First, a moment of thanks. Toavocado toast: Thanks to you, I have way more Instagram likes and followers than I had before your existence. You also helped me up my toppings game beyond jams and jellies. These days, I load up slices withpaper-thin radishes, chicken liver spreads, or heck,even anchovies—and it's because#avotoastpaved the way.
But now I'll be moving on. Because it's almost August, and there’s one summery topping worth leaving avocado in the hot dust for: tomatoes. Specifically, smashed tomatoes.
Smashed-tomato toast is a juicy, healthful, and yes, Instagram-worthy snack. And because there's no slicing, pitting, or scraping involved, smashed tomato toast is even easier than avocado toast.
All you need is some toasted bread and a really ripe (and multi-colored, preferably) batch of cherry tomatoes. Take a handful of those tomatoes and stack them on top of the toast. Then, using a blunt instrument (I use a spatula or a big spoon, but my colleague Adina Steiman simply uses her hands), press down on the tomatoes, puncturing the wrinkly flesh and spreading those juices into the bread’s nooks and crannies. If you put a layer of goat cheese or mascarpone down first, even better. Just don’t over-squash the tomatoes—you’re going for a chunky jam, not a puree.
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Top everything off with olive oil, freshly picked herbs (ora sharp pesto), a few cranks of black pepper, and a sprinkling of decorative salt.
Now repeat until summer's over. You can go back to #avotoast in the fall.
