Chive Butter and Radish Toasts
Charity Burggraf ©2022 by Amy Pennington. Excerpted from Tiny Space Gardening by permission of Sasquatch Books
"This appetizer is a simple way to pull together a little nosh for guests if you’re in a pinch for time," writes urban gardener Amy Pennington in Tiny Space Gardening: Growing Vegetables, Fruits, and Herbs in Small Outdoor Spaces. "Chives and radishes are among the first vegetables available in spring. Garnish with some edible flowers if desired."
How to Make It
1
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Combine the chives and butter in a small bowl and mash together with the back of a spoon until well blended. Refrigerate to firm up.
2
Lay the baguette slices in a single layer on a large sheet pan and bake until crispy and just beginning to brown at the edges, about 12 minutes. Remove and let cool completely. While the toasts are cooling, slice the radishes using the thinnest setting of a mandoline. If you don’t have a mandoline, slice them with a knife as thinly as possible, so they’re almost see-through. When the toasts are completely cooled, smear the tops with a thin layer of chive butter. Lay the radish slices on top, overlapping the layers slightly. Sprinkle with sea salt and set on a platter.
3
Continue layering toasts, chive butter, radishes, and salt until you run out of radishes. Serve immediately. Store any leftover chive butter, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, in your freezer.
Ingredients
2 tbsp finely chopped chives
4 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
Baguette, cut into thin slices
1 bunch radishes, trimmed of greens and washed well
Coarse sea salt
Directions
1
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Combine the chives and butter in a small bowl and mash together with the back of a spoon until well blended. Refrigerate to firm up.
2
Lay the baguette slices in a single layer on a large sheet pan and bake until crispy and just beginning to brown at the edges, about 12 minutes. Remove and let cool completely. While the toasts are cooling, slice the radishes using the thinnest setting of a mandoline. If you don’t have a mandoline, slice them with a knife as thinly as possible, so they’re almost see-through. When the toasts are completely cooled, smear the tops with a thin layer of chive butter. Lay the radish slices on top, overlapping the layers slightly. Sprinkle with sea salt and set on a platter.
3
Continue layering toasts, chive butter, radishes, and salt until you run out of radishes. Serve immediately. Store any leftover chive butter, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, in your freezer.
