Faith Middleton's Food Schmooze

Avocado Toast with Baby Kale, Blue Cheese, Pecans, Quick-Pickled Radishes, and Honey

Servings

2toasts

Servings

2toasts

Ingredients

2 radishestrimmed and cut into very thin slices
1-1/2teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1pinch cane sugar
kosher salt
1tablespoon extra virgin olive oilplus more for brushing
2slices multigrain bread(each about 1/2 inch thick, preferably oval slices about 6 inches long)
3tablespoons good-quality blue cheese, like Great Hill Blue, crumbled
1small ripe-but-firm avocadocut in half and sliced
1cup baby kale leavespreferably a frilly variety like Red Russian
1 to 2 tablespoons finely chopped toasted pecans
local honeyfor drizzling

Instructions

Preheat the oven broiler to high. In a small bowl, combine the sliced radishes with 1/2 teaspoon of the lemon juice, the sugar, and a pinch of salt and toss well. Set aside.
In another small bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 teaspoon lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, and a pinch of salt.
Place the bread slices on a small baking sheet and brush one side of each piece generously with olive oil (about 1 teaspoon per slice). Broil until nicely browned. Flip over and broil other side until lightly browned.
While the toast is still warm, use a sandwich knife to smear 1-1/2 tablespoons of blue cheese on the olive-oil-brushed side of each piece of toast. Arrange the avocado slices over the cheese (half an avocado per piece), season with a bit of salt, and drizzle with a tiny bit of the lemon and oil mixture. In a small bowl, toss the kale with the remaining lemon and oil mixture and mound it on top of the avocado, distributing it evenly between the slices. Drain the radish slices and tuck them among the kale leaves. Sprinkle the pecans over all, and drizzle lightly with honey. (A fork is a great tool for drizzling honey. Gently rewarm your honey if it has become grainy.) Cut the toast slices in half and serve.