Avocado toast with tomato relish [Recipe]
Avocado toast has become a very popular food these past couple of years, I first heard about it from a friend of mine who liked it as a breakfast before he would go the gym and lift weights (I was thoroughly confused by the concept of lifting things for the sake of lifting them). Its easy preparation and delicious flavor make it a wonderful addition to anyone’s recipe repertoire and an excellent way to add those healthy fats into your diet and not miss that creaminess that butter provides. So whether you’re looking for some quick energy to go to the gym or (like me) want something easy to eat without having to put on those oppressive pants I’ve got you covered. The most basic recipe for avocado toast is great, because it literally gives you the ingredients and recipe in the name: you just put avocado on toasted bread and maybe a little olive oil if you’re feeling squirrely. This recipe adds a little roasted garlic, tomato, and pickled mustard seeds (for those who are feeling extremely squirrely, it’s how I live my life 24/7). Admittedly, it may take a little while longer during the original prep period, but some of the ingredients keep for a long time and can be used for a while afterward. Plus, one of the best things about this recipe is that all the ingredients are really easy to find in your nearest grocery store! There is nothing worse than following a recipe with really obscure ingredients in my opinion. Which reminds me, recently I have been ordering my groceries online. Normally I go to Walmart to pick up my shopping, but ever since I discovered that you can use promo codes on the Walmart website, I have not looked back. I am always keen to find new ways to save money, and using coupons and promo codes is a brilliant way to get a discount on your groceries. Finding these coupons and promo codes is so easy too. All you need to is head to the Raise website that you can visit here. So, without any further ado, here is my quick and easy avocado toast recipe.
Avocado toast with roasted garlic & a pickled mustard seed tomato relish [Prep]
Pickled Mustard Seeds
Mustard is a condiment that I absolutely love using, so expect there to be a lot of mustard recipes in the future (you can also check my post about a Beer Mustard Aioli here). I first learned about pickled mustard seeds when I was serving at a restaurant in Laguna Beach, CA where one of the Sous Chefs was gushing about Chef David Chang’s “Momofuku” cook book. I have to say that he made me a believer pretty damn quick after trying some of his dishes using these seeds, so I decided to learn how to make them myself. The recipe that I used is from Kyle Hildebrant at OurDailyBrine.com
These ones turned out excellent, albeit a little sweeter than I thought they would. Heating the mustard seeds really takes that bite out of them, so don’t expect the hard spice that you would get with mustard. I’d cut back on the Mirin (sweet cooking sake) and sugar if you want less sweet, but in my opinion they are good the way they are. You can make a batch of these and just keep them in the fridge for a long time and save them for later use, I’ve been putting them on everything, the texture alone is worth the effort.
Roasted Garlic
I did know how to roast garlic until I turned 25. It’s a secret shame that I have kept to myself for years and I now am finally vindicated and the weight of culinary ignorance has been slightly lifted from my shoulders. It’s also really easy and something you can do a batch of an save for later. I like to use this recipe from Kim at ThreeOlivesBranch.com, check it out because it is a great resource (her grapefruit limoncello recipe is an absolute game changer).
Ingredients
- Sliced bread of your choice
- 1 avocado
- roasted garlic
- extra virgin olive oil
- diced red onion
- pickled mustard seeds
- Salt & Pepper
- slice of lemon
Avocado Toast
I was lucky enough to have a loaf of bread that my dad baked, so I used that. I prefer sturdier breads with crispier crusts as opposed to the sliced bread that you people normally associate with toast and with the added weight of the tomato relish you may want something a little heartier.
I took some of the roasted garlic and put it in a blend with some extra virgin olive oil to make a paste. I love this because you can do a garlic bread without using all that butter, it also makes for a much more compelling flavor (in my opinion). I took the spread and slathered it onto my sliced bread and toasted it.
what to do with the avocado seems to be a point of contention with my avocado toast aficionado friends, some tell me that you just slice it and place it on the toast, whereas I know others who insist on mashing it like a guacamole and spreading it on the bread. I went with the slice for presentation purposes, but I leave that to your discretion (personally, I’ve found that mashing it helps keep everything on the toast).
Tomato Relish
Now you’ll have to correct me if I’m not using the proper word here, because I don’t know how else to describe this other than a relish. You can use cherry tomatoes like I did (I used heirloom cherry tomatoes) or just dice up regular sized tomatoes. I mixed them with salt and pepper, just a drop of olive oil, diced red onion, and a little lemon juice. The acidity from the lemon will help with the fattiness of the avocado and olive oil. I finished it with those marvelous pickled mustard seeds, that wrapped everything up in a slightly sweet, slightly briny package.
Just place everything on top of the toast and there you have it! A fancy sounding avocado toast with some excellent ingredients that you can prep in batches for your next meal. The time consuming part is really in the mustard seeds and roasted garlic, but I think you’ll find so much use out of both of those that it would be worth the time. So the next time some fancy pants talks to you about the avocado toast they had for breakfast give them a does of this goodness and watch them submit to your breakfast superiority (or any meal for that matter, you can do whatever you want, you’ve earned it).
-Vy