Fun, colourful, ultra quick to assemble and virtually healthy. These Mixed Berry Toasts are the answer to your breakfast woes.
Ok, time to be honest. Although I’m going to be talking about these gorgeous Mixed Berry Toasts today, what I really want to be talking about involves alcohol.
I have had a stinker of a day – I burst a central heating pipe putting up a picture frame. It caused a massive leak and significant damage to my hallway wall. What can I say? Sometimes I amaze myself at my own prowess. So I’m hoping you’ll empathise with me when I confess that what I really want to be talking about (and drinking) right now is a good strong cocktail.
But on the menu for today are these light, fresh and oh so pretty Mixed Berry Toasts. I’ve been eager to share these with you for a number of weeks. Here on LittleSugarSnaps I’ve been on a bit of an indulgence spree for most of the year to date. You may have noticed. So I recently made a deal with myself to share a few healthier recipes before summer and ice-cream season comes around. For this reason, despite my soggy event today, I’m sticking to the plan. I’m not going to break rank – that cocktail can sit on ice for a week or two longer.
Let’s talk about breakfast.
I’m really not a person who enjoys a typical English Breakfast – I’m talking about the Fry-Up. I may like various components individually, but a big plateful of hot, savoury, salty food first thing in the morning really doesn’t get me all that excited. And then there’s the cooking that’s involved. Not to mention the lingering stench of tomato ketchup. It’s not a place I like to visit often.
When it comes to breakfast I much prefer an abundance of fruit. If I feel like splurging, my weekend breakfast of choice would be pancakes or waffles with a stack of ripe & rosy strawberries, fruit sauce and a neat pile of whipped cream. If I’m feeling ultra healthy, I opt for Greek yoghurt, plenty of berries, a light sprinkling of homemade granola and maybe a drizzle of maple syrup. Life, my friends, sounds just like a dream apart from burst pipes.
These Mixed Berry Toasts fall somewhere in between this indulgence-virtuousness spectrum. Each toast is loaded up with a lavish slick of either light & fresh ricotta cheese or rich & creamy mascarpone. These toasts are then adorned with various fruity toppings:
- Strawberries, mint & hazelnuts
- Raspberries, basil & pistachio nuts
- Blueberries, lemon zest & mint
A little trickle of honey across each toast is the final flourish. These Mixed Berry Toasts could not be simpler to prepare. They are fresh, fruity, substantial and make a great breakfast, especially when time is short.
Picking a favourite is tricky. I do love variety. Strawberries and mint is a well loved classic. It tallies particularly well with mascarpone cheese and a grind of black pepper.
But I also like the very summery combination of raspberries and basil. It’s slightly less obvious than pairing them up with mint (which, let’s not ignore, is another lovely partnership).
As for the blueberries and lemon, it was a spur of the moment team up that worked well. No need for nuts and lovely with either of the cheeses.
And there we have it, my (cocktail-free) mini buffet of Mixed Berry Toasts – you could get away with calling them Breakfast Crostini.
Breakfast Crostini: Mixed Berry Toasts with Soft Cheese & Nuts
Ingredients
Per person
- 3 slices Baguette - 1cm thick, sliced on the diagonal (I used sourdough) - see notes
- 1 1/2 tsp Liquid honey
For the Strawberry Toasts
- 2 tsp Mascarpone cheese
- 2 Medium strawberries - hulled, chppped small
- 2 Hazelnuts - finely chopped
- 2 Mint leaves
- Freshly ground black pepper (optional)
For the Raspberry Toasts
- 2 tsp Ricotta Cheese
- 5 Raspberries
- 2 Pistachio nuts - finely chopped
- 2 Basil leaves
For the Blueberry Toasts
- 2 tsp Ricotta cheese
- 7 Medium blueberries
- A little grated lemon zest
Instructions
- Begin by lightly toasting the bread on both sides
For the Strawberry Toasts
- Spread the toast with the mascarpone cheese
- Rip up a mint leaf and scatter over the cheese
- Pile the strawberries onto the toast
- Rip up the remaining mint leaf and scatter on top
- Drizzle with 1/2 tsp honey
- Grind a little black pepper on top (optional)
For the Raspberry Toasts
- Spread the toast with the Ricotta cheese
- Rip up a basil leaf and scatter over the cheese
- Arrange the raspberries onto the toast
- Rip up the remaining basil leaf and scatter on top
- Drizzle with 1/2 tsp honey
For the Blueberry Toasts
- Spread the toast with the mascarpone cheese
- Rip up a mint leaf and scatter over the cheese
- Arrange the blueberries onto the toast
- Rip up the remaining mint leaf and scatter on top along with the lemon zest
- Drizzle with 1/2 tsp honey
- Serve the toasts Immediately
Notes
Do you still want the cocktails? These might keep you going:
Raspberry & Passionfruit Martini (aka The Blushing Cuban)
The Baylon: A Bourbon, Pineapple & Pear Delight
Pin these Mixed Berry Toasts:
What a delicious combination of flavors. The honey gives this wonderful taste to the fruits.
Thanks Carlos
What a lovely healthy recipe and great for summer! I think they’d be perfect for a summer garden party or as an appetiser.
Corinia, i think you are right, for an informal get together these would also be perfect nibbles – why restrict them to breakfast. I think a glass of something bubbly would go veery nicely with them too.
Wow, these little guys look like a perfect way to start your day! Love the combination of ricotta and mascarpone cheeses with berries. Bookmarking to try these when the berry season starts!
Thanks Jovita – vaguely seasonal berries are just beginning to appear around me, but I can’t wait for the proper summer bounty berries to arrive.
These berry toasts looks so yummy and delicious, and a perfect breakfast treat. So many lovely flavours, not sure which I would say could possibly be my favourite either.
I do hope you managed to enjoy some delcious cocktails too, and that perhaps you stay away from the DIY for now.
Thanks Helen. I settled for a glass of red wine in the end. And I’m about to order a wall scanning tool to alert me to any more hidden pipes!
Lovely pictures! This is the sort of breakfast I enjoy – lots of fruits, fresh flavors, and easy to put together. They all look so great, but I especially have my eye on the strawberry toasts. I’ve only recently become converted to the strawberry/black pepper combo, and I love it!
Annemarie, thankyou. That black pepper works a magic number on those already gorgeous strawberries doesn’t it?
Light bright and fresh, what a perfectly lovely way to start the day – these look amazing! I think I’ll start with the strawberry – somebody hand me that plate!
Thankyou Debra. These are so perfect for Spring & Summer.
These toasts are sooo pretty, and I’m totally loving the flavour pairings! I don’t know which one I’d wanna try first1
I hope that your wall is on the mend, and you got that cocktail!
If in doubt just make all three and gorge…. The wall should be fully healed by Friday and I now have a device to help me find pipes and live wires 🙂 … I may wait a few more days before I attempt to hang more pictures though.
Oh my gosh I LOVE this idea!! Talk about taking toast to the next, elegant, level!
Thankyou so much Tracy 🙂
Love this idea Jane. And your photos are gorgeous as always. Love that bright backdrop!
Ah, thankyou Meghan – I decided to invest in the backdrop when I saw it being used elsewhere. But I’ve become addicted – it’s so hard to use something different instead right now.