Bruschetta with Roasted Garlic and Ricotta Dip
Makes 8 to 12 servings
Roasted Garlic Dip
1 large head garlic, with firm, plump cloves
2 TBS plus 1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Bruschetta
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 large garlic cloves, crushed under a knife and peeled 1 long loaf
crusty Italian or French bread,cut into 1/4-inch thick slices (slice on
diagonal to get larger pieces, if you wish, or cut large pieces in half)
• To make the dip, preheat the oven to 400F.
• Cut the garlic in half through its equator, keeping the head as intact as possible - do not peel the garlic.
• Drizzle the cut surfaces with 1 teaspoon oil, and season with a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
• Put the two halves back together to reform the garlic head.
• Wrap tightly in plastic wrap.
• Bake until the garlic is tender and the cloves have turned golden beige, 35 to 45 minutes.
• Unwrap the garlic and cool completely.
• Squeeze the garlic pulp out of the hulls into a small bowl, discarding the hulls.
• Using a fork, mash the garlic pulp until smooth.
• Stir in the ricotta and Parmesan cheeses, and the remaining 2 tablespoons oil, adding more oil if needed to get reach a dipping consistency.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Let stand for 30 minutes at room temp to blend the flavors. (The dip can be prepared 1 day ahead, covered and refrigerated.Remove from the refrigerator before serving.)
• To make the bruschetta, in a small saucepan, heat the oil and garlic over very low heat until small bubbles appear around the garlic, about 10 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and cool.
• Remove the garlic cloves.
• Build a charcoal fire in an outdoor grill and let burn until the charcoal is
• covered with white ash. (Or preheat a gas grill on High.)
• Drizzle the bread slices with the oil.
• Grill, turning once, until lightly toasted, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Serve the bruschetta with the dip.
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