Toast topped with beautiful-looking ingredients — from avocado roses to multicoloured cream cheese swirls — moved westward across North America from small restaurants in San Francisco. The trend picked up steam a few years ago, but with the ubiquity of avocado toast, it shows no signs of slowing down. Thankfully, artisanal toast is one of those popular food trends that's easy to make (and Instagram) at home. All you need is your imagination, bread, a toaster and a few ingredients to transformation a humble slice of toast into a whimsical creation. But if you need some inspiration, we've got you've covered.
Instead of making a sandwich, keep your next PB&J open-faced (yes, this totally counts as a fancy toast). Or, leave out the jam and top peanut butter (or your fave nut butter) with thin slices of banana, toasted coconut and a drizzle of honey. If you prefer Nutella, make the ultimate healthy(ish) dessert by spreading Nutella on whole wheat toast. Sprinkle on a few berries or toss on some banana slices and you're good to go.
This brunch-time staple is the ultimate artisanal toast, but it can be pricey if you order it at restaurant. Instead, make it at home with a triple-tested recipe from the Chatelaine Kitchen. This version features sliced tomatoes and tangy quark cheese (it's similar to cottage cheese). But if you don't have those ingredients on hand, simply mash some avocado (a half or whole fruit, depending on how hungry you are) with salt and pepper and slather it on a slice or two of toast. Dress it up with a poached or fried egg to make your mid-morning meal extra filling.
Recipe: Tomato Avocado Toast
Seriously, just take a look in your fridge and pantry and top with whatever you fancy. Some of our favourite combos include lox and cream cheese, beets and goat cheese and asparagus and radish (swap out the matzah for toast in these recipes). Or go the sweet route and attempt to make magical-looking unicorn (or mermaid) toast with cream cheese and natural or artificial food colouring. Sure, these might just be open-faced sandwiches, but who says you can have fun with your food?
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