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Chef Linda
Linda Soper-Kolton, Chef, came to the Sanctuary as a guest chef to share her love of compassionate cooking in our then-fledgling culinary program. Lured by the magic of the Sanctuary, her love of animals and the urgency of our mission, Linda stayed on to lead and grow the culinary program, inspiring and educating with love, patience, and delicious food.
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Roasted Grape & Cashew Ricotta Crostini

By Chef Linda

When I roasted grapes for a recent Compassionate Cuisine cooking class, people were taken aback. Roasted grapes? What? You can't do that! Yes we can…and we should! When you're looking for some finger food that is a step above hummus and pita bread for entertaining, this is a delicious and unusual pairing that presents beautifully and is simple to prepare.

A little olive oil and coarse sea salt transforms these sweet treats into a more sophisticated, grown up version of what comes right off the vine. Placing them atop toasted crostini with cashew ricotta cheese provides a delightful combination of salty, sweet, soft and crunchy. I added roasted pumpkin to our regular cashew ricotta cheese to highlight colors and flavors of the fall, but you can omit if you prefer.

Ingredients

 2 cups red and green seedless grapes
Olive oil
 Coarse salt
 1 medium baguette
 1 ½ cups raw, unsalted cashews, soaked in water for several hours or overnight
 1 large cloves garlic, peeled
 Juice of one large lemon, about 3-4 tablespoons
 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
 1 teaspoon onion powder
 ½ teaspoon salt
 2 tablespoons roasted orange squash or pumpkin (use canned if you prefer), optional
 ½ cup water
 Leaves from a few sprigs of fresh thyme

Directions

1

Preheat oven to 400F and line a baking tray with parchment paper. Wash and cut grapes in half lengthwise and place in a small bowl. Drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with coarse salt. Spread grapes on baking tray and place tray in the oven for about 10 to 12 minutes. Grapes should get a little wrinkly and slightly browned along the edges and top of the skin. Remove from oven and let cool.

Drain and rinse the cashews. Place them in a food processor with garlic, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, onion powder, pumpkin and salt. Turn on food processor and through the opening at the top, slowly pour in about half of the water. Scrape down the sides and blend again, adding a little more water until there’s just enough to bring all the ingredients together. Blend several minutes until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings.

You can make thick or thin crostini slices. Pictured above, our slices are about an inch thick. Slice thinner if you prefer. Lay slices on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and roast at 400F until the bread begins to brown slightly, about 5 minutes. Flip slices over and put back in oven for several minutes more then remove from oven and cool slightly.

Place a heaping teaspoon of cashew ricotta on each slice of bread. Top with several grapes and repeat. Arrange on plate and sprinkle with fresh thyme.

Roasted Grape & Cashew Ricotta Crostini
IngredientsDirections

Roasted Grape & Cashew Ricotta Crostini

DifficultyEasyCook Time20 mins
YIELDS
12 to 15 pieces

INGREDIENTS

 2 cups red and green seedless grapes
Olive oil
 Coarse salt
 1 medium baguette
 1 ½ cups raw, unsalted cashews, soaked in water for several hours or overnight
 1 large cloves garlic, peeled
 Juice of one large lemon, about 3-4 tablespoons
 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
 1 teaspoon onion powder
 ½ teaspoon salt
 2 tablespoons roasted orange squash or pumpkin (use canned if you prefer), optional
 ½ cup water
 Leaves from a few sprigs of fresh thyme

DIRECTIONS

1

Preheat oven to 400F and line a baking tray with parchment paper. Wash and cut grapes in half lengthwise and place in a small bowl. Drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with coarse salt. Spread grapes on baking tray and place tray in the oven for about 10 to 12 minutes. Grapes should get a little wrinkly and slightly browned along the edges and top of the skin. Remove from oven and let cool.

Drain and rinse the cashews. Place them in a food processor with garlic, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, onion powder, pumpkin and salt. Turn on food processor and through the opening at the top, slowly pour in about half of the water. Scrape down the sides and blend again, adding a little more water until there’s just enough to bring all the ingredients together. Blend several minutes until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings.

You can make thick or thin crostini slices. Pictured above, our slices are about an inch thick. Slice thinner if you prefer. Lay slices on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and roast at 400F until the bread begins to brown slightly, about 5 minutes. Flip slices over and put back in oven for several minutes more then remove from oven and cool slightly.

Place a heaping teaspoon of cashew ricotta on each slice of bread. Top with several grapes and repeat. Arrange on plate and sprinkle with fresh thyme.

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