March 23rd is National Melba Toast Day–and plenty of moms know plenty about Melba Toast! Although a lot of people don’t know that Melba Toast is actually named after Dame Nellie Melba, which was the stage name for the Australian opera singer Helen Porter Mitchell. So the story goes, as she fell ill her food staple became toasted bread. A chef and fan wanted to make her happy by making her meals as beautiful as she was–and created some petite hors d’œuvre in her honor atop thinly sliced and toasted breads to feed her soul and fuel her body. [photo via notmartha.org]
This crunchy treat has always been a favorite of kids just getting to work their new teeth. Melba toast is, after all, the perfect combination of thin and dry toast. And as we get older, we learn goes great with soup or salad, topped with cheese, or your favorite jam. If you are feeling adventurous, whip up the recipe below for a delicious treat. It’s called Tuna Melba Toast–and we’re adding in the option of making it Tuna Curry Melba Toast, if your kids is really a culinary adventurer. You can leave that out, though. By any name, this snack is easy and delicious enough that you’ll want to make up a big batch…
Ingredients
1/3 can of Tuna
1 tbsp light mayo
1 slice of purple onion
1 tbsp of yellow curry powder
15 leaves of fresh spinach
5 cherry tomatoes sliced
Directions
Mix up Curry powder with drained Tuna (40 g is ~ 1/3 of a can of Tuna).
Put Tuna, sliced onion, spinach and cherry tomatoes slices on bread for a tasty snack!
Number of Servings: 1, so make more!
Melba Toast is a terrific platter for such delectable morsels as the recipe shown above. You can make it for just yourself or enough to serve at a party. Melba Toast is also great to keep in your kitchen cabinet as a staple to grab for a quick snack or meal, hors devours or even a fun finger food for your child’s lunch box. Enjoy your Melba Toast today–and toast to Dame Nellie (and her admirer) as you tell the story.