After Ellie goes to bed, sometimes I whip up a little adult appetizer. I’m telling you this in confidence. No one should mention it to Ellie. If she finds out what we’re doing, she may never go to sleep.

The night we made calzones, I whipped up this simple dish while Keegan put Ellie to bed. It doesn’t get much easier or pretty than toasted bread layered with figs, ricotta and honey.

When I was testing the recipe, I had a few ideas of how it could work. So, for you, we tried it four ways. It was pretty awesome. One option was savory with black pepper and the other three were sweet. Keegan and I were split over which was best, so I thought I’d share all of the delicious options with you. You don’t mind, do you?

Ricotta & Fig Crostini

Ingredients:

4 slices of bread (french bread would work or anything you love from your favorite bakery)

1/4 c. ricotta

4 figs, quartered

1-2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

– Options –

1. Cracked black pepper

2. 1/2 tsp. brown sugar

3. Honey

Directions:

Preheat the broiler to Lo. Spread 4 slices of bread with extra virgin olive oil. Add them to a baking sheet and toast for about four minutes or until golden.

Pull the toasts out of the oven. Spread on a bit of ricotta. Add the quartered figs. Then, top with one of these combinations:

1. Freshly, cracked black pepper

2. Brown sugar

3. Or, leave plain

Put the slices back under the broiler for 8 to 10 minutes. Then, pull them out of the oven when the ricotta has heated and the brown sugar, if using, has melted.

Remove to a plate and top with a light drizzle of honey.*

*If you’re using the brown sugar, you may omit this step. I found it was pretty sweet with honey and brown sugar, but Keegan really liked this version, so I’ll leave it up to you. Just so you know, it works either way.