Toast and grilled artisan bread are being reinvented with diverse and innovative toppings

From appetizer to side dish, this reimagined delight is opening up new menu opportunities.

Far from just being eggs’ sidekick or a vehicle for butter and jam, toast and grilled breads are popping up on menus everywhere as an exciting platform for flavour in all dayparts.

Calling toast and grilled bread “the ingredient of the year,” Christine Couvelier of the British Columbia-based Culinary Concierge also identified it as one of the top menu trends for 2016. “It is certainly a very innovative dish to develop recipes and thoughts around. A lot of restaurants have great toast and grilled bread offerings.”

One thing to keep in mind: Toast is not just for breakfast anymore. “The toast trend started on the sweet/breakfast side with several prominent toast-centric concepts,” says Gordon Food Service Corporate Consulting Chef Gerry Ludwig, CEC. “But now we’re seeing an entirely new category of savoury toasts and grilled breads primarily on full-service menus. One thing driving the opportunity is sharable and sharing plates.”

Four ways to raise the bar on toasts and grilled bread 

Of course, “things on toast” are nothing new. Beans on toast, caviar on toast points, and Welsh rabbit are classics. But gorgeous, reimagined, reinvented artisan toast is breaking new ground in the category.

Avocado toast. Don’t dismiss it just because it’s not new, Ludwig advises. Innovative chefs have moved beyond simple avocado slices or mash and are incorporating diverse ingredients that make avocado toast a good fit for lunch, dinner, and snacking menus.

Example:

• Avocado on multigrain toast. Served with lemon aïoli—Tractor, Vancouver.

Meat and seafood toasts. Use cured meats, pâtes, shrimp, lobster, crab, and thinly sliced cold- or hot-smoked fish, as well as meat or seafood salads.

Examples:

• Smoked Brisket Toast. Served open-faced with horseradish kale kraut and fries—The Drake Hotel, Toronto.
• Prosciutto, housemade ricotta and arugula on toasted housemade bread—Prado Café, Vancouver
• Lobster, burrata, fresh tarragon, chili flakes, and lemon juice on crustless toast—Santa Monica Yacht Club, California.

Vegetable and fruit toasts, Couvelier forecasts that vegetables will continue to rise in prominence on Canadian menus this year. And that spells opportunity to create veg-centric and veggie toasts that deliver flavour and competitive differentiation while cross-utilizing ingredients. Use vegetables you have on hand to create flavourful and eye-popping toasts based on some sort of vegetable stew or purée.

“Vegetable toast is the category with the most potential, especially given the continuous rise in veg-centric cuisine,” Ludwig says.

Examples: 

• Carrot spread, apple, whipped tofu, and tarragon fronds on toast—Avant Garden, New York.
• Apple toast with fromage blanc, apples, walnuts, and shredded Belgian endive—Publican Quality Meats, Chicago.

Breakfast toasts. The sweet spot for indulgent artisan breakfast toasts—from simple to elaborate—endures.

Example:

• Crispy Bread Pudding French Toast. Served topped with fresh fruit—Hudson’s Bar & Grill, Vancouver. 

Add layers of menu flavour and sophistication with foods already in stock

“Toasts are not complicated formulas, they’re more of an assembly of ingredients,” Ludwig says. “A huge aspect is the ease of preparation—some of most surprising and eye-appealing toasts require little time or labour.”

The breads. “The secret to really great toast or grilled bread is using an artisan bread,” Ludwig explains. Use black rye, sourdough, multigrain, focaccia, and even thinly sliced bagels to add flavour and interest.

The technique. Hand-slice bread from very thin to very thick, according to topping load and desired effect. “The opportunity is not only in standard thickness,” Ludwig says, “but also in taking a thick cut of an inch or more and giving it a luxurious, indulgent topping.” Toast or grill lightly or to very crunchy to vary mouthfeel. Let it cool for 30 seconds or so keep the surface from losing crispness once toppings are added. Chill avocado slices or purée before adding to toast and grilled bread. For sharing-plates applications, cut topped toast into pieces so that everyone at the table can enjoy the flavour experience. 

The toppings. “Look to what’s in your larder,” Ludwig advises. “Use a variety of ingredients to create very sophisticated flavour layering. Just make sure ingredients don’t sog out the bread—you don’t want anything too liquid.” Be creative. Toasts can be as sophisticated as Chez Panisse Chef Alice Waters’ Wild-Mushroom Toast or as whimsical as Momofuku Milk Bar Chef/Owner Christina Tosi’s vibrantly orange Tang Toast—prepared with margarine and, yes, Tang.

The look. “Some of most beautiful dishes we found were sitting on a piece of toasted bread,” Ludwig says. Boost eye appeal by deploying creative garnishes. Possibilities include blistered grape tomatoes charred in oil, julienned radishes, pickled carrots, roasted beets, bias-cut green onion tips, or even a simple fennel frond. Your imagination is the limit. For example, instead of simply spreading avocado over toasted artisan bread, bring on layers of flavour and texture by adding deep-fried chickpeas, sriracha mayo, and a sprinkle of fresh cilantro leaves.

However you toast or top it, Ludwig says, “Consider artisan toast and grilled breads to continue be a big thing that can present good things for operators.”