Spring Radishes, Butter, and Salt
I was invited into the home of a French family for a couple weeks in a small town outside the city of Nantes. I marveled at the mother’s ability to create complicated culinary masterpieces in the tiniest of kitchens, but I also appreciated her simple, rustic dishes that best embodied classic French home cooking.
One of the most easy, beautiful appetizers she served was a platter of fresh spring radishes and baguette with a side of butter and sea salt. I remember feeling amazed how such simple ingredients could create such complex, elegant flavors - the creamy butter cutting the spiciness of the radishes, and the salt enhancing each individual flavor. I love when food surprises you !
My friend felt very nostalgic for his mother’s platter of radishes, which he often ate as an after-school snack as a child. Although I’ve recently seen it cropping up at a few trendy eateries in San Francisco, it is typically served as an afternoon refreshment or aperitif before dinner. The communal nature of everyone assembling the dish together makes for an intimate and casual shared platter.
With only 3-4 key ingredients, each element really has the chance to shine. Radishes should be crisp and crunchy with bright green tops. When serving the ingredients casually on a platter, I like the French Breakfast radish which are slightly sweet and only mildly spicy. If I’m turning them into tartines, I like to thinly slice the more common “cherry belle” varietal you’ll find at most supermarkets. Opt for a creamy, artisanal cultured butter and a baguette from your favorite boulangerie. And don’t skimp on the salt ! My favorite is fleur del sel (the finest of French sea salts), but any coarse grain, high-quality variety will do.
Spring Radishes, Butter, and Salt
(Serves 3-4)
1 baguette, sliced
4 bunches radishes
Artisanal butter
Sea salt
Thinly slice baguette and arrange on a platter with whole, washed radishes. Serve with butter and fine sea salt (pictured above.)
Or you can serve them as tartines ! Slice baguette and butter the toasts generously. Cover with thinly sliced radishes, a healthy sprinkling of salt, and chopped chives (pictured below.)
Wine Pairing Tip
I always like the unexpected combination of pairing wines with spicy food. While radishes are fresh and crisp, they also give off a bit of heat ! A Pinot Gris from Alsace would perfectly accompany the creaminess of the butter and spice from the radishes. The Pinot Gris grape is closely related to the more well-known Pinot Grigio; but where its cousin is light and crisp, the Alsatian style is richer in flavor and fuller in body.
