This is SO not what you think. A ricotta jam jar?
I mean, what is it?
I’ll tell you what it is.
It’s not just jam. It’s like a snack in jar. It’s a ricotta jam jar snack!
MY OTHER RECIPESCreamy ricotta. Topped with a light layer of pesto. Topped with a quick tomato jam. The perfect combination of sweet and savory. Eaten with crunchy, salted toasted baguette slices.
Yes, that’s what it is. An amazing snack (or heck, the way we’ve been eating it, a meal) in a jar. One you can make for an appetizer or take to a party and it’s to die for. Seriously!
And yep, this is weird, because I shared salads in a jar on Friday. Completely unintentional and unrelated. But I mean, quite serendipitous if you happen to be buying jars!
So here’s something wild. This is also the second recipe in one week that I’m sharing based on an experience at Nordstrom café. HA!
Either I need to get out more or… I just keep ordering the right things off of the menu. Why are their meals so good?
This very rarely happens, but I had this on Friday afternoon, tested it on Saturday and am sharing it today. I bumped a cider pork chop recipe just FOR THIS.
Because it.is.life.
It may very well be in the top ten of snacks I’ve tasted. EVER.
This was on the specials page when we ate at Nordstrom Café on Friday afternoon and Lacy was like, we HAVE TO GET IT. It was unreal. And once we started eating it, I soon realized that I had all of the components on my blog, like all of the recipes already written and tested, to throw it together and make a dream come true.
Yeah, I’m kind of cheating. This isn’t rocket science here and I basically combined a bunch of recipes I already have to layer together this delicious jar. But you have to try it.
Because holy cow. This tastes like heaven.
Also. Can you believe it’s the last week of summer? I can and I can’t, which I’m sure you have gathered considering I’ve written that sentence like 14 times in the last two weeks. To celebrate the end of this season, I had to share this fabulous mess TODAY so you can use your garden haul.
All the juicy, perfect tomatoes.
The piles of basil that you probably had piled up for pesto anyway.
And ricotta cheese, whipped and smooth and creamy. Practically soft serve.
Oh and bread. Because, duh.
Another thing. And don’t slap me when I say this.
But this is going to be my holiday appetizer. Oh heck yes, it is. It’s red, green and white!
This recipe does double duty.
It’s easy. Perfect for the holidays. You can still buy basil for pesto or buy it jarred in the winter. You can make the tomato jam ahead of time. Assemble and serve and appear all fancy because of this app in a jar.
However. It’s delicious and perfect for right now, because all of the ingredients are peaking in season and they are ripe and taste their best.
THIS is the best way to live up the end of the summer, if I do say so.
Ricotta and Tomato Jam Jar
Ingredients:
for each jar
- 1 baguette, sliced
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- pinch of sea salt
- sprinkle of garlic powder
- 1/3 to 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
- 3 to 4 tablespoons pesto
- 1/4 cup quick tomato jam
- a hand of fresh herbs (basil or oregano)
quick tomato jam
- 1 1/2 cups whole cherry tomatoes
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
pesto
- 4 cups fresh basil
- 1/2 cup asiago cheese
- 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Directions:
As a note, of course you can just use store-bought everything! I included all the recipes for my favorites above, but if you only have time to grab store bought ingredients, it still tastes good.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Slice a baguette into thin slices. Place the slices on a baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with the salt and garlic powder. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until golden and crunchy.
While the baguette is toasting, place the ricotta cheese in a food processor and blend until creamy and smooth. Scoop it into a jar. I like to use these .25 liter weck jars.
Add the pesto on top. Add the tomato jam (make sure it is cool) on top of that. Sprinkle with fresh herbs. Serve with the toasts! DEVOUR.
quick tomato jam
Heat a saucepan over medium heat and add the tomatoes, garlic, sugar, lime juice and vinegar. Stir often, cooking until the tomatoes begin to burst. Continue to cook as the mixture bubbles and the tomatoes break down, using a wooden spoon to break them apart if needed, about 10 to 15 minutes.
If you want the mixture to stay chunk, keep it as it. If you want it smooth, carefully transfer it to a food processor or blender. Blend until pureed. Pour into a jar and let sit at room temperature until the mixture cools completely. It will thicken more as it cools. Once cool, store in a sealed container in the fridge.
pesto
To make the pesto, combine the basil, cheese, pine nuts and garlic in a food processor. Pulse until small crumbs remain, and then with the processor running, stream in the olive oil. Start with the 1/2 cup and add the extra if needed to reach the desired consistency. Add the salt, pepper and pepper flakes and blend again. Taste and season additionally if needed.
As a note, to toast the pine nuts, I add mine to a skillet and heat over low heat. I shake and stir until the are golden and fragrant, about 5 minutes.
All images and text ©.
Seriously, I don’t know what I even did before a ricotta jam jar.
