The First Radishes Of Spring

Spring officially begins this week, which means the radishes are right on time.  I sometimes have trouble coming up with anything interesting to do with them, because it’s so easy to just clean them and eat them as they are for pre-dinner snacks.  But last night, seeing the remains of a pyramide of goat cheese in my fridge and the tail end of a loaf of Poilâne bread on my counter, I decided to make tartines.

Truly, these could not be simpler.  Cut the bread into rectangles (or whatever other shape you like), place/smear some fresh goat cheese on each piece, top with rows of sliced radishes, and sprinkle with a little sea salt.  I used truffle salt, because I have some, but porcini or other mushroom salt would be good too (make your own by grinding dried mushrooms to a powder and mixing it with fleur de sel or other coarse sea salt), as would an herbed salt.

 

These made an ordinary Monday night feel like something a little special, and made me feel like a bit of a domestic goddess.  If radishes, butter, and salt are a classic, this is an excellent twist on the theme, if I do say so myself.

Originally published on Seasonal Market Menus.

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