Sweet Citrus. Creamy Tang. Slow Burn. Zero Rules. Cold whipped ricotta, jewel-toned blood orange, and chili crisp oil that arrives last and makes everything dangerous — the crostini that breaks every breakfast rule and improves every brunch table.

 

🧾 INGREDIENTS

🍞 Crostini Base

1 sourdough loaf, sliced 2cm / ¾ inch thick on a

diagonal

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

½ tsp flaky sea salt

½ tsp garlic powder

🧀 Whipped Ricotta

300g / 1¼ cups full-fat ricotta, drained overnight

80g / ⅓ cup full-fat cream cheese, softened

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

½ tsp lemon zest

½ tsp flaky sea salt

Cracked white pepper

🍊 Blood Orange

3 blood oranges, peeled and sliced into thin rounds

(3mm / ⅛ inch)

1 tsp raw honey

Pinch of flaky sea salt

🌶️ Chili Crisp

4 tbsp good quality chili crisp oil (store-bought or

homemade)

(homemade option below)

🌶️ Quick Homemade Chili Crisp

80ml / ⅓ cup neutral oil

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

2 shallots, thinly sliced

2 tbsp chili flakes

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp caster sugar

1 tbsp soy sauce

½ tsp fine sea salt

✨ Finish

Fresh mint leaves

Flaky sea salt

Extra honey drizzle (optional)

Microgreens (optional)

✨ The blood orange slices are jewel-toned and

translucent where the light passes through — deep

crimson against cold ivory ricotta. The chili crisp arrives

amber-red and glossy and changes everything the

moment it hits the citrus.

🔢 INSTRUCTIONS

If making homemade chili crisp — heat the neutral oil in

a small saucepan over medium heat until shimmering.

🔥 Add the sliced garlic and shallots and fry for 3–4

minutes until deeply golden and crisp — watch closely

as they color fast.

Add the chili flakes, smoked paprika, and sugar — stir for

30 seconds until fragrant and the oil turns deep amber-

red.

Remove from heat, stir in the soy sauce and salt, and

cool completely — the crisp hardens further as it cools.

Preheat the oven to 200°C / 400°F and line a large tray

with parchment.

Brush both sides of each sourdough slice generously

with olive oil and season with salt and garlic powder.

🔥 Bake for 10–12 minutes flipping once at the halfway

point until deeply golden, char-marked, and shatteringly

crisp at the edges.

Cool completely on a wire rack before topping — hot

crostini softens the ricotta immediately.

Drain the ricotta overnight in a cloth-lined sieve — the

drier the ricotta, the thicker and more stable the whipped

base.

Beat the drained ricotta, cream cheese, olive oil, lemon

juice, zest, salt, and white pepper together until

completely smooth and airy — 90 seconds in a food

processor or 2 minutes by hand.

Taste the ricotta — it should be tangy, creamy, and

slightly sharp. Adjust lemon or salt if needed.

Peel the blood oranges by cutting away the rind and pith

completely — slice into 3mm / ⅛ inch rounds and

remove any seeds.

Toss the blood orange rounds very gently with honey and

a pinch of flaky salt — handle carefully to keep the

rounds intact.

Pile the whipped ricotta generously onto each cooled

crostini — spoon high and drag the knife through once

for visible texture peaks.

🍊 Lay 2–3 blood orange rounds directly onto the ricotta

— slightly overlapping and angled to show the full jewel-

toned cross-section.

🌶️ Spoon the chili crisp generously over the blood

orange slices — include both the oil and the crispy bits

for maximum texture and visual drama.

Let the chili oil pool naturally at the ricotta edge without

spreading or interfering.

Tuck fresh mint leaves beside the blood orange, finish

with a pinch of flaky sea salt across the full crostini

surface, and serve immediately while the sourdough is

still shattering.