Last Days, First Days: Spicy Pickled Radish Crostini

Honestly, I didn’t think this day would ever really get here. Our inn in Asheville, The Carolina Bed & Breakfast has been my 24/7 job for almost 9 years. As if it was our child, food had to be put on the table at specified times and we had be on-call day and night to help if needed. No being late, no being absent.

Finally in September of 2016 we put it on the market. After some initial slow going, we finally accepted an offer in November 2017. Selling a bed & breakfast is never simple and this one was a rollercoaster of a ride but here it is March 24, 2018 and I will be cooking my last breakfast tomorrow morning.

Which means tonight is the last time I put together a “wine and hors d’oeurves” party for our guests. Of all the cooking I have done here, creating small bites and canapes has been one of the most enjoyable. I always say that breakfast can’t be too crazy because everyone gets the same thing and it’s breakfast. Most people don’t want to be gastronomically challenged at 8:30 in the morning.

But the evening reception is something different altogether. Here I could go wild. We always offered five different canapes and I tried to keep it seasonal: Fried Green Tomatoes in the Fall and Asparagus wrapped in Prosciutto in the Spring. If someone didn’t like something or couldn’t eat it, there were always other things to eat. Over time we developed some heavy favorites and go-to recipes but I still enjoy the act of creating something new.

So, for our last evening gathering I had to try something I had not done before!

This time of year is when I usually plant radishes. Radishes don’t like extreme temperatures. No frost and no hot nights for them. They are a spring treat which is at its best when home-grown and eaten the day they are plucked from the ground.

Of course, it’s still too early for radishes from my garden but the stores were starting to get them in and I was tempted by this beautiful bunch to make some Quick and Spicy Pickled Radishes to use this evening.

The great thing about this recipe is that you can make them in the morning and eat them that evening.

So I thinly sliced the radishes and packed them into some mason jars.

Topped them with some red pepper flakes, mustard seed and celery seed, and poured over my pickling brine.

Then set them aside to let the cool off.

Later in the afternoon I sliced some baguette, toasted them and spread them with goat cheese. (You can use cream cheese if you prefer). Then I heaped on my pickled radishes and topped it with some crispy bacon bits. Yum!

Print

PICKLED RADISH, BACON AND GOAT CHEESE CROSTINI

Ingredients

• 10-15 large radishes
• ¾ cup apple cider vinegar
• ¾ cup water
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp salt
• ½ - 1 tsp mustard seeds
• ½ tsp celery seeds
• 1 tsp to taste red pepper flakes
• 1 half French Baguette sliced
• 3-4 oz soft goat cheese
• 4 slices of crispy bacon chopped

Instructions

1. Slice the radishes thinly and pack into a mason jar. (You can use a Pyrex bowl if you prefer).
2. Add the mustard seeds, celery seeds and red pepper flakes.
3. Heat the water, vinegar, sugar and salt to a boil then carefully pour over the radishes making sure you cover them completely. Seal the jars or cover with plastic wrap and let cool. (These will keep for a month or more in the refrigerator)
4. Toast the sliced baguette.
5. Spread with goat cheese, top with the radishes and sprinkle with some crispy bacon