cherries are in season, so i made this fantastic appetizer for a client of mine to take on vacation. it's fresh, clean, simple, healthy, and light. i must admit, it's a bit time consuming, but hang in there and reap the end results! the simple ingredients work so well together. it's a crostini with a goat cheese and ricotta spread, with a cherry, jicama, and mint relish on top. start by dicing 2 cups of fresh cherries - this is what gets you. you have to cut the fruit away from the pit and then dice into smaller pieces. put on some music and just get into it! dice 1 cup of jicama. make sure to dice the cherries and jicama about the same size. chop some mint, add 1 teaspoon of red wine vinegar and mix together. season with salt and pepper. in another bowl, add 4oz. of goat cheese and 4oz. of ricotta, a pinch of cayenne and blend together. toast 1/2 inch baguette slices. i like to cut my baguette on an angle, looks better and it makes for a bigger area to top everything on. spread the cheese mixture on top of the baguette and top with the relish. that's it. the colors are so gorgeous. and the sweetness from the cherries with the crunch from the jicama, paired with the tanginess from the goat cheese is out of this world. take this to your fourth of july party and please all that's there.
