Ricotta, Prosciutto, and Caramelised Nectarine Recipe

I grew up with stacks of cookbooks in the house. As a child, I eschewed picture books for flat lays of elaborate spreads rendered in glossy definition — mussels in white wine, squid-ink tagliatelle, and whole roasted chickens slightly blackened from the fire. One entrée I saw pictured time and time again (this was the early 2000s) was prosciutto e melone, an Italian classic that I inexplicably remember being called "pigs in boats" in English.

The melon is a little passé now, but the Italians were onto something when they combined prosciutto with fruit. Last weekend, I was let loose in the immaculate Sea Point Spar and, fresh as I was from a dip at the beach, I was inspired to bring a taste of Mediterranean back home for dinner. That's the slightly long-winded story of how I thought up this brown butter, prosciutto, ricotta, and caramelised nectarine recipe.

Brown butter, ricotta, caramelised nectarines, and prosciutto on toast

I served this on ciabatta toast for a more substantial dinner, but this could just as easily shine on a bed of rocket if it's a salad you're after.

What you'll need from the shops for this caramelised nectarine recipe

Ciabatta, prosciutto, and nectarines

• A loaf of ciabatta (or salad leaves of your choice, if you're going the green route)

• About 50g of butter

• Ricotta

• Prosciutto

• Optional, but highly recommended — real maple syrup

Honey is lovely, but maple syrup complements brown butter in a heavenly fashion.

How to caramelise nectarines

The most complex steps in this recipe consist of browning the butter and caramelising the nectarines. The rest is assembly, so I won't patronise you with an excess of instruction.

Over a bowl, slice the nectarines in half and wrestle the stone out of them. This will release a lot of juice, which you should trap in the bowl.

Next, melt a knob of butter in a pan on medium heat. Place the nectarines skin-side down and sprinkle with brown sugar. Flip them immediately onto the sugared side and lower the heat slightly. Leave them there until the juice starts browning, which will only take a few minutes. If you can smell burning sugar, your heat is too high or you need more butter.

When you've reached the point of browning, tip the reserved juice into the pan. This should thicken and create a lovely syrupy texture.

When you're happy with the caramelisation on the open faces of the nectarines, flip them back over, turn the heat off, and let them sit in the pan to soften on the other side.

Assemble the ingredients

I promised no excess instruction, and I meant it. Here are the steps: caramelise the nectarines and brown the butter (simultaneously if possible). Crumble the ricotta over the toasted ciabatta and drizzle with liquefied brown butter. Top with caramelised nectarines and artfully arranged prosciutto, then drizzle generously with maple syrup.

The result is truly spectacular. The slightly bitter caramel on the sharp nectarines is in perfect concert with the sweet, buttery maple syrup and beurre noisette, which itself is thrown into relief by the saltiness of the prosciutto. A triumph of texture and flavour, if I say so myself. This is not your mother's pigs in a boat.

Enjoy your weekend, folks.

Lots of love,

The Life & Style Team