You can’t beat a piece of toast sometimes, but rather than reach for the peanut butter and jam, why not try Persian food writer Sabrina Ghayour’s slightly fancier ricotta and fig toasts topped with candied chilli bacon.
They make for a decadent brunch, comforting late-night snack, and if you halved the slices, could become great pre-dinner snacks for party guests. Tuck in.
Whipped ricotta and fig toasts
Equipment
- Large frying pan
- Plate
- Small bowl
- Large bowl
Ingredients
- 200 g thick-cut unsmoked streaky bacon (approximately 14 slices)
- 1 tbsp pul biber chilli flakes plus extra to serve (available online, or use standard chilli flakes)
- 4 tbsp clear honey
- 200 g ricotta cheese
- 1 tsp dried thyme plus extra to serve
- 1 unwaxed orange zest
- 4 large slices of sourdough bread
- 4 figs each cut into 5-6 segments
- maldon sea salt flakes
- freshly ground black pepper
Method
- Heat a large frying pan over a high heat. Line a plate with a double layer of kitchen paper. When the frying pan is hot, add the bacon and dry-fry for a few minutes on each side, until the fat has rendered and the bacon is golden brown, completely crisp and can be crumbled with ease. Transfer to the paper-lined plate to drain excess oil.
- When the bacon is dry, crumble it into a small bowl and crush it finely with a fork. Mix in the pul biber and honey and set aside.
- Put the ricotta, dried thyme and orange zest into a large bowl, season generously with salt and pepper and whip until smooth and a little aerated.
- Toast the bread, then divide the ricotta mixture between the slices. Reserve a little of the bacon mixture for sprinkling, then divide the remaining mixture into four portions and spoon one portion over the ricotta on each slice of bread. Arrange the fig slices on top, then sprinkle over the reserved bacon and a little dried thyme and pul biber to serve.
Nutrition
Feasts by Sabrina Ghayour is published by Mitchell Beazley (www.octopusbooks.co.uk). Photography Kirk Kirkham.
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