Farm To Toast - 5 Seasonal Things to Eat on Toast This Summer

Monday, July 06, 2015

Toast - whatever it may be topped with, is a pretty crucial item on my appetite's repertoire. The classic 'avo-toast' is a sure weekly winner on my plate and is the number one snack for all snackers, but unfortunately, my blissful enjoyment of this perfect invention is often affected by my awareness of it's seasonal inauthenticity. Don't get me wrong, as much as I preach the importance of seasonal, local eating, I plead guilty on all counts to eating avocados all year round. Who can resist? However, I can also appreciate all of the other amazing fruits of my local farmers' labour that could put a jet-setting avocado to shame. 

Here are just a few toast-topping ideas to get you started!

PS. This recipe was originally written for an awesome new lifestyle website I'm writing for, Slant News. Check out the original article here. 

Warm Broad Beans with Lemon and a Poached Egg On Sourdough:



Makes 2
Heat 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil in a pan. Sauté a clove of chopped garlic and add a cup and a half of fresh of frozen broad beans. Toss until warmed through. Squeeze half a lemon over the pan. Poach your egg by bringing a pot of water to the boil, swirling a pinch of salt and a 1/4 tsp of vinegar into the water and making a whirlpool in the centre of the water with the handle of a spoon. Crack a room temperature egg into a small bowl and pour the egg into the whirlpool while it's still swirling. Cook for 2 minutes and remove with a slotted spoon. Toast two pieces of sourdough. Top your toasts with the broad beans and season them with a little salt and pepper. Add your poached egg and enjoy.

 Burrata and Truffle Infused Eggplant Carpaccio On Sourdough:

Makes 2
Thinly slice an eggplant lengthways. Heat a griddle pan. Brush the eggplant slices with a little olive oil. When the pan is super hot (sizzles when splashed with a drop of water) grill the eggplant slices until they're soft and have dark grill marks on them, turning half way through cooking. In a small bowl, combine 3 tablespoons of red wine vinegar with a pinch of salt and pepper and a 1/4 tsp of truffle oil. Dip the eggplant slices into the truffle oil and vinegar mixture and then leave on a plate. Top your toasts with some burrata and then the eggplant carpaccio with a little freshly chopped parsley.


Ricotta and Cherries on Rye Bread:





Toast your rye bread twice, until crunchy. Spread them with a generous amount of ricotta and top with 6-8 halved, pitted cherries. 

Smashed Pea Butter with Basil and Lemon Zest on Sourdough:



Cook 2 cups of fresh or frozen peas in boiling water, along with a clove of garlic. (1-2 minutes) Drain and reserve about 1/4 of a cup of cooking liquid. In a food processor, blend the peas and garlic. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the peas. Add a handful of fresh parsley, a handful of fresh basil leaves, 3 tablespoons of butter, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and a pinch of salt and pepper. Slowly pour in some of the reserved cooking liquid until the mixture has formed a smooth paste. Spread generously on your toast and top with some good quality olive oil, a pinch of sea salt, some basil leaves, some lemon zest and the remaining peas.  

Heirloom Tomatoes on Rye Bread:


It's really as simple as it sounds. Toast your rye bread twice until crunchy. Top with sliced heirloom tomatoes, a drizzle of olive oil and some sea salt and pepper.