Valentine’s Day “Toasts and Toasts"

Raising a glass for a heartfelt toast is memorable…and delicious when you pair your libation with a fun and flavorful creation to nibble on. Celebrate Valentine’s Day with these hip sips and tony toast-n-topper combos.

Grapefruit Bellini and Avocado- Olive-Radish Toast

Grapefruit Bellini. Makes 4 Servings

¼ cup honey

¼ cup water

2 Tbsp fresh rosemary leaves

1 cup fresh grapefruit juice

2 Tbsp Campari

1 cup Prosecco

Garnish: Fresh rosemary sprigs

In small saucepan, bring honey, water, and rosemary leaves to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat; cover/ steep 20 minutes. Strain, discard rosemary. Let cool completely.

In each champagne flute, combine ¼ cup grapefruit juice, 2 Tbsp rosemary-honey simple syrup and 1½ tsp Campari. Top each with ¼ cup Prosecco. Garnish with rosemary sprigs and enjoy!

Avocado-Olive-Radish Toast. Makes 4 Servings

2 medium-sized ripe avocados

1 small lemon

1 medium-sized watermelon radish, outer skin peeled off and very thinly sliced

½ - 1 cup microgreens, very lightly packed

1 garlic clove

Pitted Frescatrano/Castelvetrano olives

4 thick slices sturdy whole-grain bread

Kosher salt

Maldon salt

Good quality extra-virgin olive oil

Mash avocados. Add a few squeezes lemon juice and several pinches kosher salt. Toast the bread, and lightly rub with garlic clove. Spread on a layer of avocado. Cut several olives in half and lay them on avocado. Add a layer of watermelon radish, drizzle on olive oil. Sprinkle on microgreens and Maldon salt.

French 75 and Smoked Salmon Toast

French 75. Makes 2 Servings

2 cups ice

3 oz good quality gin (Hendrick’s or similar)

1 oz simple syrup

1 lemon

4 drops bitters (Angostura, Peychaud’s, or your favorite)

2 oz Champagne/sparkling wine – Brut variety

Using channel tool on your zester, scrape two long, thin peels of lemon rind. Set the peel aside and juice the lemon.

In a cocktail shaker, add ice, gin, lemon juice, simple syrup and bitters. Shake vigorously until outside of shaker is frosty and cold. Strain cocktail into flute glasses, top with sparkling wine. Drop lemon peel into glasses and serve.

Note: For simple syrup, use 1:1 ratio of granulated sugar to water. Heat in saucepan over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Cool to room temperature and transfer to a glass storage container with a tight-fitting lid. Make a few cups at a time and keep it in the fridge so it’s ready when you are!

Smoked Salmon Toast. Makes 4 Servings

Smoked Salmon – thinly sliced loxstyle – 3 oz package

8 oz cream cheese, cut into 1-inch cubes and softened to room temperature

½ cup mascarpone

½ tsp finely minced fresh thyme

2 tsp parsley, finely chopped

1 tsp fresh chives, finely minced

¼ of an english cucumber, very thinly sliced

Rye Bread – like from Artisan Lavinia or The Baker and Cakemaker

Salt and pepper to taste

Optional: Borage or rosemary flowers for edible garnish

In mixing bowl, stir cream cheese and mascarpone with a spatula to combine. Fold in herbs. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Toast bread. Spread with herbed cheese and arrange cucumber and smoked salmon slices on top. Top with edible flowers before serving.

Ginger Kombucha Moscow Mule and Cheesy-Apple-Brioche Toast

Ginger Kombucha Moscow Mule. Makes 2 Servings

Ice cubes

½ cup vodka

2 Tbsp fresh lime juice

1 cup chilled ginger kombucha

2 lime wedges for garnish

2 mint sprigs for garnish

Fill tall glasses with ice. Add vodka, lime juice and then ginger kombucha. Stir to mix; garnish with lime wedges and mint sprigs.

Cheesy-Apple-Brioche Toast. Makes 2 Servings

1 Pink Lady apple, or 1 Shinseiki or Twentieth-Century Asian pear, seeded and thinly sliced

1 package Kerrygold Dubliner Cheese Wedges - spreadable cheese

Handful of wild baby arugula

2 slices brioche or challah bread

Optional: Bacon – 1-2 slices per toastCook bacon, set aside on paper towel.

Toast bread. Unwrap cheese wedges, spread on warm toast. Layer apple or Asian pear slices on top of cheese; top with arugula and bacon. Best enjoyed immediately.

Bubbly Bourbon and Toasted Cornbread with Pimento Cheese

Bubbly Bourbon. Per serving

1 oz bourbon (Maker’s Mark or similar)

Sparkling apple cider, chilled

1 Tbsp pomegranate arils

Add bourbon to a champagne flute, top it off with apple cider. Add pomegranate arils for garnish.

Pimento Cheese. Makes About 3 Cups

2 cups sharp Cheddar cheese, grated

8 oz cream cheese, cut into 1” cubes and softened at room temperature

4 oz pimento peppers, well-drained and chopped if in strips (roasted red peppers ok as well)

2 Tbsp mayonnaise

¼ tsp garlic powder

¼ tsp onion powder

Pinch of ground cayenne pepper

Freshly-ground black pepper

Salt

In large mixing bowl, or stand mixer, combine Cheddar, cream cheese, pimento or roasted red pepper, mayonnaise, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper and several pinches of black pepper.

Beat mixture together until thoroughly combined. Taste, and add more black pepper, cayenne and/or salt. Blend again.

Transfer mixture to serving bowl. Serve immediately or refrigerate up to one week. If pimento cheese has been chilled, allow 30 minutes at room temperature before serving.

Early Bird Farm Cornbread

This recipe comes from the bag of Early Bird Cornbread Mix, minus the honey. Use a baking dish (rather than cast iron pan) so you’ll get cornbread that will cut easily into toastable rectangles.

2 cups Early Bird Farm Cornbread Mix

1 large egg

1 ¼ cup low-fat buttermilk

¼ cup plus

1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Heat oven to 400°. In medium bowl, whisk together egg, buttermilk and ¼ cup oil. Fold wet ingredients into Early Bird Cornbread Mix; mix until just combined.

Grease baking pan with remaining oil. Add batter, smooth top with a spatula. Bake until golden brown and a tester comes out clean from the center, 20 to 23 minutes. Cool.

Puttin’ it Together

1 Tbsp butter for each slice of cornbread you’re toasting

Pimento cheese

Optional: Finely diced red bell pepper to sprinkle on top of pimento cheese; thinly sliced celery, cut on the bias (1-2 Tbsp for each slice of toasted cornbread)

Slice cornbread into ¾ - 1” slices. Melt butter in skillet over medium heat and add cornbread. Brown cornbread slices on each side and remove from skillet.

Spread pimento cheese on warm cornbread. Sprinkle diced red bell pepper and sliced celery on top and dig in!