped
    • ⅓ - ½ cup goat's milk ricotta cheese (or regular ricotta)
    • ¼ cup honey
    • ¼ cup aged balsamic

    Instructions

    1. Preheat broiler to high.
    2. Cut bread in half horizontally. Brush the cut sides with oil and place on a baking sheet. Broil until lightly golden and remove from the oven to cool slightly.
    3. While the bread is still warm, slice off the tip of the garlic clove. Rub the cut end all over the toasted surface of the cut side of each piece of bread. Cover each piece of bread with a single layer of tomato slices and top with dollops of ricotta. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with thyme. Place back in the broiler and cook until the cheese starts to brown a bit on top.
    4. Remove from the oven onto a large cutting board and drizzle each piece of bread with honey and aged balsamic.

    Nutrition

    • Serving Size:
    • Calories: 303
    • Sugar: 23.5 g
    • Sodium: 326.1 mg
    • Fat: 10.2 g
    • Saturated Fat: 2.4 g
    • Carbohydrates: 47.5 g
    • Fiber: 2.1 g
    • Protein: 7.4 g
    • Cholesterol: 6.4 mg

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Allie R Taylor

      February 29, 2016 at 4:22 pm

      Gorgeous toast Ashley! I love everything about it, especially the goat cheese!

      Reply
    2. Liz Thomson

      March 02, 2016 at 8:37 am

      What a fun combination!!! I love goat cheese! 🙂

      Reply

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    Hi, I'm Ashley and I’ve been writing about food & recipes here at Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen since 2006. I want to help you (yes, you!) gain confidence in the kitchen so you are excited to cook at home for yourself and your loved ones.

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