Toast is possibly my favourite thing in the whole world.
It’s one of the reasons my diets always end in tears and why I’m forever avoiding bakeries. I cannot resist the smell of warm bread. Whether it’s straight out of the oven or in a toaster or under the grill. Crispy on the outside, fluffy in the middle. I want to make a house out of toast…any Bob’s Burgers fans? No…ok. Well toast is fantastic.
I have had a few bumps in my road these last two weeks or so (evident in the number of posts appearing on PlanetBakeLife) but I’m back on track now. It seems that life just got a bit much for a moment back there. I spent a lot of time thinking about what I want and that meant eating a lot of toast while pondering the big questions.
All of this self-reflection has lead me to bring you these 3 recipes today.
Sometimes toast with melted butter is all you need but other times, you need something a little fancier. No one will judge you for wanting something a little upmarket. Something to make your white wine look a bit classier while you veg out in front of Netflix. Even something as simple as toast can be made to look like it belongs on the menu of a cosmopolitan CBD restaurant.
I fully intend to serve these toasts to my friend next time they come around and I don’t particularly feel like cooking but know we need something to soak up that alcohol.
- 2 Ciabatta Rolls
- 1tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 Tomato
- 1/2C Cucumber
- 1/4 Onion
- 1tsp Lemon Juice
- Salt and Pepper
- 1/2tsp Dried Parsley
- Balsamic Vinegar*
- Chop your tomato, onion and cucumber into small diced pieces and pop into a bowl.
- Coat your veggies in the lemon juice, olive oil and dried parsley. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Cut your ciabatta rolls in half and toast in a toaster or under the grill. Brush with a bit of olive oil.
- Serve topped with your tomato and cucumber salad.
- *You can top the salad with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and a few mint leaves. These are optional.
- 2 Ciabatta Rolls
- Butter
- 50g Grated Cheese
- 1/2tsp Wholegrain Mustard
- 2 Eggs
- 20g Shaved Ham*
- Cut your ciabatta rolls in half and butter each half, then spread on a small amount of the wholegrain mustard (this will depend on your personal tastes, I only like a small amount), pop on some of the ham* and top with some grated cheese. Try to spread everything as evenly as possible.
- Pop your rolls under the grill for 5 minutes. Keep an eye on them to make sure they're not burning.
- In a non-stick pan on medium-high heat, crack your eggs and pop a lid over the pan. Let them good until the white is cooked.
- Pop your ciabatta halves onto a plate and top with an egg. Serve with tomato sauce, salsa and salt and pepper on the table.
- *Leave out the ham to make this a vegetarian dish.
- 2 Ciabatta Rolls
- Olive Oil
- 4-5 Large Button Mushrooms
- 20ml Full Fat Cream
- 30g Grated Colby Cheese
- Salt and Pepper
- Cut your mushrooms into strips and your ciabatta rolls in half.
- Pop the mushrooms into a skillet, pan or small pot with a little bit of olive oil.
- When the mushrooms have browned and started to shrink, pour in your cream (add a bit more if you want more of a sauce) and half of your cheese. Stir the mushrooms until the cheese has melted. Add a bit of salt and pepper to taste.
- Toast your ciabatta halves and pop onto a plate.
- Top the ciabatta with the mushroom mixture and sprinkle with extra cheese.