May | 2017 | The Chef Dan

Avocado Toast with Chipotle Mayo & Toasted Coriander

I know what you’re thinking. Why do I need a recipe for avocado toast, it’s just mashed avocado and bread, right? Wrong. Well, kind of. Sure, you could just throw some avocado on a piece of white bread and call it a day and it would be pretty good. But when you’re feeling something a bit more elevated, this avocado toast recipe is perfect.

For this recipe I’ve teamed up with Wolf Gourmet to highlight their 4-slice toaster. For years, I’ve been using a toaster oven at home and every time I use it, I remember how much I hate it. It takes forever to toast bread and doesn’t even do a particularly good job. So I was pretty excited to finally have a reason to make the switch to a pop up toaster and the Wolf Gourmet 4-slice didn’t disappoint. After using the Wolf Gourmet 4-slice toaster for this recipe, I’m totally sold on it and will definitely not be going back to the toaster over. It was quick, gave me perfectly even browning, and it’s also pretty easy on the eyes. What else could you ask for in a toaster really? You can purchase the toaster at Williams-Sonoma.

Alright, on to the avocado toast. First let me say that if you think avocado toast is just avocado toast, you haven’t experienced enough of it. Like I said earlier, there is nothing wrong with a basic avocado toast. But for when you need something a little extra, this is the avocado toast for you.

A few things set this apart. The first thing is the bread. You want a crusty bread. It doesn’t really matter but something with a bit of a chew. French bread, baguette, or sourdough would work perfect. You want to toast it until golden brown. I used level 6 on this toaster. The next thing that sets this apart is a bit of garlic. When the bread comes out of the toaster, you want to rub each piece with a clove of garlic. It’s an easy thing to do, but it really makes a difference. Chipotle mayo is what takes this avocado toast to the next level. Avocado is already creamy on its own so the addition of chipotle mayo is really a luxurious addition.

The last unique thing about this is the toasted coriander. I love the flavor of coriander seed, especially when it’s toasted. I find that it meshes perfect with the avocado, chipotle, and lime in this case. When it comes to the actual smashing of the avocado, there are a few routes you can take. You can mash it all up in a bowl and then spread it on the bread. But I find that’s a bit more like guac. The avocados I had for this recipe were so perfect I didn’t want to completely smash them. Instead, I cubed them and then gave them a light press with a fork in order to get a bit more texture out of the avocados. That’s really just a preference though. You could smash the avocado, more, less, or not at all depending on your mood.

If you’re wondering why there are only 3 toasts in the pictures, it’s because I couldn’t resist and ate one before I could take pictures.

Now for the recipe.

Avocado Toast with Chipotle Mayo & Toasted Coriander

Ingredients

2 ripe avocados
4 slices of crusty bread
4 tbsp chipotle mayo
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 clove of garlic
1 lime, cut into wedges
4 pinches of maldon sea salt or other finishing salt

Method

Toast your bread until perfectly golden brown and then rub each piece with the clove of garlic. While the bread is toasting, halve the avocados and carefully remove the pits using a sharp knife. Score the avocado halves in a cross-hatch pattern and then using a spoon, slide between the flesh and skin to get out the cubes.

Toast the coriander seed in a dry pan over medium heat until fragrant moving them around every 30 seconds or so. Allow them to slightly cool, then crush using the bottom of a heavy pan or pestle and mortar. Set aside for now.

Spread about 1 tbsp of chipotle mayo on each piece of toast leaving a bit of the bread exposed around the edges. Top each piece of toast with 1/2 an avocado (cubed) and then lightly press them down using a fork. Sprinkle the coriander amongst the toast and then add a pinch of salt to each toast as well. Serve with lime for squeezing.

Grilled Baby Gem with Charred Jalapeño Ranch Dressing

Summer is here and that means it’s officially grilling season. It’s not that I don’t grill during the rest of the year, in fact, I’m content with barbecuing in a blizzard. But now that we’re finally getting some good weather, I’m basically doing all my cooking outdoors. I’ll grill anytime, and I’ll grill anything.

For this post, I’ve partnered with HomeSense. HomeSense is my go to spot for all my BBQ entertaining essentials. They’ve got tons of outdoor dishes, glasses, and all the accessories you could ever need, everything is at a great price too. With Father’s Day around the corner, It’s the perfect spot to find gifts as well. Click here to find your local HomeSense.

Homesense provided me with some great grilling accessories for this post so in addition to the recipe, I’m going to share a few tips and accessories that I really loved.

Everybody likes to grill burgers, steaks, hotdogs, and chicken, but there are so many other fun things that taste great when grilled. I’m a big fan of wedge salad, especially during the summer. It’s something I make all the time. All you need is a crisp green like romaine, iceberg lettuce, or in this case baby gem, and a creamy ranch. You could throw that on a plate and call it a day. Or, you could step up your game and grill your wedge salad. It’s super easy and also a fun way to change things up from the usual routine.

Grilling baby gem takes no time at all. A minute on a hot grill is all you need to get a bit of a char and tons of smokey flavour. The Jalapeño buttermilk ranch also goes perfect with the grilled greens. I take all the seeds out so its not too spicy but you definitely still get a bit of heat. If you don’t typically make your own ranch dressings, you should. You only need a few ingredients and it’s so much better than store bought. You can change it up really easily by adding herbs or different spices. I often add dill and parsley to this dressing as well. I also like that you can completely control the consistency of the dressing. Just add a bit more buttermilk to thin it out or add a little more yogurt if you prefer a thicker dressing.

I wanted to keep this salad relatively simple so I just added a handful of cherry tomatoes. But you could make things a bit more interesting by adding different veggies or even fruit. Cucumber and onion are always safe bets but some sort of citrus like orange or grapefruit would also be a fun addition. Same goes for cheese. I often add feta or blue cheese to my wedge salads.

Before I get to the recipe, I want to share a few of the grilling accessories that I got from HomeSense. First is this burger mold. I typically don’t use burger molds because I find they over compress the burger and make it tough. That’s not an issue with this one though, since the meat doesn’t get squished down. You just gently fill it up, and then cover it with the lid. I always like to have a batch of burgers in the freezer and this mold is perfect for that. The hexagon shape is also a fun change.

Another great accessory are these mini thermometers. I always like to use thermometers when I’m grilling whole chickens. For me, it’s the best way to tell when it’s done. This set has 4 thermometers so they also are perfect for cooking multiple steaks and ensuring each one is cooked perfectly.

The last accessory that I want to share is this BBQ wok. I love these for doing small veggies on the grill that could easily fall through the grates. It’s perfect for doing onions to go along with your burger. All the other accessories in this post are also from HomeSense, so if you see anything you like, you know where to get it.

Grilled Baby Gem with Charred Jalapeño Ranch Dressing

Ingredients

For the Dressing

1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup greek yogurt
1/4 cup mayo
1 lemon, juice and zest
1 jalapeno
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

For the salad

6 heads of baby gem lettuce, halved lengthwise
12 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp kosher salt

Method

Preheat your bbq to medium-high heat. To make the dressing, start by charring the jalapeño on the BBQ until it is totally blackened. Carefully remove it and place it in a small bowl and cover with plastic wrap until cool enough to handle. In the meantime, combine all other dressing ingredients in a medium bowl or jar. When the jalapeño has cooled down, carefully scrape off the charred skin using a sharp knife. Slice the pepper in half lengthwise and then scrape out the seeds. Discard both the seeds and skin. Finely chop the flesh of the jalapeño and then add it to the dressing. Stir well to combine and keep dressing in the fridge until ready to use

Cut each baby gem in half ensuring to keep the base intact. Toss them in a bowl with olive oil and salt and then grill cut side down for about 1 minute. You just want a bit of colour on them. Remove the lettuce from the grill and arrange on a serving plate with the halved tomatoes. Drizzle the salad with the ranch and serve extra dressing on the side.