“Make lemonade when life gives you lemons grab a bowl of butter, when life gives you radishes. ”

— anonymous

Life changes your eating especially when you didn’t grow up at your grandmothers side making fresh preserves or chowing down on homemade pasta. Maybe like me you grew up thinking Velveta cheese was cheese, knowing the McDonald’s menu by heart, or disliking Burger King for serving Coke and not Pepsi. Perhaps your parents carried packets of ketchup in the glove box, and eating healthy meant you slurped up the little fruit cups of peaches, and was it, pears? Did you eat enough fast food to last two life times or even three?

So what changes us? Food? No. Us? Yes. Where did you start?

It started for me with a tomato. The real deal from the garden. Someone gave it to me at work, and I thought what am I supposed to do with this? So I sliced it up and discovery happened. Imagine: Mouth open and jaw dropping. Is this what food should taste like my brain asked? Why didn’t anyone ever tell me? Thus began my journey. Food discovery became a hobby, a conversation, a recipe to share, a tearful moment, a shared times with friends and a blog.

My first Goal was to taste. It hit me that I was a food neophobe.

neophobia (ˌniːəʊˈfəʊbɪə): tendency to dislike anything new; fear of novelty 'neophobe —

Change had to happen. I read that you have to try something at least seven times to like it or hate it. I had never done that so the adventure began. Maybe your like me and you have to start small. A tomato, a beet, a radish, you might like it the first time but you may love it by the seventh. Either way, are you famished and ready to make food history together?

The last vegetable I might have ever decided to like has now become a staple in my refrigerator. Farmer’s markets in the Pacific North West start carrying radishes in May. Boasting the benefits to my husband that it is “packed with vitamin C”, I encouraged our adventures with this root vegetable that crunches hard and bites back. And with butter at it’s side what’s not to like.

This is an appetizer or light starter to really impress your friends. It is often served in France as a starter. You can serve the whole radish and dip them in the butter and salt only, but most people will adapt to the idea of radishes better if you slice them thin.

Ingredients:

A bunch of radish including choice of white, black, french breakfast, red globes or snowballs

softened butter unsalted preferably kerry gold or the best butter you can buy

fleur de sel or kosher salt if you do not have fleur de sel.

baguette sliced thin

olive oil

1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Cover a baking pan with foil or parchment paper. Place your baguette slices on top. Using a pastry brush lightly coat each slice with olive oil. Place in oven for 10-15 minutes until golden. I tend to buy two baguettes as my weakness is to burn the first baguette. Remove from oven and place slices on serving platter.

2. Slice radish thin while baguette is warming in oven and place on platter. I like to serve mine on a wood board to give it an authentic feel. Place fleur de sel in a small holder. If you have a salt cellar and spoon by all means use that if not pinch of the finger will work as well.

3. Place butter in a dish with a small knife.

4. Serve baguette slices, butter, salt and radishes with a glass of champagne or sparkling wine. The guest explanation is what makes this appetizer. For some people it will be a new experience.

Guest Directions:

Take one slice of baguette slather with butter, add a tiny pinch of salt on top and cover with radish slices. Crunch, Sip and Enjoy.

Pairing:

Sparkling Wine such as Chandon, Roederer or Mumm. If you have a bottle of Champagne of course this is the time to pop the cork.

Tips:

If not using the radishes the day you purchase them cut off the leaves before storing them in the refrigerator. You can use the radish leaves for soup.