Just toast but with all sort of exciting things on top. Use her ideas as source of inspiration and design your own toppings, sweet or savory, it does not matter, you are sure to create a temptation out of thin toast.

Just Toast Your Way

Toast is one of the most popular breakfast foods. It can be more than that. Toasted bread can take all sorts of toppings. The combinations are endless and limited only by your imagination. Serve these open sandwiches for a light lunch, on a picnic, or for easy entertaining. Serve them for dessert -yes, even for dessert as you toast brioche bread and top it with fruit- or as an appetizer. The simplicity of good bread, toasted and topped with fresh, quality ingredients, will make a magnificent start for a rustic meal.

The secret

Choose wisely the bread to use. A loaf makes wonderful cold sandwiches but not always comes out good toasted; it is easily scorched. Halved rolls or thick slices of peasant bread often deliver a much better crunchy yet soft texture. If you are craving for something sweet, go for brioche or similar bread.

There are two methods to make toasted open sandwiches. You can toast lightly the bread, then pile the topping, and use the broiler to toast bread and topping together. Often the bread is toasted only on one side, and the filling piled on the un-cooked side before final spell under the broiler.

The second option is to grill or toast the bread on both sides an top it with your favorite ingredients, hot or cold, raw or cooked. Garnish with your preferred sauce.

Toppings to finish under the broiler

Toast the bread lightly, top and finish under the grill or broiler to heat up the topping -it should take 2-5 minutes to cook.

Grill pizza -- top the bread with mozzarella or other easy melting cheese, lay some halved anchovy fillets on a grid and place black olive slices in each square space.

Grill cheese - top the bread with slices of cheese. Grill or broil until the cheese melts.

Extra creamy grill cheese - prepare a very thick cheese sauce, top the toast, sprinkle grated cheese and finish under the broiler.

Soufflé toast - Mix 1 Tbs grated cheese with 1 Tbs tartar sauce, add 1/4 tsp ground mustard and 1 egg white beaten to snow peaks. Top the toast and finish under the grill.

Goat cheese and roasted peppers - Top the toast with 2 goat cheese slices and stripes of skinless roasted red pepper. Grill or broil for 2 minutes and garnish with capers.

Grilled tomato - Use country style bread; spread a little mayonnaise over the toasted bread. Top with sliced tomatoes and cook until the edges are charred.

Grilled banana - Top toasted brioche bread with a sliced banana, glace it with some apricot jam - choose red jam for contrast of color. Grill until the banana is slightly caramelized.

Pre-cooked toppings

Toast the bread to your taste, top with already cooked food, warm or cold.

Roast beef - This one is a classic. Spread a little butter on top of your toast and top with finely sliced roast beef. Garnish with horseradish sauce.

Cheese and relish - Top with your favorite sliced cheese and relish, one teaspoon should suffice. Recommended mild cheddar with apple and mango chutney, or follow the British tradition of cheddar cheese and pickles -you have a ploughman. Possibilities are endless.

Chorizo - Top with some slices of good chorizo iberico. Spreading with butter is optional. Chorizo and Manchego cheese make excellent partners.

Hot - Heat up 2 Tbs olive oil in a pan. Add 6 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced, and 1 fresh hot chili pepper finely sliced. Cook for 2 minutes. Distribute on top of 6 slices of toasted bread, season with a little salt if you must, and drizzle the oil form the pan on top.

Mediterranean garlic toast - Toast the bread and rub a peeled clove of garlic on the warm toast, sprinkle with salt and drizzle with olive oil; one clove of garlic will be enough for 4-6 slices of bread.

Italian bruschetta - Place in a bowl 2 large red tomatoes, diced, and season with a little salt and olive oil -enough for 6-8 slices of bread. Prepare a Mediterranean garlic toast or bruschetta - toast the bread until crisp but not brown and rub garlic over the bread - and top it with the diced tomato. Garnish with fresh basil leaves, chopped.

Bread and tomato - This is another version of the Mediterranean garlic toast enhanced the Catalan way. Halve a tomato - don't forget to wash it. Toast the bread and rub a clove of garlic, peeled, over the warm toast, rub the halved tomato so the juice is absorbed into the bread, sprinkle with salt and drizzle with olive oil. Finish with a slice of Serrano ham.

AB, celery & apple - spread almond butter on the toast, top with sliced apple and finely sliced celery. Wash the apples and there is no need to peel them. Rub some lemon juice if the sliced apple will have to wait for the toast to prevent that unpleasant brown color. You can also make it a PB, celery & apple.

Grilled chicken and avocado - Season a chicken breast with salt and pepper, grill it both sides and slice it. Mash 1 avocado, peeled and stone removed, with 1 minced clove of garlic, 1 sliced green onion, juice from 1 lemon and a little Tabasco. Spread this mixture over the toasted slices of bread and top with the grilled chicken.