I'm back from an east coast trip visiting family and friends and no doubt it had been too long. It felt great to reconnect. This was our first trip out of California since we moved here nearly 2 years ago. California is BIG so even as we've traveled hundreds and hundreds of miles over the past 2 years, we were still in CA. Quite different than the east coast where a 1 hour drive can take you through 3 different states. We were so excited to be back in New York City and wanted to try all the foods we've been missing, which resulted in an afternoon to evening of drinks and small bites, a Halal cart in midtown was a must, but we paced ourselves. A bit better than our extreme eating day in LA earlier in the year. I still don't know how I ate that much. One of our stops in NY was at Five Points Restaurant for some cocktails and small bites at the bar, and as I've already raved about Five Points brunch, this visit was just as delicious and inspiring as ever. We had Sweet Pea Crostini and a potato pizza with fontina and truffle oil. (I think the pizza will be showing up on this blog in the coming weeks, I can't seem to shake it from my mind). But I really wanted to try and make the crostini. This recipe is adapted from La Tartine Gourmande, I changed a couple things due to what I had on hand and it came out absolutely delicious. Bea's recipes are quite reliable, you can change up fresh herbs or veggies slightly and it will still work. She recommends using a mortar to mash the peas, I don't have one so I used a smartstick blender, once the oil and lime juice are added it mixes up quite easily and still leaves enough texture to the paste. The cumin is great with the peas, I'm discovering how well it works in vegetable dishes just like the vegetable galettes. The original recipe called for Tarragon which I did not have, I used cilantro instead and I love it, cilantro-garlic-cumin-lime is a really good combination! And the toasted Chia seeds are a really nice touch as well as a nutritious bonus!

I will definitely be making these again. I hope you enjoy, Recipe below.

Also if you want some really fun cocktails, check out Hill & Dale on the Lower East Side, I tried "Flip the Frog", it was delicious!

Sweet Pea Crostini
(adapted from La Tartine Gourmande)

1 1/2 cup blanched peas (set aside a few for garnish)
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 garlic clove minced
Juice of 1 lime
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons fresh cilantro chopped (more for garnish)
1/4 cup shredded Pecorino cheese
1 tablespoon dry toasted chia seeds
salt & pepper (to taste, about 1/2 teaspoon salt and several grinds of pepper)

To blanch the peas, place peas in large pot of boiling water, cook for 2 minutes or until tender and still bright green. Place peas in ice bath to cool. Strain and set aside.

To toast the chia seeds, place seeds in fry pan without oil, heat for 1-2 minutes and let cool.

In a mortar, add sea salt, pepper, cumin, garlic and crush into a paste. (If you don't have a mortar you can used a stick blender or food processor).

Add 1/2 of the peas, and add a little of the lime juice. Crush/blend into a coarse paste. Continue with adding 1 tablespoon of oil. Then add the rest of the peas, lime juice and oil. Combine until you have a semi-smooth paste with some texture. Stir in the fresh herbs.

Toast 4 slices of bread.

Spread the toast with mashed pea mixture. Top with whole peas, cheese, chia seeds and fresh cilantro

Makes 4 servings