Pea Bruschetta with Lemon & Mint

pea bruschetta with lemon and mint

My friend Elaine isn’t in town that often, but when she is, we do our darndest to schedule lunch, as well dinner with our boys. A new restaurant opened in the cute little nearby suburb of Excelsior recently, and it sounded like a perfect place for a summer al fresco dinner with our dear friends. And when I checked out the menu beforehand, I knew I’d be ordering their Pea Bruschetta appetizer.

We soak up every second of summer here in Minnesota – schedules {and productivity} go out the window if a beautiful day is forecast. And dining outside – tolerable on the few days a year when the temperature is perfect and the breeze is enough to keep mosquitos away {yet not too bold to require battening down the hatches} is a perfect way to end a perfect day.

Our entire dinner at the recently opened Coalition was terrific – but I was in love with these little morsels that we devoured while attempting to catch up. So much so that I wanted to go back and have them again so I could figure out how to make them at home.

Elaine was more than willing to join me on this “research project.” So a few days later, she met me for lunch. Another perfect day, another table outside.

By the way, “Lunch with Elaine” can easily turn into “Dinner with Elaine.” As I mentioned, she’s not in town that much – she and Rog travel extensively. I join her vicariously through her smart and hilarious blog “Notes from a Broad.” {And Elaine, by referring to your blog here, my goal is to nudge you to keep posting!} Between filling me in on the inevitable “rest of the story” – that she doesn’t {or shouldn’t} include in her blog posts, and just generally catching up on “life,” we usually lose track of time!

I think we successfully analyzed the ingredients in the Pea Bruschetta. They make a perfect light appetizer, and are delicious when paired with a glass of crisp white wine. Outside. In the summer. With a dear friend.

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Pea Bruschetta with Lemon & Mint
 
Ingredients
  • 1 baguette, sliced
  • olive oil
  • 1½ cups frozen peas
  • ¾ cup edamame {shelled}
  • 15 ounces ricotta cheese
  • Zest of 1 lemon + 1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
  • 1 Tbs. chopped fresh mint
  • 2 tsp. honey, plus additional for drizzling
  • salt & pepper
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350º.
  2. Brush baguette slices with olive oil and place on baking sheet. Bake until just crisp, about 13-15 minutes.
  3. Blanch peas and edamame together in small saucepan of boiling water for about 3 minutes. Immediately drain and rinse with cold water.
  4. In medium bowl, mix together ricotta, lemon zest, juice, mint and honey. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  5. Spread ricotta mixture on baguette slices. Top each baguette with about a tablespoon of the pea / edamame mixture. Drizzle bruschetta with a little honey, and cracked black pepper.

I found these tiny little pre-baked crostini in the deli section of my favorite grocery store – they’re great when you’re pressed for time. When using a baguette, I prefer whole-wheat. If you’re looking to cut down on carbs, consider substituting cucumber rounds for the bread.

Pea Bruschetta Mini Toasts copy

 

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