Stuffed Squash Blossom Bruschetta

You'll find squash blossoms, which have a subtle squash flavor, from late spring to early fall at gourmet grocery stores, farmers' markets, or Latin food markets. They perish quickly and should be kept in the refrigerator for no longer than one day. Though the stuffed flowers are served here as an appetizer atop grilled bread, they would also make a good side dish without the bread, or you could arrange a couple of stuffed blossoms over a green salad.



YIELD: 8 servings (serving size: 2 bruschetta)



Ingredients
16 (1/2 ounce) slices diagonally cut French bread baguette
Cooking spray
2 garlic cloves
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoonchopped fresh dill
1 1/2 tablespoons minced shallots (about 1 small)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
16 large squash blossoms (about 3 cups)

Preparation
*Prepare grill or grill pan.

*Place bread on grill rack or grill pan coated with cooking spray; grill 2 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Remove from grill. Rub cut sides of garlic over one side of each bread slice. Set aside.

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

*Spoon ricotta onto several layers of heavy-duty paper towels; spoon to 1/2-inch thickness. Cover with additional paper towels; let stand 15 minutes. Scrape into a bowl using a rubber spatula. Stir in Parmesan and next 4 ingredients (through pepper). Gently spoon about 1 tablespoon ricotta mixture into each blossom. Gently press edges of blossoms to seal in cheese.

*Place stuffed blossoms in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Top each bread slice with 1 squash blossom; serve immediately.