June Breakfast with Fleur de Sel on White Buttered Bread
And it even tastes better than it looks!
These little beauties are a pleasure to grow: four weeks from seeding and look at what is gracing my plate? When they are ready to be plucked, they bounce up out of the soil and wave at you! Seriously. The root is almost completely visible when they are ready.
Yes: French Breakfast Radishes do make a gorgeous centre piece, particularly first thing in the morning after shaking the earth free from them and bringing them into the house for an early morning treat. When I was a little girl, my mother used to rave about radishes, salt and butter on bread. “Oh, Valerie! There is nothing as delicious.” My immature palate thought she was crazy. I definitely could not relate. However, she is absolutely right. Her grandmother Hecht (Great Grandma Annie: I was terrified of her) used to pluck and scrub the radishes, slather homemade butter (I actually have the churn) on a thinly sliced, but hearty piece of homemade white and then overlap paper thin slices of radishes on top of the butter. “The butter with the bread and the crispy radishes was delicious, but the salt brought it all together: just a sprinkle.” I remember mom dipping raw radishes into a skiff of salt, too, with a sandwich.
This summer, every morning, usually around 6 am, I am out scouring my little garden. I pluck the invasive weeds, water the thirsty flowers, and talk to my tomatoes. Just before coming in, I check out the radishes. Which ones are jumping up and waving at me? Those are the ones I bring into the house and plunk into a glass of water to soak until I make my open faced breakfast sandwich. I usually don’t cut the bread into rounds, but I do plate them and take them back into the garden, with extra radishes on the side, to taste and savour and crunch and munch. The subtle heat, crispy texture and juicy bite with some really good butter on some really good bread (or toast) is simply divine. I am definitely my mother’s daughter.
We just had the first radishes from our garden today, Valerie. Isn’t it magical to eat things that we grew ourselves! We had ours in a salad for dinner.
Your radishes look lovely, and I am going to have to try them out your way now.
Wow, Valerie – beautiful pictures 🙂 They look just like summer.
These radishes are beautiful.
The pictures are amazing… WOW… I love radishes but these pictures and story will make anyone fall fall in love
Just beautiful 😀
*kisses* HH
You have me convinced Valerie! I only wish for a plot land to grown my heirlooms.
Mine are almost ready to pluck out of the ground too – I can’t wait to eat them just like that!
I don’t think I’ve ever grown my own radishes!
I’ve never done/eaten this simple French classic. You make it look so tempting, especially with those freshly plucked radishes.
Valerie, what a wonderful tradition that’s been passed down from your family. I’ve never seen any kind of radish sandwich like this before. I’ve never even thought of putting radishes on a sandwich actually – genius! I used to hate radishes when I was young too. Then as I grew older I started to like them. I enjoy the with salt as well, just never in sandwich form before. This is a beautiful and creative sandwich. I must make this for my parents to try some time! Up at 6 and into your garden already? Wow! I’m lucky if I get out of the house by 8 haha.
Hi, doesn’t particularly matter but if you are interested I think this might be a Bavarian tradition rather than a French one.
Certainly I had lovely Rettich Brot (pretty much what you describe here) at a dozen beer festivals in Southern Germany but have never seen it in France…
HI, Micah,
I haven’t traveled extensively in Germany, but open face sandwiches like this make sense. Thanks for letting me know! I had them in France in the right season – but not in the restaurants… just in the countryside, by the garden.
🙂
Valerie
My neighbour loves radish sandwiches. I grew up on the prairies and I have never heard of them! Live and learn. Great pics.
Dear Sarah,
Odd, isn’t it… I think the radish sandwiches probably evolved from the British tea heritage, or more likely, from common sense and the love of great fresh produce straight from the garden. Bread, butter and the first produce of the season… radishes! Mom did this with the first cucumbers, too….
🙂
Valerie
Those are beautiful photos of your radishes Valerie. Very appealing and appetizing. YUM!
Oh my gosh, Monica! That was such a good year. Fingers are crossed again this year. Radishes are surprisingly not at all easy to grow!
XO
Valerie
french Breakfast Radishes do make a gorgeous centre piece, particularly first thing in the morning after shaking the earth free from them and bringing them into the house for an early morning treat.
Praveen!
I have actually cleaned them and put them in a vase, root down, for a kitchen decor piece when entertaining and then back in the fridge to eat after. Love the roots in a vase during harvest season decore!
Hugs,
Valerie