from My New Table
I had the opportunity to visit Kolapore Springs—a hidden local and sustainable hatchery a stone’s throw from my parents’ farm—when I was working with Feast, a chef-driven food-delivery service in Toronto. Since tasting their trout I haven’t turned back. It’s a true hero fridge staple for a last-minute cocktail party. Kolapore Springs’ trout is only sold locally, so use your favourite local smoked trout for this recipe
Toasts: simple, classic, versatile, and just the perfect snack. They’re my way of saying I love good bread, and also giving you the perfect excuse to load up on toppings. Toasts look best served on rustic boards, which I collect from antique stores, old barns, and vintage shops. And a top tip if your house is on the market: pop a baguette into the oven just before an open house and the irresistible scent of warm bread will fill the air.
Makes 12 toasts
Bread:
12 1-inch slices baguette (cut on a diagonal)
2 Tbsp olive oil
Flaked sea salt
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the baguette slices on a baking sheet and bake for about 7 minutes or until toasted, flipping partway through if you like. Remove from the oven, drizzle with the olive oil, and sprinkle with salt.
Caper Cream Cheese:
Generous ½ cup cream cheese, softened
¼ cup capers, drained
¼ cup finely diced red onions
Zest + juice of ½ lemon
2 Tbsp chopped dill
Salt + freshly cracked pepper
1 side smoked trout, broken into large pieces
1 handful arugula microgreens
Zest of ½ lemon
Cucumber, sliced thinly (optional)
Directions:
For the caper cream cheese, in a bowl, combine the cream cheese, capers, onions, lemon zest and juice, dill, and salt and pepper. Generously and evenly spread this caper cream cheese over the toasts. Top each one with some smoked trout, a pinch of microgreens, and some lemon zest.
Cook’s Note: Sides of smoked trout vary in size. Use any leftovers in a salad, a sandwich, or pasta. The caper cream cheese is also delicious topped with minced jalapeno, and feel free to swap lime for the lemon. You can also add a thin slice of cucumber on top of the trout for a little crunch.
Nada’s Tips & Tricks: I’ve made this appetizer a few times mixing and matching fish and flavoured cream cheese. Smoked salmon or mackerel work well as does herb and garlic cream cheese. I peeled a long slice of cucumber to add to the top along with broccoli and onion sprouts. So refreshingly good!
Excerpted from My New Table by Trish Magwood Copyright © 2021 Trish Magwood. Photography© Ksenija Hotic. Published by Appetite by Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved. https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/648094/my-new-table-by-trish-magwood/9780525611240
