With a recipe like this with only a few simple ingredients it is so important to make sure each ingredient is fresh and high quality. Hence the homemade apple sauce. Pick your fav apples as long as they are fresh and Juicy. I chose Honey Crisps because their intense sweetness means I don't have to add any sugar to my apple sauce. For the ricotta cheese I like the kind that my Italian grocer sells in the tin container. It has a fresh dairy taste and contains no Guar gum or other artificial thickeners. There are many choices for honey if you don't have a favorite then choose by quality (stay away from the grocery store bears!). I chose Beechworth brand honey from Australia. As for the bread, find a good bakery and choose according to your taste. The cranberry walnut bread added a nice sweetness to the dish but certainly a rustic oatmeal or sprouted wheat would also work well.
Apple Ricotta Toast
4 cups chopped honey crisp apples (about 4 large apples) Reserve about 8 thin slices for the toast.
¼ -1/2 cup apple cider
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup good quality ricotta cheese ( I like the one that comes in the metal tin)
the zest of a small lemon
juice from half a lemon
1 loaf of rustic bread ( I used Cranberry walnut)
2 pats of butter
3 tablespoons of your favorite honey
Pumpkin seeds (or nuts of your choice)
Dried cranberries (Optional or substitute raisins or other dried fruit)
Directions
Make the apple sauce
Peel core and slice the apples in 8ths, Add 1/4 cup cider to a sauce pan and stir in the apples and set the heat to medium. Stir occasionally and add more cider if needed (some apples release more juice than others) remove from heat when apples are tender. Stir in the cinnamon and mash the apples to your desired consistency. Set aside to cool.
Prepare the cheese
Put the ricotta cheese and the lemon juice in a food processor or blender or use a stick blender in a bowl to blend the cheese until it is very smooth. Stir in the zest.
Assemble the toast
Spread the butter on the bread and toast.
Spread ricotta cheese on the toasted bread. Top with apple sauce and apple slices. Sprinkle the seeds and cranberries over the apple slices. Drizzle honey all over the top.