Drippy Goat Cheese Toasts with Artichokes, Tomatoes & White Beans
Avocado Toast, I love you, but you’re no Drippy Goat Cheese Toast. The sweet tang of the goat cheese and herby brightness of the marinated artichokes, tomatoes, and white beans just can’t be beat. These toasts can be made miniature for apps, or BIG—knife-and-fork style—for lunch or dinner.
An outrageously delicious combination of flavors and textures that can be made in meal or appetizer-size portions.
- 6 medium slices of bread (loaf-size) or 12 small slices (baguette-size), each about 1/4-1/2 inch thick
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 2 tbsp. coarsely chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 10-12 oz. jar of artichoke hearts in marinade chopped, marinade reserved (see TIP A below)
- 1.5 c. mini grape, cherry or heirloom tomatoes, chopped
- 1 c. cooked small white beans (canned or prepared at home, see TIP B below)
- 3/4 tsp. kosher salt
- 6 oz. goat cheese
- 1 small garlic clove, halved
- 2 tbsp. pure honey
- additional kosher salt and pepper (to taste)
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Lay the bread slices across 1-2 large, rimmed baking sheets. Put in a pre-heated 425° oven for 10-12 or until evenly toasted. Rotate the sheets as needed.
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Meanwhile, warm the olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Once the oil starts to ripple slightly (indicating that it's good and hot), evenly distribute the rosemary around the pan. Stir briefly, then let the rosemary sizzle until it just begins to turn brown and crispy. Watch closely as this happens rather quickly (typically in about 1-2 minutes). When browning begins, pull the pan from the heat and let the oil and rosemary hang-out until ready to use (it should continue to brown slightly).
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Next, place a small collander over a bowl and pour the marinated artichoke hearts into the collander to separate the hearts from the marinade. Reserve the marinade. Coarsely chop the artichoke hearts and put them into a different bowl (separate from the marinade).
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Add the chopped tomatoes and white beans to the bowl with the artichoke hearts. Pour the fried rosemary and olive oil over top and sprinkle with 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt. Gently stir and set aside.
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Finally, put the goat cheese and halved garlic clove in the bowl of a mini food processor or blender. Add the honey and 5 tablespoons of the reserved marinade from the artichoke hearts. Whir until smooth. Add 1-2 more tablespoons of the artichoke marinade as needed to achieve a thick, but drippy consistency (should resemble a very creamy salad dressing).
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Arrange the toasted bread slices on a serving platter or plate. Drizzle a generous amount of the drippy goat cheese over each toast. Top with heaping spoonfuls of the artichoke-tomato-white bean mixture. Finish each toast with a pinch of salt and pepper (to taste) and enjoy!
TIP A: Marinated artichoke hearts are not hard to come by in most grocery stores. Typically they're shelved alongside the capers and olives. Look for a high-quality variety with simple, recognizable ingredients like oil, vinegar, garlic, cane sugar, and spices.
TIP B: For this recipe, I think the smaller the white beans, the better—they provide better coverage of the toasts. My favorite is navy beans, but use whatever you like. When it comes to white beans, I recommend cooking them yourself. The process is relatively quick (especially for smaller beans) and the outcome is much tastier. Unlike chickpeas and black beans, white beans just don't hold-up as well in the can.
To yield the desired 1 cup cooked white beans for this recipe, measure about 2/3 cup dry beans (unsoaked). Sort and discard any funny looking beans. Give the beans a good rinse under cold water. Then put them in a pot and add enough water to cover the beans by about 2 inches. Bring the water to a gentle boil and let it stay at boiling for 3-5 minutes. Then drain the water, rinse the beans, and re-fill the pot to the same point with fresh, cold water. Return the beans to the fresh water and this time add 1-2 teaspoons kosher salt. Bring the water to a gentle simmer (below boiling) and let the beans cook at this moderately hot, high-steam temperature for 45-60 minutes or until soft but not at all mushy or falling apart. Check the water periodically to ensure that it does not become too hot (boiling) or too cold (steady). When done, drain and rinse. The beans can be cooked in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for several days.