When I was younger, I used to tend to a little vegetable garden in our backyard. I was pretty successful and would always have tender sugar snap peas to harvest during winter and juicy cherry tomatoes during the summer. I would also grow radishes. They were easy to tend to--they didn't have tendrils or vines to support with cumbersome structures--and it was fun plucking them out of the dirt. However, I used to only be able to appreciate radishes for their beauty. I would bring in bunches of bright pink radishes and no one in our family would eat them. I didn't enjoy the spicy flavor of radishes, and we had absolutely no idea what to do with them.
Almost 10 years later, I have finally discovered my love for the flavor of radishes. I still find them to be one of the most visually appealing vegetables, but now I can gladly give into the lure of vibrantly colored radishes. These radish tartines (open-faced sandwiches) are perfect for tea time. Dainty and beautiful, they elegant yet incredibly easy to assemble. And they're très français ;) My mom and I enjoyed them with some wine between lunch and dinner. It was lovely.
A thin slice of whole grain bread from La Brea, some good french butter, a sprinkling of coarse sea salt and chopped parsley is all you need to complement these beautiful French breakfast radishes. The slices of radishes provide a peppery kick and satisfying crunch that is refreshing and addicting. Next time I plan on making an herb butter to bring an extra layer of flavor.
French Breakfast Radish Tartines
1 bunch French breakfast radishes
1 loaf whole grain La Bread bread
french unsalted butter, room temperature
coarse sea salt
parsley
1. cut bread into 1/2 inch slices (I didn't toast the bread)
2. slice radishes as thinly as possible
3. spread a layer of butter on the bread and arrange the radish slices on top
4. sprinkle with coarse sea salt and chopped parsley
5. enjoy with a cool glass of white wine
It's amazing how something so simple can have such delicious flavors.
yum so classy. i love nothing more than good radishes and salt.
ReplyDeleteoh these look soooo delicious...I grow radish myself, so I eat these all the time....they also taste delicious with fromage blanc instead of butter :)
ReplyDeleteI'm a radish lover and just made something similar. Your photos are poetic.
ReplyDeleteOh my god these are my favorite! My mom and I ate them constantly when I was little and we had a garden and grew radishes. Mmm they are so good.
ReplyDeleteMight I recommend trying a little chevre with the radishes. They served something to that effect during The Vegetable Dinners at Animal and I thought the pairing worked beautifully
ReplyDelete@Epicuryan: It's like you read my mind. I've only recently developed a love for chevre so it'd perfect.
ReplyDeleteTweeting about small home gardens I mentioned French Breakfast to @DavidMTaylor and he kindly replied with a link to this post.
ReplyDeleteenjoy! :-)
@ITGeek / @bentrem