Bliss on Toast

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY 19 SEPT. 2022

Gastronomy expert and Great British Baking Show judge Leith (I'll Try Anything Once) offers 75 recipes for creative, convenient repasts that come on their own edible plate. Expanding on the British Sunday supper of beans-on-toast, her take on this culinary tradition includes indulgent yet simply composed small plates that satisfy even the most sophisticated palates with recipes hitting all the high notes of flavor and texture. Toasts showcase dairy, meat, fish, and veg toppings—but also vegan options plus sweets. The basic formula assembles three or four ingredients into a flavorful amalgam of tang, salt, creaminess, heat, and crunch atop selections from an international breadbasket including focaccia, naan, and brioche. Toasted rye gets a topping of ripe Brie, a handful of blackberries, arugula, and a drizzle of chili sauce, while rustic country bread welcomes a Turkish cucumber salad dressed with ezme and a runny fried egg. Scandinavian open-face style stars shrimp, cream cheese, radishes, and dill on toasted pumpernickel. Sweet treats include "a wicked boxing day treat" of brandy cream and berries over fried and toffee-ized left-over Christmas pudding. Leith advocates practicality and the use of quality, ready-made sauces (pestos, curries) and canned pickles, tomatoes, or sardines. With easily swapped components, the sky's the limit for creating these elevated, simple-to-build, open-faced eats.