My friend Sarah and I have done our fair share of joint entertaining – the most notable recent evening of course being the only child party. We usually share the menu pretty seamlessly. If she’s hosting, I bring condiments and sides, and also make some vinaigrette on site for salad, as this is an irrational insecurity area for her. In addition to the main course, Sarah almost always makes some sort of toast as an appetizer.
Anyone who’s read my book (so, all ten of you out there), know that I’ve been a longtime crostini girl. But since I can’t eat those little baguette suckers anymore, I’m moving by way of the trend tides and hopping on the toast bandwagon.
The most notable high-end toast purveyor, and perhaps the fire behind the toast trend in the first place, is Dan Kluger’s ABC Kitchen. He has some amazing seasonal toasts on the menu. I love looking at them, smelling them, and, occasionally, scraping the toppings off of them, much to the chagrin of my dinner dates.
A few dinner parties ago, Sarah made an ABC Kitchen-inspired squash toast with ricotta. And the best part of having fancy toasts at home and having a very dear, considerate friend making them for you, is that said toasts can conveniently wind up on gluten-free bread. Though the many avocado toasts before it tempered my emotions by way of sliced bread, it was really this one squash toast that sealed the deal on my crostini conversion.
So, being a newfound toast girl, I decided to take a page out of Sarah’s book when I had a few people over for dinner last week. I served mushroom risotto as my main course with pan roasted cauliflower on the side. For the appetizer, I was inspired by this Deborah Madison recipe, and decided to turn my favorite roasted Brussels sprouts into a Kluger-esque seasonal toast.
Roasted Brussels sprouts as a side dish is usually a crowd pleaser. But put them on bread with melted cheese, and they kill.
Do you have a go-to dinner party finger food? Let me know in the comments!
Xo
Phoebe
Roasted Brussels Sprout and Gruyere Toasts
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss the brussels sprouts, rosemary, nutmeg, olive oil and salt together and arrange in an even layer on the baking sheet. Roast in the oven until browned and caramelized, about 30 minutes, tossing once halfway through.
- Arrange the bread on the sheet pan and toast in the oven until crispy but not overly brown, about 3 to 5 minutes. Divide the cheese between the toasts and top with the brussels sprouts. Place the sheet pan under the broiler until the cheese is melted and beginning to brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Cut the toasts in half and serve immediately.
Nutrition
If you make this, tag @phoebelapine and #feedmephoebe - I'd love to see it!
This looks delish. I can’t wait to make it.
Thanks Leelee! Report back!
FANTASTIC IDEA! Love the idea of the sprouts on toast. And of course, with cheese, YUM!
Thanks Katie!!
I can’t believe that kale and brussel sprouts are now beloved foods. It used to be that those two were on everyone’s top-3 list of repulsive veggies.
I leave it to you to guess what the third one was.
broccoli?? Lima beans??
this looks so good! and ps your site layout is adorable. i love the colors/fonts!
perhaps you can help a fellow food blogger out and vote for my mac n cheese in this recipe contest? i’d truly appreciate it! thanks!:
http://www.mysteryingredientbloggershowcase.com/?contestants=macaroni-and-cheese
Thanks for all the sweet feedback Kim! Always great to hear, especially from a fellow blogger. Will check out your Mac right now! xo
Cannot wait to try your recipe! Scrum!! Saw the shaved brussel sprout salad too. I’m a happy girl.
Glad you’re such a sprout fan 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
The recipe is delightful in theory, but I simply cannot understand how you managed to cook the brussel sprouts at 425 without burning them. For me, they just go from raw to burnt, no caramelization process in between!
Strange! Must be your oven. I always cook them this high. I like them really crispy and brown. Whatever works best for you though!
As a newly diagnosed celiac, I would love to know what GF bread(s) you recommend. I have my basic sandwich bread, but wonder what you recommend for sourdough, country bread, etc. Thanks!
Hi Ellen,
Thanks so much for stopping by! And sorry to hear about your CD. I actually have a post planned about this for the New Year. I mostly stick to the sandwich bread – Udi’s is my favorite, but I recently tried Canyon Bakehouse 7 grain and loved it. There’s one type of baguette I find in my freezer section – Against the Grain. It’s made with tapioca flour. It has a really nice flavor, even if it looks rather funky and airy. When baked up, the texture feels similar to baguette in a sandwich. I’ll have to try a few more and report back! But for these toasts, I just use Udi’s.
I LOVE brussels sprouts! And roasting them is one of my favorite ways to enjoy them. This looks like a great idea – and we won’t feel too guilty about over-indulging!
I was really looking forward to these! Love brussels sprouts and gruyere. Although I still loved taste…..for some reason I love scorched things….but between the thinly slicing, roasting, and then broiling, most of my brussels sprouts were just charred. Think I might just roast for 5 minutes next time, and let them crisp up during the broiling time. Which is a plus…..less cooking time and tasty treats are ready quicker. Thanks for sharing a recipe I’ll try again.