triple fig crostini (with fig leaves)

these triple fig crostini might be one of the prettiest little bites i’ve made. crisp crostini with squiggles of whipped ricotta, bright green fig leaf oil, a slice of fresh fig, and a tiny pinch of homemade fig leaf salt. fig three ways!!! it got so many compliments because 1) i think they’re creative and fun and 2) introduces many people to a new ingredient — fig leaves!

if you’ve never cooked with fig leaves before, their flavor is so surprising! they have this coconutty, almost pandan-like fragrance that comes through really well when the leaves are dried and ground into a powder. in the fig leaf salt, you get the sweet, coconut note immediately. in the infused oil it tastes a little different, a hint of that coconut but with also a grassy undertone to it.

i made the whipped ricotta, fig leaf oil, and fig leaf salt the day before, then all i had to do before the party was toast the baguette and assemble everything.

i used

for the crostini

• 1 baguette, sliced
• olive oil, for brushing
• fresh figs, thinly sliced

for the whipped ricotta

• 1 cup whole milk ricotta
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• pinch of salt

for the fig leaf oil

• 3 fresh fig leaves
• avocado or mild olive oil, using about a 1:4 ratio of fig leaves to oil by weight

for the fig leaf salt

• 2 fresh fig leaves
• 1 tbsp flaky sea salt

to make triple fig crostini

• the fig leaf oil: wash the fig leaves, then quickly blanch them in boiling water for 30 seconds and transfer straight into ice water. squeeze out as much water as possible. blend the leaves with oil at roughly a 1:4 ratio until the leaves are completely broken down and the oil is a beautiful bright green. strain through a fine-mesh strainer and refrigerate until you’re ready to use it. 3 fig leaves were 20g in weight and i blended with 80g avocado oil.
• fig leaf salt: dry the fig leaves in a 130F oven for about 90 minutes, or until completely dry and crisp but not browned. let cool slightly, then grind the dried leaves into a fine powder in a spice grinder, and mix with flaky salt. this is where that coconut-pandan fig leaf flavor really comes through.
• whipped ricotta: add the ricotta, olive oil, and a pinch of salt to a food processor and whip until smooth, creamy, and airy. transfer to a piping bag and refrigerate.
• when you’re ready to serve: drizzle baguette slices with olive oil and toast until crispy and lightly golden, ~6 minutes at 420F. let them cool before topping so the ricotta doesn’t melt.
• to assemble: place the whipped ricotta in a piping bag and pipe large squiggles over each baguette slice. drizzle with a little fig leaf oil, add a slice of fresh fig, and finish with a pinch of fig leaf salt. assemble these close to serving time so they stay crisp!