I’ve told you about DC’s vibrant food truck scene before, but one of my favorite trucks is Cirque Cuisine (UPDATE- RIP, Cirque). Its menu changes weekly, and all of its meals are really unique and interesting. Recently, I ordered these delicious crostini with ricotta, figs, and prosciutto. It was served over a fruity and fresh green salad, and it was the perfect lunch to eat in the grass in the middle of the day. I recreated that meal, replacing Cirque’s figs (likely a fig jam) with strawberry jam.  This meal is delicious and easy to make and perfect for summer.

To make it, stir together 1/4 cup of whole milk ricotta cheese with 1 tablespoon of strawberry jam or the jam of your choice. Just make sure that the jam has big chunks of fruit in it!

Slice some crusty bread, and drizzle it with olive oil. Put the bread on a baking sheet, and toast it under the broiler until it becomes golden and crisp.

Spread the bread with the ricotta mixture.

Then, top the bread with pieces of serrano ham (what I had in my fridge, left over from a picnic) or prosciutto. Tear the ham with your hands into bite-sized pieces, and put it on the bread in little piles rather then laid out flat. Prosciutto can be hard to bite through with your teeth, so the crostini will be easier to eat if you can get individual pieces in a single bite. Also, I topped the crostini with fresh basil in this picture, but it did NOT go. I thought basil would work with strawberries, ham, and cheese in an Italian theme, but I was wrong… and then I picked it all off.  Instead, serve the crostini with a bright salad for a sweet and savory meal.

The crostini certainly caught pretty Stella’s attention, or maybe that was just the ham. Regardless, it’s perfect picnic food- filling, delicious, and hand-held! I hope it brightens your summer outings.

Shopping list:

• Bread
• Olive oil
• Ricotta cheese, whole milk
• Chunky jam
• Prosciutto or serrano ham