Festive cranberry & prosciutto ricotta toast for the holiday season! Slices of bread toasted in olive oil, topped with creamy ricotta cheese that’s been flavored with honey and fresh sage, spiced cranberry jam, and salty prosciutto. You could eat this as a sweet and savory breakfast or appetizer!
cranberry & prosciutto ricotta toast – the details
I’ve been making a version of this cranberry & prosciutto ricotta toast for years now and finally shared it on the blog in the spring. Typically, I’ll make the toast using strawberry jam…and if you’re wanting this to be extremely quick and easy, you can definitely just use that (cherry would be great as well).
But, if you’re going for a more festive toast, I made this cranberry version using a homemade spiced cranberry jam. Fresh cranberries are combined with brown sugar, cinnamon sticks, star anise, fennel seeds, and lots of lemon. They’re cooked for just about 15-20 minutes until burst and jammy.
Usually a jam would take much longer to simmer away, so this is somewhat of a “quick jam”. The result is sweet, slightly tangy cranberries that have such a festive aroma.
For another holiday touch, I mixed fresh sage and honey into the ricotta cheese. This is the base that gets slathered on top of toasted bread (use a fresh bread for this, something like a sourdough or Italian loaf).
Layer on the jam and finally…the prosciutto. This is the savory, salty element that really completes the toast in just the perfect way. Drizzle them with olive oil and sprinkle a little lemon zest over top for another special touch.
These cranberry & prosciutto ricotta toast would be such a great breakfast, snack, or appetizer anytime all season long!
PrintCranberry & Prosciutto Ricotta Toast
toasted bread with creamy ricotta cheese, homemade cranberry jam, and prosciutto
yield: 8 larger toasts or 16 smaller toasts
Ingredients
- 12 oz fresh cranberries
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup water
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 star anise pod
- ½ tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp lemon zest, plus more for topping
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- kosher salt
- olive oil
- 8 large slices crusty fresh bread (sourdough, italian, etc.), sliced ¾” thick
- 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh sage
- freshly cracked black pepper
- 4 oz thinly sliced prosciutto
Instructions
- Add the cranberries, brown sugar, water, cinnamon sticks, star anise, fennel seeds, lemon zest, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt to a 2qt saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil. Stir well and boil for 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 10 minutes or so, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is jam-like. Turn off the heat and let cool.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add enough olive oil to generously coat the bottom. Once hot, work in batches to toast the bread, about 1 minute per side, adding more olive oil as needed. Watch the heat and adjust if needed. Transfer the bread to a sheet pan and season with a pinch of salt.
- Combine the ricotta cheese, honey, sage, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a mixing bowl. Whisk until smooth. Season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste.
- Spread the ricotta onto the toast. Dollop the cranberry jam and arrange the prosciutto over top. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil, more black pepper, and a pinch of lemon zest.
This was a huge hit at Christmas- I did crisp up the prosciutto under the broiler for a few minutes and though it was heaven!
Would this be good if you made the prosciutto crispy in the over first?