Blasted Broccoli and Goat Cheese Toasts with Lemon Zest

Photo by Michael Piazza

The satisfaction-to-effort ratio with these toasts is very favorable. That is to say they’re dead simple to make but feel a bit special, and certainly substantial enough to anchor dinner, with a salad and perhaps another side dish alongside. If you prepare the bread—toast, swipe, smear!—while the broccoli roasts, the whole deal should take no more than 20 minutes.

Use a rasp-style grater to get fine, feathery grated lemon zest. And honestly, in terms of goat cheese you can get away with one of the large, 11-ounce logs sold at Trader Joe’s, although a local variety would be better.

To be a bit fancier, try the Goat Cheese and Ricotta Spread instead and call the toasts “tartines” or “bruschette,” which I say with no judgment. I do it all the time.

Serves 4 (2 toasts each)

8 slices (about ½-inch thick) from 1 loaf Pain de Campagne or hearty peasant, Pullman, French or Italian bread, toasted
2 to 3 cloves garlic, peeled and whole
extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
12 ounces fresh goat cheese (about 1½ cups), at room temperature
2½ tablespoons finely grated lemon zest
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 recipe Basic Blasted Broccoli, warm or at room temperature

Swipe each toast 2 or 3 times with a garlic clove; drizzle each garlic toast lightly with olive oil. On each toast spread about 3 tablespoons goat cheese; sprinkle about 1 scant teaspoon lemon zest evenly over the cheese, and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

Top each toast with several pieces of Blasted Broccoli (6 to 8 pieces usually do the trick) and serve.

This recipe appeared in the Fall 2019 issue as part of a larger story, Unabashed Broccoli Boosterism.