My brother Tom eats his cottage cheese plain—it’s always been that way. I
wonder if he at some point in his life read the book from Jim Collins entitled,
“Good to Great”, where the author describes Dave Scott, a six-time Ironman race
winner who was rumored to eat a ton of cottage cheese. Mr. Dave Scott would take
this one step further, rinsing his cottage cheese off under water before eating it to
get rid of any excess fat. Talk about sacrifice and commitment…
But here, this is not Ironman—and we love food. Alas, this recipe is much more
tasty than plain cottage cheese. The base of toasted, buttered bread with a bit of
jam is an amazing breakfast by itself. The added cottage cheese and sweet summer
peaches pair perfectly. Add some honey, a few drops of champagne vinegar, and
some finely-sliced chives to help provide some additional sweetness, acidity, and
freshness to the dish. You could find this breakfast dish served at a super fancy
and exclusive hotel as a semi-healthy option—It sings.
The following recipe serves two people, although it can be scaled up or down
really easily.
Black Pepper Cottage Cheese & Peaches on Toast with Chives
Ingredients
- 2 large center-cut pieces of crusty bread (sliced ½-inch thick)
- 2 Tbsp salted butter (softened)
- 1 Tbsp raspberry jam (important)
- ¾ cup full-fat cottage cheese (ideally not low-fat)
- ½ tsp freshly-ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp Kosher salt
- 2 whole peaches (pit removes, flesh cut into ¼” slices)
- 1 tsp honey (to drizzle on peaches)
- ¼ tsp champagne vinegar (just a few drops over each slice)
- A small sprinkle of fresh chives (finely sliced, as garnish)
Instructions
- Toast the two pieces of bread, or however much bread you are planning toasting.
- Remove from the toaster when golden brown.
- *Note, this recipe is described as an open-faced toast, not a sandwich.
- Spread a layer of the softened, salted butter onto each piece of toasted bread.
- Spread a thin layer of raspberry jam on top of the butter.
- In a small mixing bowl, quickly mix together the cottage cheese, freshly-ground
- black pepper, and Kosher salt.
- Add the cottage cheese mixture on top of the butter and jam layers on the toast.
- Cut your peaches into slices.
- Arrange the peaches on top of the cottage cheese layer.
- Drizzle with honey.
- Add a drop or two of champagne vinegar on top of each slice of peach.
- Garnish with some finely-sliced fresh chives, and serve immediately.
Notes
and not made in advance. Use a fancy toast like Brioche if you’re in the mood for
something on the sweeter side. *Sometimes I will only griddle one side of the bread, to allow for the outside of the
toast on the other side to be softer, and easier to eat. I also think the contrast is fun.
But if you prefer to toast both sides, go for it! If you really like onions, and that raw onion flavor, add some raw garlic or finely-
sliced scallions to this dish.