There are three key elements to this recipe: ripe avocado, sturdy toast and flavoursome cheese.
There is a fine balance between a beautifully ripe avocado and one sporting brown mushy sections. Avocados are a climacteric fruit, which means they mature on the tree but ripen off it. Bananas do this too, but bananas helpfully change colour when they’re about to go past their prime (and into the freezer ready for banana cake another day).
A perfectly ripe avocado will yield to gentle pressure, but so will a brown, stringy one. The trick I learned this week via The Kitchn is to remove the little button at the stem end of the avocado and check the colour underneath. If it’s green, you’ll find delicious creamy flesh inside. If it’s brown, you’ll be presented with a sepia, more slimey and not overly appetizing version. Avoid those.
You want a robust bread for this recipe that will give support to the mushy topping. Pick bread that is free of gaping holes and crumbly crusts. A dense sourdough loaf from your local baker is perfect.
If you can get your hands on some good quality marinated goats cheese, do that. Or, if you’re organised, you can make it yourself with a recipe like this one from Saveur. Feta (from goat or cow) also WORKS really well. I am very partial to an Australian goats cheese from Meredith Dairy, and was lucky to find it in my local cheese store in Brooklyn – even better for a taste of home.
Lime and mint make a guest appearance in this recipe, taking a break from their traditional cocktail duties, to provide some levity and zing.
You may not be homesick, but you can travel to Melbourne vicariously through this toast, and I can assure you that it’s a lovely place to visit.