Lemon Ricotta POM Bruschetta

Lemon ricotta:

• 1 cup whole-milk ricotta
• 3 tablespoons heavy cream
• Zest from 1 Wonderful Seedless Lemon
• Juice from ½ Wonderful Seedless Lemon
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper

POM bruschetta:

• 1 loaf French bread, sliced into twelve ½-inch-thick pieces
• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
• ½ cup POM Wonderful Pomegranate Arils
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Garnish:

• 5 fresh basil leaves
• Zest from 1 Wonderful Seedless Lemon

1. For the lemon ricotta: In the bowl of a food processor, combine the ricotta, heavy cream, lemon zest and juice, salt, and pepper. Blend until the ricotta is creamy and smooth, about 2 minutes.
2. For the POM bruschetta: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Arrange the bread slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Brush each piece of bread on both sides with ¼ cup olive oil.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the remaining ¼ cup olive oil, cherry tomatoes, POM Wonderful Pomegranate Arils, salt, and pepper; gently stir to combine. Cover and set aside to marinate for 30 minutes.
4. Stack the basil leaves on top of each other and roll them tightly together. Starting on the long side of the stack, slice with a sharp knife into very thin slices.
5. To serve: Spread a tablespoon of ricotta mixture evenly over each piece of toasted bread. Top with a tablespoon of the POM bruschetta mixture and garnish with the basil slices and lemon zest.