Raising the (Tapas) Bar
Set out toasts with these fun toppings for an easy, breezy summer meal
Issue 33: From Dana
Here’s a trick picked up from years of teaching kids how to cook: If you want them to get really excited about making dinner, ask them to set up a bar.
No, not THAT kind of bar: what kind of parents do you think we are? (Though I spent many a summer night as a kid shaking up amaretto sours and popping open bottles of Schlitz for my parents’ get-togethers – complete with a tip jar, of course –but those were different times.)
I’m talking about a food bar, featuring a simple recipe that really starts to sing when you load it up with cool, colorful toppings. The point is customization, so each person can create their ideal meal: a salad bar, taco or burrito bar, chili bar, chaat bar, baked potato bar, or the one I’m currently craving, a summery bruschetta or tapas bar.
This time of year, when we’re finally harvesting some real variety out of our gardens, farmers markets or CSAs boxes, something as simple as grilled bread is all the canvas you need. I first started eating this way when I was traveling across Europe in my twenties. I’d follow the crowds out to bars for happy hour (aperitivo in Italy; tapas in Spain) and end up making full-on meals out of the free (or nearly free) spread bartenders set out to encourage imbibing.
Turns out, that approach of making meals out of finger foods works just as well at home, especially in the summer when we don’t feel like turning on the oven or even breaking out the silverware. And it’s a great lesson in culinary invention and resourcefulness for kids. I like to grill a bunch of bread and tell my son he has free reign over anything he can find in the fridge: leftover cooked vegetables, produce from the garden, bits of cheese, drizzles of condiments. Go wild!
The condiments, especially, unleash fun flavor combos and are key to tying those toppings together: mint chutney, capers, chili oil, pickled ramps, all of them are high notes that can make your tapas or bruschetta pop. The last time we turned our kitchen island into a bar, there were bowls of mashed egg with caper and herbs; a juicy tomato-mozz-basil situation; some leftover sauteed squash freshened up with parsley and feta; peaches with balsamic and blue cheese and mint.
And while these toppings are the whiz-bang ingredients, there’s a great lesson to be learned by not skimping on the foundation: I like a chewy peasant bread, and while I often toast it in the oven, you can keep your kitchen cool and just grill it outside (which has the benefit of lending a smokey char). The key is rubbing the crisp bread with a clove of garlic then drizzling it with lots and lots of good olive oil.
I was reminded of this meal this past weekend when I was talking to my friend Caitlin, the mom of one of our former students who’s gone on to become a super accomplished and ambitious cook. When I asked which Dynamite Shop recipes were in heavy rotation at their house, she named a few of our popular signatures, like Mac and Cheese with Roasted Broccoli and French Onion Soup. “But I think the meal we make the most is Tapas Toasts,” she told me. “Because it’s always different, and it’s as fun to make as it is to eat.”
And that’s a win-win-win right there.
Tapas Toasts
Serves 4-6
1 baguette, sliced into 1/2-inch wide rounds
2-3 garlic cloves, peeled
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Kosher salt, to taste
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Arrange the baguette slices on a sheet pan and place in the oven for about 5 minutes until golden brown and crispy, flipping halfway through. When cool enough to handle, rub the garlic on both sides of the toasted bread and drizzle with the oil and a pinch of salt. Serve immediately topped with Tapas Toppings (see below).
Tapas Toppings
Here are some summery ideas – but don’t stop here! Get creative and invent your own, balancing flavors and textures.
Anchovies, capers, chopped hard-boiled eggs, red onion and tarragon
Chopped olives, tomatoes and basil or pesto
Avocado and pomegranate seeds or molasses
Jamon or prosciutto, chopped peaches and arugula
Chopped fresh figs, burrata and honey