last year i did a week of posts on sandwiches, some of my favourite ones, with fried eggs or other rich, savoury ingredients that distinguish them from the kind you’d find in a kids’ lunchbox. this month i find myself eating open-faced sandwiches all the time. “toasts”. for breakfast on sunday, i spooned goat cheese scrambled eggs onto toasted rye bread. and on monday for dinner, i borrowed an idea from an old friend of mine who used to have this open-faced sandwich for breakfast in the morning: toasts topped with ripe, mashed avocado and finely grated parmesan. (he used to top his with raw hemp seeds; i meant to try this with white sesame seeds…next time).
and two days before that, i sat on the patio of the queen and beaver pub and enjoyed their smoked tomato, aubergine and parmesan toast (below). 3 very different toasts in as many days. and just like the sandwiches i mentioned, these are “dinner-worthy” toasts. they take only a few minutes to make and get you out of the kitchen fast on hot evenings, but they’re special, rich and satisfying.
the ideas are endless and i’m sure you have your favourites–please share! here are some others i love…
- sweet and savoury toasts with sauteed mushrooms and fresh ricotta
- bizarre but amazing cheese toasts smothered in ketchup
but i’ve been playing with one more version, and these toasts are not just dinner-worthy, they’re dinner party-worthy. they may be my favourite of all of these. i’ll be sharing that idea next!