Peaches again. I told you I’m smitten with them! This time it’s totally different though. These suckers are sharing taste bud space with prosciutto, goat’s cheese, crunchy baguette and sweet honey. Mouth explosions all round.
I’m reading an a-may-zing book at the moment: The Flavour Thesaurus by Niki Segnit. This book is a genius guide to pairing flavours {some that you’d never think of} and lists 99 key ingredients and all the common and not-so-common things it pairs well with. I am geeking out big time over it.
One awesome match made in flavour-pairing heaven is peach and prosciutto. This one’s not such a rare combo but it’s new to me in my kitchen and I was excited to create these little toasty bites of summer.
The goat’s cheese goes well with both prosciutto and peach. It’s tangy but creamy and rich complementing the sweet, floral flavour of the peach as well as the salty smokiness of the prosciutto. A drizzle of honey goes a long way here too.
So, crostini. It’s what’s happening in my backyard. How’s that for summer evening eating? Throw in a beer for good measure and maybe even a celebratory shot of vodka (yup, seriously) in honour of just-booked tickets to England and this summer is shaping up pretty well.
For another crostini idea try smashed peas and mint. Summer perfection.
And if you’d like more inspiration for the upcoming season, check out some of my other favourite summer recipes.
Peach, Prosciutto + Chevre Crostini
Ingredients
- 1/2 a baguette, sliced into thin rounds (no fatter than 1/2 inch)
- olive oil
- 1 tablespoon (give or take) chevre {goat’s cheese}
- black pepper
- 2 thin slices of prosciutto
- honey
- 1 ripe peach
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Brush baguette slices with olive oil and place in the oven for several minutes until crisp.
- Halve, pit, and thinly slice the peach.
- Spoon about 1 teaspoon chevre onto each toast and sprinkle with ground pepper. Tear prosciutto into feathery pieces and drape a few slices over chevre on each crostini. Drizzle each with just a touch of honey and top with peach slices. Serves two to four.
I used to hate radishes. My parents loved adding them to salads and I always just thought, “Ugh, why?“. They were spicy in that way which makes your eyes water and your throat feel funny.
But somehow…I’ve come around. I like to think of it much in the same way that I came around to parsnips and red wine. Time allows your taste buds to develop and basically grow up. Grown up girls should eat their radishes. Take that message with you and go forth to make this butter.
It’s simple as can be – just grate your radishes and mix them into soft butter, ready to spread onto crunchy slices of baguette or toast. Sweet butter, crisp, peppery radishes, and a sprinkle of salt; it may be the perfect spring time snack. You heard it here first.
Radish Butter
adapted from Martha Stewart
Ingredients
- 4 medium radishes (about 1 bunch), cleaned, root ends trimmed
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
- Toasted baguette or bread, to serve.
Directions
- Grate radishes on the large holes of a box grater; place on paper towels, and squeeze out excess liquid. Combine radishes and butter in a small bowl; mix well.
- Spread onto toasted baguette or your wholewheat bread, toasted; season with salt and pepper.
I’d like you all to know that I started a book club and that I’m really, really excited about it. Nerd-haters and book-haters you might want to look elsewhere today, because Eating for England is geeking out.
I’ve wanted to be part of a book club for so long. I think they are the coolest thing ever and by no means do I feel like an old lady for being into it. An organized reason to talk about books post-university? It’s like your coolest lit class with wine and zingy little snacks. What’s not to love?
Talking of zingy snacks. We decided that our book club was not going to become a full-on dinner commitment for whoever was hosting. Snacks, finger food, whatever you want to call it – this is our limit. This tapenade is one of the few things I made from scratch and it was worth it. The other was a gorgeous and quickly-devoured salad that I’ll share next time.
Green Olive Tapenade
adapted from Epicurious
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups pitted green Spanish olives, rinsed, drained well
- 1 tablespoon drained capers
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup olive oil (preferably extra-virgin for the biggest flavour pow)
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
Directions
- Combine olives, capers and garlic in a food processor and chop finely. With motor running, gradually add lemon juice and oil and process until blended.
- Transfer tapenade to bowl. Stir in cilantro. Season to taste with pepper.
- Can be made 1 day ahead. Be sure to cover and refrigerate it. Serve with crackers and toasted baguette slices.
Note: Tapenade (like hummus) is one of those taste as you go things in my opinion. By all means follow the recipe but if it’s not smooth/lemony/olive-y/caper-y enough then just add a smidge more and whizz it all up again.
