Black Sea Toast Recipes

Steps:

• Halve, pit and scoop the avocado out into a shallow bowl. Mash with a fork until chunky. Season with salt and pepper.
• Toast the bread. Lightly rub each slice with the cut side of the garlic clove and then brush each slice with some oil.
• Divide and spread the mashed avocado evenly among the toasts. Lay a piece of smoked salmon over the avocado. Top with a pinch of flaky sea salt, a few grinds of pepper and some dill. Serve with lemon wedges on the side.

Steps:

• Shell the eggs and separate the whites from the yolks. Push the whites and the yolks separately through a sieve and set aside in individual bowls.
• Rinse the chopped onion in a colander under cold water. (Rinsed onion is milder in flavor and will not discolor.) Drain, transfer to a kitchen towel and press to remove any excess water.
• Trim the crust from the bread slices. Spoon some caviar around the edges of each slice, spreading it gently to create a 1/2-inch border of caviar. Inside this border, right next to the roe, spread the sieved egg white on the bread to form a ring that is 1/2 inch wide. Inside this ring, spread the sieved egg yolk to form another 1/2-inch ring. Inside that, spread the chopped onions to form a 1/2-inch ring. In the center of each slice, place 1 tablespoon of sour cream.
• Garnish each slice with a few grains of caviar and the chives. Serve immediately with lemon wedges.

Steps:

• For the vinaigrette: Saute sliced mushrooms in butter until caramelized. Add honey, soy, lemon juice, and vinegar. Add water and simmer slowly for 30 minutes. Strain, pressing out all juice.
• Make brown butter with salted butter. Place pan in ice water to stop cooking. Whisk into mushroom broth.
• Cook fingerling potato, peel and cut into thirds. Set aside.
• Cut fish with skin into 3 pieces. Season with salt and pepper. Dip in cream, then spice mixture, then flour. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a saucepan and saute until crisp.
• Heat vinaigrette with potatoes, fava beans, and onions. Add tomatoes and herbs last. Pour into bowl and add fish.
• Toast hazelnuts, almonds, coriander, sesame seeds, and peppercorns in a hot pan and grind.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375. Remove fish from refrigerator, and allow it to come to room temperature. In a medium-size bowl, combine kochujang, thyme, garlic and cream, then whisk into smooth paste.
• Dry fish carefully with paper towel. Place them dorsal-side up in a dry, oven-safe saute pan or roasting pan, pulling apart the collarbones to create ''wings'' that will stabilize them in an upright position. Slather the skin of both fish with about half of the chile-paste mixture. Add approximately 1/4 cup of water to the pan, and place carefully in the oven. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes, watching carefully to make sure that the exterior does not burn. (If it starts to, cover the fish gently with a sheet of aluminum foil.) Use the tip of a small, sharp knife to check for doneness; remove from oven when the flesh is almost but not quite fully opaque. Allow fish to rest for about 2 to 4 minutes, at which point it will be done.
• Meanwhile, make sauce. Add the oil and the vinegar to the remaining chile paste, and whisk to combine. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
• Using a flexible metal spatula, gently remove the four fillets from the two fish. Serve skin-side up, with sauce on the side, along with white rice and sauteed kale.

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot over medium heat until it shimmers. Add the garlic, onion, carrot and celery and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are soft and fragrant but not browned, about 8 minutes.
• Add the beans and enough water to cover by about 2 inches. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil; cook for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to a very gentle simmer (bubbles just barely breaking the surface), partly cover and cook until the pot stops smelling like the aromatics and starts smelling like the beans, 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes. Add more water if necessary to keep the beans fully submerged. Gently stir in kosher salt and continue cooking until the beans are creamy in texture but not bursting, 10 to 45 minutes more.
• Drain the beans, reserving the tasty cooking liquid for another purpose, such as a base for soup or a vehicle for egg poaching. You can store leftover beans in their cooking liquid in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
• Toast the bread and then butter each piece. Spoon about 1/2 cup beans onto each piece of toast and coarsely crush with a fork. Divide the remaining whole beans among the toasts (about 1/4 cup per toast). Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper to taste.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place the garlic in a medium casserole with a lid. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Cover and roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until soft. Set aside.
• Peel the potatoes, and slice into 1/8-inch-thick rounds. Heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large casserole or saute pan with a lid. Add the potatoes, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, uncovered, over low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the onions, cover, and cook for 5 minutes.
• Once the garlic is done, raise the oven temperature to 450 degrees.
• Remove the potato-onion mixture from the heat, and pour in the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil. Add rosemary and thyme sprigs, and cover with the fish fillets. Season with salt and pepper, and scatter the roasted garlic, lemon slices and tomatoes over the fish.
• Place the uncovered casserole over high heat. When the potatoes begin to sizzle, add the wine. Reduce the heat, and simmer for 2 minutes. Pour in the fish stock, and cover. Bring to a boil. Then place the casserole in the hot oven, and roast until fish is done, about 8 minutes.
• Meanwhile, toast the slices of baguette and rub them with olive oil.
• Use one or two large spatulas to transfer the fish and vegetables to a serving platter, discarding the rosemary and thyme. Pour sauce over the fish, and sprinkle with parsley.
• Serve garnished with croutons topped with tapenade.