Ok, we all know I adore toast. It's the perfect breakfast/lunch/snack/dinner to me, so simple and easy, yet endlessly variable and, if you use the best ingredients you can find, never boring and always delicious. But I recently stumbled across an idea on Food52 that was so amazing, I knew what I had to do to up my toast game. 

I had to fry it.

Of course!  

It's so simple and obvious in retrospect, but it had never occurred to me. Sure, I've "toasted" my bread in pancetta drippings and fried up slabs of french toast, but this, heating up some good olive oil and letting each side of the bread soak and sizzle until golden? Well, I hadn't tried that before!

I was so excited at the prospect I made an early morning pilgrimage on Saturday to my favorite SF bread bakery just for the occasion, where I bought a beautiful dark, crusty sourdough loaf and then skipped away through the mist, the warm bread giving off a mouthwatering aroma that followed me home.

On Sunday, I woke up early, excited to heat up my cast iron skillet, slick some olive oil across the hot surface, and fry myself some toast. I looked so beautiful when I flipped it off of the skillet, just turning golden and starting to soak up some of the oil. I hit the burnished toast with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt and then piled it with a good, quality ricotta and some fresh plums because it's stone fruit season (!) and then took a bite. 

It. was. glorious.

The toast comes out crispy and heated through, yet still soft in the middle, with every inch flavored by the hot oil. It's sublime just at that point with a sprinkle of flaky salt, but the ricotta and the plums gave it enough extra to turn into a full breakfast. I could see this as a rich base for avocado toast or some bruschetta, or with butter instead of olive oil, a way to make perfect cinnamon toast or indulgent croutons. Much like ordinary toast, it's endlessly adaptable, but I foresee my oven broiler getting a lot less use from here on out.

Fried Toast with Ricotta and Plums

Inspired by Food52

• 1 thick slice good bread (the best you can make or buy)
• 1/2 cup ricotta (also the best you can buy, or make your own)
• 1 ripe plum, sliced
• olive oil, for frying
• flaky sea salt

1. In a skillet over medium heat, add about a tablespoon of olive oil (or more if you really want to get indulgent) and heat until shimmering.
2. Place the slice of bread in the oil and let cook for a minute or so. When golden brown on the bottom, flip over and fry the other side. 
3. Remove from pan and  sprinkle with a bit of flaky sea salt, then spread with the ricotta. Top with the sliced plums and serve.