Radish, Chèvre, + Balsamic Microgreen Tartines
All the little seedlings and everything in bloom.
Last week, my dad and I started some seeds in our teeny tiny greenhouse while prepping the garden beds for planting. Among our seedlings are Tuscan kale, Italian greens, and two types of eggplant that have yet to poke their heads up. Camomile was direct sown in with the potted lemon trees and I started my first from-seed edible flower garden!
I've grown so fond of flowers and greenery in my photos. Sometimes filling in a dark background with little flowers or seeing a peek of green can help a scene come to life. I'm going to be growing a lot of the food I'll be cooking this summer, why not try to grow some flowers as well. In my search, calendula and cornflowers caught my eye as easy-to-grow, delicately beautiful plants - almost like wildflowers. The flowers have some history in the culinary, herbal, and medicinal world as well. Camomile has been on my list for the longest time. I've been dreaming of homegrown tea!
My flower seedlings have been the first and most resilient to pop their heads out. Spring can't come soon enough.
In celebration of the little seedlings and longer days ahead, I came up with this spring tartine. It features two types of spring produce: baby radishes and microgreens. When first making this tartine, I loved the combination of sweet, salty, peppery and fresh - subtle but bright. Chèvre is melted over sweet honey sunflower bread, toasted in butter for a salty-sweet base. A little bed of microgreens tossed in balsamic vinegar lays on top of the goat cheese, then layered with bright and crunchy radishes, garnished with salt.
Honey sunflower seed bread is most likely a rare find in grocery stores and bakeries, but I love the sweet nutty flavor! So, I recommend using sourdough or country white - anything with a good crust - and topping the melted chèvre with honey and toasted sunflower seeds so you don't miss out on the nutty sweetness.
Toasty open-faced sandwiches like this are among my favorite lunches. You can go more savory with deli meats and cheeses, or veer towards sweet brunch with fruit and nuts. This one is a little bit of everything and is all about the radishes and delicate greens. A little something fresh for longer days and sunny afternoons.
Radish, Chèvre + Balsamic Microgreen Tartines
ingredients
4 large slices of rustic bread (anything with a good crust and a hint of sweetness)
3 tablespoons butter
4 oz chèvre (goat cheese), slightly softened
1 1/2 - 2 cups microgreens or sprouts, or enough to cover each slice of bread
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
6-8 small radishes, very thinly sliced and soaked in cold, salted water*
pinch of salt to garnish
*once you have sliced the radishes, toss them in a bowl of cold, salted water to mellow out the flavor and keep the radishes crisp, about 20 minutes, then remove and pat dry
method
Spread the butter on both sides of each slice of bread. In a large pan over medium heat, brown one side of the bread until just caramelized and golden. Then, flip the bread over and spread the chèvre on the toasted side, allowed the cheese to melt and the other side to brown. Remove from heat and set aside.
Toss the microgreens in the balsamic vinegar and spread over the top of each slice of toasted bread. Arrange the sliced radish over the bed of greens, and finish with a pinch of salt.
Note: I used a rustic loaf of Honey Sunflower Seed bread for this recipe, but any bread with a nice crust is great! For a little added sweetness, if you’re using country or sourdough, drizzle a bit of honey over the chèvre.