Ricotta Cheese Platter

Shared messy appetizers are great, piling different flavor combinations on every inch of bread is the best part! But my favorite is ricotta cheese, buttered corn and basil, just delicious! I've been obsessed with corn lately! Grilling the corn in their husks till burnt to later reveal steamy creamy yellow kernels of sweetness has been my thing! Eating the corn row by row as a kid, finding odd satisfaction in a clean bare cob.( I still do it now lol) It comes out perfectly clean. I wish I brought that same precision to house cleaning. lol So at first glance the corn looks a little out of place, but when combined with smooth cool ricotta cheese it becomes truly craveable!

• 1 1/2 cups part-skim ricotta cheese
• a half a cup of fresh "cherry size" mozzarella (ciliegine), halved
• 6 good small tomatoes, quartered
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil, plus more for drizzling.
• 4-6 slices good sliced bread
• a few slices prosciutto, each slice cut in half and rolled up
• 1 ear of corn
• a pat of unsalted butter
• a few basil leaves
• a little lemon zest
• fresh ground pepper

In a non-stick pan heat the olive oil and garlic on low heat until beginning to brown. Add into the pan your tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes, increase the heat to medium and saute for another 10 minutes, stirring often until the liquid evaporates and you end up with a thick tomato sauce, set aside. Bring a pot of water to a boil and add your ear of corn and simmer for 10 minutes, once cooled, with care, take a sharp knife and slowly run it down the length of the corn removing the kernels. In another non-stick pan heat the butter until sizzling and add the corn, a little sea salt and a minced basil leaf. Saute until lightly browned and set aside. Take your bread slices and drizzle them lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with a little salt and throw them on the grill, flipping after a few minutes. Combine the ricotta cheese, lemon zest and ground pepper. Begin assembling your platter! Spread your ricotta cheese in the center and surround with the tomato sauce, corn, halved mozzarella, grilled bread slices, prosciutto, a few chopped basil leaves and finish it off with a drizzle of olive oil and  fresh ground pepper on the cheeses. Enjoy!