Ricotta is mild enough to be a vehicle and interesting enough to stand on its own. The artichoke patè on top takes it somewhere else entirely: herbaceous, savory, a little grassy from the parsley and mint in the jar.
We started making this as a test while setting up an antipasto board at a dinner last spring. It stayed on the board. It is now the thing we put out first at almost every gathering, before the pasta, before the wine is properly open.
The technique is assembly, not cooking. Toast the bread, drain the ricotta briefly, spoon both layers. Ten minutes, one jar.
Set servings and units first. You can change them anytime.
Preheat the oven to 390°F with the convection setting on, or heat a grill pan over medium-high heat.
Arrange the bread rounds in a single layer on a baking sheet. Brush the tops lightly with olive oil.
Toast in the oven 8 to 10 minutes until golden and crisp, or grill 2 to 3 minutes per side. Watch them: they go from golden to burned quickly. Remove and let cool 2 minutes before topping.
While the bread toasts, rest the ricotta in a fine-mesh strainer for 10 minutes to drain excess whey. Season lightly with salt and pepper and stir until smooth.
Spoon a generous layer of ricotta onto each crostino, leaving a small border. About a heaped teaspoon per piece.
Spoon the artichoke patè over the ricotta. Do not stir the two together: the contrast between the white ricotta and the darker patè is part of the visual.
Finish with your choice of garnish: lemon zest brightens the plate, a mint leaf ties back to the patè, chili flakes add a small pop of heat.
Serve immediately. These do not hold: the bread softens within 10 minutes of being topped.
You made Crostini con Ricotta e Patè di Carciofi. Time to eat.
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Drain the ricotta. Fresh whole-milk ricotta releases whey as it sits, turning the crostino soggy within minutes. Ten minutes in a fine-mesh strainer fixes this. Also bring the artichoke patè to room temperature before spooning: cold patè is stiffer and tears the bread.
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