Whipped Blueberry Honey Ricotta Toast

Toasted bread topped with lightly  honey sweetened ricotta, whipped and piped on top. Sprinkled with fresh seasonal blueberries and bee pollen.

Some foods from your travels stick with you. And I mean that in the best of ways, not the "I-ate-food-cooked-in-the-ground-food-borne-illness" way.  When we went to Copenhagen last summer, there was a blueberry toast that made a lasting impact. We tucked the idea away to bring out when seasonal blueberries were available. So the time is now to make blueberry ricotta toast and boy is it worth the wait. Nothing kills a simple dish like out of season, flavorless produce. 

For the bread, you make the call on what kind you use. I wanted a heartier bread that would hold up to the ricotta (talk about disappointing when you're expecting toast and the bread goes all squishy). This bread had a bit of funk to it- not quite a sourdough, but close to it. Pick something that will also support the weight of the whipped ricotta and won't go through air pockets in the bread/down your shirt. Honestly, go to the farmers market or bakery and buy what looks and smells good. 

As for the ricotta....this is truly the best part of the bread. I mean the blueberries are great- (Executes a 10/10 dietitian back peddle) -but the thing you'll pull most from this recipe is the whipped honey ricotta. It's lightly sweetened with manuka honey and the texture is like light pastry cream. Blended with neufchatel cheese for a bit of tang, all it takes is a quick run through an immersion blender to get the texture you're looking for. Could you do this in a bowl with a spoon? Sure. Probably. But it's going to take more time and I'm not sure how great your arm strength is, but have at it. 

Toppings beyond the blueberries are minimal. I like thyme from the yard to make it earthier but if you happen to grow the lemon thyme variety, that'd be even better. There's also bee pollen because we used honey and I had it in the cabinet. You know how much I like to make sure product gets used efficiently. There is a nutrition aspect to it as well. You can read in this chocolate bark recipe, bee pollen has some great superfood qualities.  

Whipped Blueberry Honey Ricotta Toast 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup whole milk ricotta
• 2 oz neufchâtel cheese (reduced fat cream cheese)
• 2 Tablespoons skim milk
• 1 Tablespoon high quality honey ( I used Wedderspoon Manuka honey)
• 1/2 Tablespoon bee pollen
• about 2 cups blueberries
• a few sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 2 slices of bread (your choice but something hearty that can withstand a thick spread)

DIRECTIONS

1. To make whipped ricotta: add whole milk ricotta, neufchâtel cheese, honey and skim milk to a bowl or immersion blender vessel. With an immersion blender, blend until smooth and stable. You should be able to pipe it through a piping bag easily. Adjust with milk to loosen or additional ricotta to thicken the consistency. 
2. Toast bread.
3. Pipe toast with ricotta or add dollops and spread with a spoon.
4. Top with blueberries.
5. Sprinkle with bee pollen.
6. Add thyme.
7. Add lemon zest.