Salmon, Yogurt, & Honey Tapas

I firmly believe that holiday snacks are the best part of holiday parties. I am a sucker for hors d'oeuvres and around the holidays everyone seems to up their snack game. The thing is, while little onion tarts with gorgonzola and walnuts and terrine of pork, smoked bacon and cranberries sound insane, I am not particularly good and anything involving focus or paying close attention to detail. 

So I need my holiday snacks to be both fancy and super easy to make, which is why these little toasts are great. Pop open a bottle of sparking wine or a real nice craft brew and pass around a plate of these smoked salmon snacks and no one will complain. 

This is a traditional tapas but a little less common this side of the pond. I recommend using the thickest, fullest of fat yogurt you can find (because you don't want it dripping off the toast). I'd also invest in some nice wild salmon and raw honey, you won't regret the amazing flavors plus it's the perfect season to splurge. 

Steps

Slice and toast the baguette. Wait for the toast to cool slightly and gently spread a dollop of yogurt onto each toast. 

Top with slice of smoked salmon and drizzle lightly with honey. Season with lots of black pepper and a dash of salt. 

Stuff

baguette 

smoked salmon

greek yogurt

honey

salt & pepper

Mushrooms on Toast (Breakfast of Queens)

A few years ago I developed an egg allergy. It's not horribly severe, I can still eat cookies or a piece of cake (and a slice of quiche won't kill me), but if I tried to chow down on some breakfast eggs, it would not be a pretty sight. This makes brunch a really sad meal. I look mournfully across the table at all the gooey benedicts, shakshukas, and huevos rancheros, while I drown my tears in bottomless coffee and order another bloody mary. WOE IS ME. 

But not all is lost because I can still eat mushrooms, butter, toast, and a large dollop of crème fraîche with my coffee and feel like I just conquered the morning. This meal is rich, creamy, warm, and comforting, so great for cool winter mornings. Really, it's perfect at any time of day or night because it's so fast and simple but still incredibly satisfying. 

Sometimes it's the simple things that taste the best...

If I were able to digest eggs, I might scramble some up to go with this? And when I have winter greens lying around, I'll sometimes sauté them up with the mushrooms and add some garlic.    

Stuff

handful of mushrooms

slice of sourdough 

couple sprigs of thyme

couple knobs of butter

crème fraîche

salt & pepper

Steps

Slice the mushrooms. Heat a knob of butter in a frying pan on a medium high heat. Sauté the mushrooms in the butter, add thyme leaves, salt & pepper. Stir constantly until cooked through (approx. 5 mins).

Toast and butter the sourdough and top with the sautéed mushrooms and a big dollop of crème fraîche. Garnish with a few thyme leaves and eat immediately.