Shrimp & Apricot Crostini

This appetizer has gotten some serious camera time this summer. Truly a recipe that came out of tinkering one afternoon with some complimentary flavors, it became a featured course at this summers widely successful Farm to Peak dinner at Homewood Mountain Resort. I served it as an Amuse during the 5 course plated meal, and it went over extremely well with the guests. I really enjoy making and mostly eating this bite. The shrimp and apricots play very well together, and when complimented with a creamy, herby cheese spread it just becomes incredible. Where things get a bit playful is in the ricotta spread. The original thought came from mixing a small bit of cilantro oil into some ricotta. That then grew to contain Shiso leaves as well as lemon zest. Not only does the ricotta taste amazing, it has a lovely light green tint that helps make for a visually appealing dish.

I was fortunate enough to have the extremely talented Shea Evans on hand to photograph this dish, as well as others. Check out our photo shoot on his site!