This Spread Transforms Buttered Toast Into A Gourmet Treat

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While you may be tempted to skip breakfast, even a simple piece of buttered toast can help start your day off on the right foot. But to add interest, prepare a flavorful compound butter to keep in the fridge, saving you time without sacrificing great taste. Bring the heat with harissa paste, a spicy Moroccan staple, and your next breakfast toast will be totally transformed.

A lively mixture which includes such ingredients as dried chiles, tomato paste, roasted red peppers, spices like coriander, cumin, caraway, and smoked paprika, and oil, harissa paste has a generally pleasant heat and lots of big flavor. There are various good-quality store-bought versions of the paste like this Zwita harissa available online, or prepare your own homemade harissa recipe and adjust the flavors to your liking. This vibrant red paste is perfect for mixing up with your favorite butter for a toast topping that brings excitement to breakfast.

Much like harissa paste makes compound butter even better on steak, so too will it elevate your morning toast. To make the compound butter, simply combine about one tablespoon of harissa paste with around four tablespoons of softened salted butter at room temperature, mixing well before shaping everything into a log that you can store for later use. This will last about five days when refrigerated or about six months if properly stored in the freezer. To use it, simply slice off your preferred amount and slather it on a piece of freshly toasted bread.

While excellent as-is, a slice of harissa-buttered toast opens up a variety of possibilities for other ingredient additions. For starters, when preparing the compound butter, you can add in other complementary ingredients for an even more flavorful spread. Enhance the tastes already present in the harissa paste by adding more fresh garlic and herbs or a little extra ground pepper or dried chiles.

As far as other toast toppings go, amp up your meal by adding protein. Try a fried egg on top or go for poached or hard-boiled if you prefer, giving the light meal a shakshuka vibe that's suitable at any time of day. Even a sprinkle of crumbled feta cheese on top or a spoonful of Greek yogurt will provide an addition of rich dairy to temper the heat of your spicy harissa butter. Or give harissa-buttered toast a fiber-filled topping with sliced or smashed avocado. You can also add a spread of hummus or canned beans.

When it comes to the bread, feel free to get creative with your style of toast. Grill or toast a piece of pita bread to lean into the Mediterranean flavors of harissa. Seeded bread, a bagel, or even an English muffin will all work, too. With a generous portion of harissa-infused butter, your toast will quickly become the can't-miss highlight of your day.