STEP 1:
Prepare Dressing- Shake the following in a
large jar until emulsified: - 1 cup olive oil
- ⅓ cup sherry-wine
vinegar - ⅓ cup lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 3 large cloves garlic,
peeled and microplaned - 2 tsp lemon zest
- 1½ tsp kosher salt
- Shake hard! Refrigerate up
to a month.
STEP 2:
The Crispy Toasts
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Pour 1 cup of dressing into
TOASTS
with the Mosts
ELEVATED, BUT STILL EASY- • • Make all the jokes you want about av-
ocado toast being a major millennial food
group. Toasts are the perfect party starter
because they are fast and the combinations
are limitless. But there are some guide-
lines to make them feel more special than
a quick breakfast. They benefit from a con-
trast of textures, colors, and flavors. And
there should usually be an adhesive: mayo
to grab the avocado, crème fraîche to se-
cure the endive. There’s a secret, however,
to making toasts even more special: Toss
baguette slices with a bright dressing and
bake. This trick gives you so much addi-
tional flavor and crispiness. Here’s how
to prepare them, and some tried-and-true
ways to top them. But really, anything you
dream up will be right. —Phyllis Grant
a large mixing bowl. Cut
2-day-old baguettes on
an aggressive bias into
½-inch elongated slices
and toss them with the
dressing until evenly
coated. Bake until they are
crispy and just starting to
brown, about 20 minutes.
STEP 3:
Jammy Tomatoes
This is an optional topping,
but it’s sure to be a crowd-
pleaser. While the toasts
cook, stem and halve 4 cups
of cherry tomatoes. Place
them in one layer on a large
baking dish and toss with
¼ cup of the dressing and a
handful of torn, hearty fresh
herbs, like sage, thyme, ororegano. Put in the 350°F
oven. Cook for an hour or
until the tomatoes shrivel
up and get jammy. Cool
and then refrigerate for up
to a week or freeze for
up to 6 months.
STEP 4:
Time to Build
Start with these combina-
tions I love. Then play.- Toast base: a layer of
room-temp or warm jammy
tomatoes (remove any herb
twigs). Topping: anchovies
packed in oil. - Toast base: Dijon mus-
tard. Topping: finely shred-
ded red cabbage tossed
with finely chopped green
olives, chopped cilantro, and
an obscene amount of the
dressing. To finish: lemon
zest, baby knobs of Gorgon-
zola, and toasted pine nuts.- Toast base: a generous
schmear of crème fraîche.
Topping: chopped frisée,
parsley, and dressing. To
finish: crumbled crispy ba-
con and chopped roasted/
salted pistachios.
Note: If your crispy toasts or
jammy tomatoes are frozen,
take them out of the freezer
an hour before it’s time to
eat. You can refresh the
crispy toasts in a 350°F oven
for 5 minutes and warm up
your jammy tomatoes in a pot
or in the microwave. Take
your dressing out of the
fridge 30 minutes before
anything happens.