Somehow, despite the popularity of low-carb, no-carb and paleo diets, toast is having a moment. A long moment at that.
Avocado toast graces the menus of all manner of restaurants. Sliced, toasted rustic bread smeared with smashed ripe avocado and a sprinkle of salt. The combination has taken the country by storm. We eat it up! Happily. Carbs be damned.
Thank goodness. If there's anything better than well-made bread, brushed with flavor and bronzed with heat, I'd like to know.
You had me at cinnamon toast. This after-school treat, buttered toast topped with sugar and cinnamon, still makes me swoon. (Of course, these days I'm likely to assemble the snack from hearty, whole grain bread, French butter, organic sugar and Mexican cinnamon, food snob that I am.)
Crusty, toasted bread also makes lunch better. They know this to be true at Tartine Bakery in San Francisco. There, perfectly toasted country bread holds cheese, bechamel sauce, turkey, ham or fromage blanc for a perfect croque monsieur sandwich. I order the mushroom version every time I visit.
At home, a medley of mushrooms, sauteed with spicy poblano pepper, and glazed with cream, piled high on toasted rye bread gratifies. You can add a top slice of toast and compress the whole thing under a panini press, but more often, I serve the concoction open-faced under a thin blanket of cheese.
This rich, creamy mushroom toast easily transforms into steak and mushroom toast when I have leftover grilled steak or roast beef. Be sure to slice the meat super thin and lay it on the toasted bread before topping with the mushrooms.
Recently, a visit to Hardware restaurant in North Aurora, Ill., made me think about how good grilled bread tastes. Smoke from a hardwood fire complements bread beautifully. The restaurant's flat bread, grilled over hot embers, proves the perfect vehicle for a topping of hummus, cucumber, feta and micro-arugula from its green houses.
For a weekend lunch, I grill pita breads and top them with hummus and sauteed ground lamb and feta. Look for pitas without pockets _ they tend to be thicker with a softer inside that'll stay moist over direct heat. No grill? Simply toast the breads over the gas burner or on a dry griddle, then finish in a hot oven.
Serve these open-faced sandwiches with a sharp knife, fork and a big glass of red wine. Open the Sunday paper. Lunch never looked better.
