Avocado Toast

I love avocadoes!  When on a three week business trip to Indonesia many years ago, one of the lunch options was a whole avocado, cut in half with a little seafood salad in the pit hole. Ordered it every day.  Love avocado Tacos, Guacamole, and avovado slices in turkey/chicken sandwiches. When having lunch at Forge Baking Company recently, I ordered the pizza slice. No pizza, but if you want something light, the server suggested, order:
AVOCADO TOAST – Avocado topped with salt, pepper, and olive oil on choice of housemade bread .  
Missed this on the menu because it is actually a breakfast offering (thinking now of the avocadoes offered for breakfst during a trip to Costa Rica), but also available for lunch.  Yum! Why didn't I think of this? So delicious and easy to make.  

Recently, I had a box of fresh basil from Chris's indoor garden, a loaf of Dave's Killer Bread, which I had bought on reccomendations posted on our town "link", and of course, avocadoes, so I improvised accordingly. 

Serves 1, scale accordingly.

Toast
1 large slice of bread.

While bread is toasting, thinly slice lengthwise 
1/2 avocado

Arrange sliced avocado on toasted bread.
(Looked prettier at Forge.  Avocado was very thinly sliced and  arranged in aperfect line on the toast. Think they must have use a slightly firmer avocado.)

Top with

Olive oil, drizzled
Salt (this is a recipe where salt is important!)
Pepper  

Then sprinkle with (addition to Forge recipe)
Basil, coarsley chopped

Silce in half. Enjoy for breakfast and lunch!

Moogie's Plum Pudding

Last winter a friend of Mom's asked me for Mom's Plum Pudding recipe.  It took a fair amount of digging through her recipe books and folders but finally I came upon a "xeroxed" recipe - a vintage copy where the print gradually vanishes as if written with disapearing ink. Most all of it was still, though faint, readable. By then it was early spring and hardly the time to post a winter holiday recipe. I probably won't make this since  Christmas Pudding is not as popular at our house now that Chris has taken over making holiday desserts, but given this blog is mainly for family this recipe, a medieval dessert cooked in a microwave oven,  deserves to be included.

I'm pretty sure this recipe contains the most ingredients of any recipe on this blog.  It also makes a huge amount. As I recall, Mom made a few smaller puddings for gifts, served some pudding at Christmas and took some to a New Year's Eve gathering she and Dad attended for many years.  I'd definately consider halving or even quartering the recipe though a partial recipe would probably result in lots of leftover ingredients.

"Recipe for Plum Pudding makes 4, 4 cup large puddings."

In a large mixing bowl, combine:

"12 oz raisins - or 1/2 lb
8 oz currants - 2/3 box
3 oz lemon peel
8 oz fruitcake fruit
3 oz orange peel
1 c dried bread crumbs
1/2 c apple, grated (1)
1/2 c carrot grated (1)
1/2 c potato (1 small) [assume potato is grated]
3/4 c candied pineapple
1/4 c + 2 TBL butter or 4 oz ground suet (I use butter) (kidney suet)
1 c sliced almonds
4 c flour (sifted)
1 1/2 c sugar
1/2 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t ground cloves
1/2 t ground nutmeg
1 c brandy
2 c apple cider"

Cover and let sit in a cool place overnight. Next day add

1 c molasses
1 3/4 t soda

"and stir into batter. [Pour batter into? - illegeible, ink vanished! Should the containers be buttered/"greased"? I would butter] any of the following containers:

A 4 cup glass measure [ing cup] makes the traditional high shape. A Pyrex casserole or bowl with a glass in the center makes a ringed shape, or a glass bread pan makes a loaf shape.

Fit 2 layers of brown paper into the bottoms of the molds. Fill molds 2/3 full with the batter.  Cover tightly with plastic wrap to get the steamed effect.

Microwave 10 to 15 minutes until top is almost dry and a toothpick comes out clean. Timing depends on shape and volume of mold. For best results cook one at a time and turn as it bakes.

To Store: [Remove from molds. ]Wrap in brandy soaked cheesecloth then in plastic wrap. Store in a cold place or freeze.

To Serve: Reheat, without unwrapping, in microwave oven 2 - 3 minutes.

Unwrap pudding, place on plate.  Dim lights. Carefully pour warm brandy over the pudding and light.

Serve with brandied hard sauce."


"HARD SAUCE

1/4 c butter
1 c conf[ectioners] sugar
1 t boiling H20
Salt
2 TBL Brandy

Cream together butter and sugar, add boiling H20, salt, Brandy. Beat til smooth and fluffy.

Hard sauce recipe should be triple or 4 times the above to serve with pudding."