Roasted Beet & Yuzu Ponzu Crostini | Friday Night Bites

Happy Friday Peeps!  Life has been busy lately and trying to catch up on my blogging.  Recently my friend Jean from Lemon & Anchovies was kind enough to host a photography meet up at her lovely home.  I have long admired her photography skills and she generously offered to teach me some tricks of the trade.  I learned about shooting manual mode and all about adobe lightroom.  I must say that I was invigorated after spending the day together.

This post is the result of my inspirational day with Jean.  I even painted the board with hues of gray and white as my backdrop for this colorful crostini.

I recently began taking my food photos in my living room where I have a lot of natural light and I am really pleased with the results.  Prior to this new found photography location in my house, I set up a photo studio in the guest bedroom.  It worked fine for many years, but I am a person who consistently wants to perfect my craft.  My head is swimming with creative ideas for the blog and a future project that I am working on.

As many of you know, I simply adore a good crostini.  I was excited when I dreamed up this little delight and love the colors, variety of flavors and height.  It may look complicated, but trust me - super simple to assemble and make.

You can make the beets a day or two ahead of time which helps with the preparation time.  I bought the golden & red beets from the farmers market but you can also buy pre-done red beets from Trader Joe's if you want to save time.

ROASTED BEET & YUZU PONZU CROSTINI

Roasted Beets

3 Medium Golden Beets

3 Medium Red Beets

Olive Oil

Ponzu Yuzu

Trim both ends of the beets.  Set onto a baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil and gently rub over each beet.  Cook for 45 to 60 minutes with a 350 degree oven.  Check to see if the beets are cooked through by piercing with a sharp knife.  If it goes through smoothly, then the beets are done.  Remove from the oven and let cool.

Once cool, take a paring knife and remove the outer layer of peel.  Cut each beet into 1/4 inch slices then in half again.  

Place the red beets in a bowl and the golden beets in another bowl.  Drizzle the yuzu ponzu over each bowl of beets, about 2 tablespoons on each.  Lightly toss with a spoon and let rest.

Lemon Ricotta Spread

1 Cup Whole Milk Ricotta

Zest of One Lemon

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

Add the ricotta, lemon zest and juice to a bowl.  Whisk until slightly fluffy.  Set aside.

Grilled Crostini

Baguette

Olive oil

Salt

Slice 16 half inch pieces of the baguette.  Brush each side lightly with olive oil and season with a touch of salt.  Using a grill or grill pan, cook until you have medium dark grill marks on each side.  Set aside.

Crostini Ingredients

1/2 Cup thinly sliced Red Onion

1/2 Cup thinly sliced Fennel

1/4 Cup chopped Pistachios

1/2 Cup Micro Greens

Fleur de Sel

Assembly

Spread about a tablespoon of the lemon ricotta on each grilled piece of baguette.  Lay 2 red beet and 2 golden beet slices on each crostini.  Sprinkle with a touch of fleur de sel. Top with fennel and red onion.  Sprinkle a few pistachios on each then a touch of the micro greens for color.  Place onto a large platter and serve.