Bonus Toast Recipe + CA Book Events
Come say hi at one of my upcoming events!
Hello, CA Friends! I have a little bonus recipe for you this month—something I shared on the Snacking Dinners newsletter that I thought was just too good not to share with all of you—and I also have some news about my book event dates in California. I’ll be in SF, LA and Oakland over the course of the next few weeks, and I’d love to see you! Please introduce yourself if you stop by and we can chat about your favorite California recipes—and what you’d like to see me cover in future. (You’ll find the event details below the recipe, toward the bottom of this email.)
If you also subscribe to Snacking Dinners, you’ll already have this info. Don’t worry, I’ll have a new California Table recipe (and some new interviews) for you shortly….
Spring Toast
I’m always ravenous for spring. As soon as the first peas and delicate shoots appear in the market, all I want to do is pile as many of them onto my plate as possible. It might still be cold and rainy outside most days, but in my kitchen, I can luxuriate in the freshness and tenderness of the flavors of a new year while I wait for the sunshine.
Over the course of the next few weeks, I’ll make all kinds of springy meals—my pastas, risottos, lunch salads, eggs, and even soups will be chock full of peas, sweet peas, and pea greens; favas, asparagus, green garlic, fresh lettuces; and anything else I can get my hands on. But really, the most satisfying spring meal I can think of is a simple toast topped with ricotta and a medley of vegetables with some fresh herbs (and maybe some pretty, edible flowers). This is also the quickest and easiest way I know to prepare these vegetables, because I only need to shell, blanch, and prep a small handful of each ingredient. (It’s also the most affordable, for the same reason.)
Here’s my new book, SNACKING DINNERS, which comes out in just 1 week! Book pre-orders are really important for sales rankings, so if you order before April 8, you can sign up for bonus drink recipes, a signed bookplate, and a chance to win a fun prize.
The key to this toast is the ricotta. It holds everything in place, including those round peas; just press them gently into the cheese and they won’t roll away when you take a bite. I like to use really good ricotta (I splurged on Bellwether for this toast, because it’s really rich and flavorful this time of year), and I keep the seasoning minimal so that the cheese adds a light, cream-forward note but lets the flavors of the vegetables really shine through.
If you want to prep things ahead of time, you can slice the radish and sweet peas and store them wrapped in wet paper towels in the refrigerator, then pre-blanch the favas and peas (reheat them in the pan with the shallot, just as it’s done cooking).
You can also top this toast with any other spring ingredients you’re particularly craving: You can add thin slices of raw asparagus, cook the shallot with some green garlic, or tuck in some pretty pea greens. As long as it’s bright and seasonal, it will taste good here.
Fava trick: If I have a range of different-sized beans (which is pretty inevitable with favas), I keep them somewhat separated as I shell them, then add the largest beans to the pot first, followed by the medium and then the small, 1–2 minutes apart.
Spring Toast
Makes 1 toast
Small handful fava beans (from 1–2 pods)
Small handful English peas (from 3–4 pods)
1/2 small shallot
1–2 breakfast radishes
2–3 sweet peas
1 long, thick slice of rustic bread, such as a boule or a pane Siciliano
4–6 tablespoons good-quality ricotta
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
Lemon to zest, ideally Meyer
Fresh herbs, such as parsley and mint (and cilantro flowers)
Edible flower petals (optional)
In a small pot, blanch the fava beans for 3–5 minutes, depending on size. Remove them using a slotted spoon or a perforated scoop and transfer them to an ice bath. Add the peas to the pot and boil them for 2–3 minutes, then add them to the ice bath. Peel off the favas’ skins (unless your beans are young and small).
Cut the shallot into thin slices and sauté in a small pan in just a bit of butter; you want them to soften, not frizzle, so keep the temperature low. Use a mandolin to cut the radishes into very thin rounds, and cut the sweet peas into thin rounds, slicing at an angle for slightly more oblong shapes.
Toast the bread. While it’s toasting, put the ricotta into a small bowl and season it with salt and pepper.
Spread a thick layer of ricotta onto the toast. Top with the radishes, sweet peas, favas, cooked peas, and shallot. You can mound them all together or arrange them like a garden—I like the second approach, even though it’s more time-consuming, because each bite is a little different (and it’s so pretty!).
Grate some zest onto everything, then add some herbs; tiny leaves can be added whole, but large leaves (particularly mint) should be very thinly sliced. Garnish the toast with flower petals, if using.
Book Talks, Cooking Demos, and Parties
Thursday, April 10th: Omnivore Books, San Francisco, 6:30pm - details here
The amazing chefs Nafy Flatley and Nora Haron will also be joining me at this event to talk about the recipes they contributed to the book.
Sunday, April 13th: Now Serving, Los Angeles, 6pm - details here
This event will be a conversation with Hillary Dixler Canavan, creator of The New Family Table newsletter (and former Eater restaurant editor). The event has a ticket charge, but the price is basically just the cost of pre-ordering the book. (If you already have one, you can also opt for a lower-price ticket that functions as a store credit so you can get some of the other fun things they carry, like cards and notebooks.)
[Thursday, April 17th: Private Event, Montecito, books by Chaucer’s Books—We’re throwing a little party for my Santa Barbara community. This is invitation only, but as I know some of this newsletter’s readers are part of that community, I wanted to mention it here; we have a couple of spots left, so if you’re in town, please reach out!
Chaucer’s Books in Santa Barbara will also have additional signed copies to buy (in store or online). I’d love it if you’d support this hometown institution!]
Thursday, May 1st: Google Kitchen Demo, Mountain View
If you happen to work at Google, or know someone who does, come on by to try a few of the dishes from the book! Sign up in advance, and they’ll gift you a copy of the book, too.
Saturday, May 10th: Market Hall Indie Fest, Oakland, 12-3pm - details soon
I’m being featured at the second annual Indie Fest! Come by to meet and learn about independent food producers. I got a lot of my specialty ingredients at this spot while I was working on the book, so I can tell you what to stock up on!
Saturday, May 24th: Rose’s Taproom, Oakland - details soon
I’m teaming up with one of my oldest friends, Hilary Rose Hufford (her family moved in next door when I was seven!) to do a collaboration. We’ll have dishes from the book paired with her gorgeous beers. Should be delicious!
June - London TBD
August - NYC (and Hudson Valley) TBD
Portland, OR - TBD
I’m also in discussions about three more Bay Area Events, a possible jaunt to Portland, and other potential trips. Check back here for more as plans evolve!
Photos: Georgia Freedman