We’ve all been slapped in the face (metaphorically speaking). We all know the feeling of shock that accompanies that particular jolt. I was recently slapped in the face by Google. And they used my own photo and recipe to do it! You see I’d put together a Lemon Ricotta with Avocado Open-Faced Sandwich. It was meant to be a casual lunch. The kind of thing I typically throw together on the fly. But the ingredients were so pretty and it turned out so delicious looking that I pulled out my camera to take the photos you see here.
We’ve all done that, right?
Once I’d scratched the photo bug bite I sat down to enjoy my creation. As you can see it’s quite a tangle of tastes and textures. But actually, it’s nothing more than a thick, center-cut piece of toasted peasant bread slathered with lemon-scented full-fat whole milk ricotta cheese. There’s a heap of juicy little tomatoes in a mix of joyous colors too. These are topped with toasted sesame and poppy seeds for that much needed earthy crunch. A final flourish of red onions and yellow banana peppers — with their inherent bite — help to give some lift to the unctuous super-rich avocado buried beneath it all.
It’s a surprisingly delicious combination but I really hadn’t intended to post this “recipe”. It requires no special skills and I really don’t have anything new to say about avocado toast or even open-faced sandwiches. I’ve covered those topics before on this blog. However, once I had the photos in the can, so to speak, the time management expert that lives in my very busy and easily distracted brain convinced the blogger in me that good photos are like good food. You just can’t let them go to waste.
I decided that the only thing these photos needed was 500 words from me to make them blog-worthy so I turned to Google for inspiration. I started with the phrase “Lemon Ricotta with Avocado”. Yikes. It seems every blogger under the sun has already scrutinized that particular combination. There was no new grass to graze there. So I followed up with a search for “Open-Faced Sandwich”. More boring blather.
Next, I typed in “Avocado Toast”. Mostly out of curiosity. I certainly knew I’d see a lot of well-trod territory. The glorious rise and tragic fall of avocado toast has been well-documented. Suffice it to say that, McDonald’s now has an English-muffin version on its breakfast menu.
I knew when I Googled it that there would be a whole lot of folks out there Instagramming their avocado-topped brunch but I was not prepared for avocado backlash I found. I guess #Overcado is a popular bit of snark and someone snidely chose one of my previous Avocado Toast photos for her #Overcado Pinterest board.
Harumph! It seems my Lemon Ricotta with Avocado Open-Faced Lunch was “over” before I’d even digested it! Well, suddenly I have something to write about. And it’s a Lemon Ricotta with Avocado on Toast mouthful. GREG
Open-Faced Avocado Sandwich with Lemon Ricotta, Tomatoes, and Pickled Peppers
Print This Recipe Yield 4Source Adapted from Gabrielle HamiltonPublished
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh, whole-milk ricotta
- 1 lemon (zest only)
- ¼ cup very good extra-virgin olive oil (plus more for drizzling)
- salt and pepper (to taste)
- 4 large, center-cut slices rustic peasant bread
- 2 ripe but firm avocados (halved, pittled, peeled and sliced)
- 1 pint mixed-color cherry or grape tomatoes (cut in half)
- ½ small red onion (peeled and sliced into slivers)
- 16–20 pickled banana pepper slices (or to taste)
- 2 teaspoon lightly toasted sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon lightly toasted poppy seeds
Directions
Mix the ricotta with the lemon zest, olive oil, and a big pinch each salt and pepper. Set aside.
Heat a large dry skillet over medium-high heat. Lay bread slices in the skillet in a single layer and toast until hot and crispy on one side. Work in batches if necessary. Remove from skillet and arrange toasted side up on a cutting board. Divide the ricotta mixture evenly among the four slices. Spread into a generous even layer; edge to edge. Arrange the avocado slices neatly and evenly in a single layer on top.
Artfully set the tomato halves onto by pressing them into the soft avocado. You might not use all of the tomatoes. Then scatter the red onion and pickled banana peppers over the tomatoes.
Garnish each sandwich with some of the sesame and the poppy seeds. Transfer to plates and drizzle with very good olive oil.
Your avocado sandwich and toast looks so yummy and fabulous! I love it.
I will never be overcado. Never.
Is it avocado toast or cheese toast ? 😉
Looks yummy and healthy !
Wow! It looks yummy! I love the way you made it looks so colorful. It’s a great idea for breakfast and lunch as well. Actually, I think I can eat this sandwich all day.
Thanks for sharing!
Well, I haven’t had enough of avocado toasts for sure! Pairing with the lemon ricotta and the gorgeous and colourful tomatoes is a visual masterpiece that is making my mouth water! The poppy seeds and sesame seeds are a nice surprise too. I’m definitely bookmarking this for a nice summer lunch. To heck with that #overcado b#Tch!
Well, it’s absolutely gorgeous. And your photos are fabulous!!!
Greg that is so beautiful and looks so healthy! Ignore the naysayers. Like Jeff, I’m old enough to remember the food trends that he mentions, and I don’t think things need to go out of style quite so fast. I’m ready to eat avocado toast for a long time more, on trend or not!
We call that ein belegtes Brot in Germany and it is a main staple of an evening meal called Abendbrot. I love it and I love your avocado open faced Sandwich.
There may be many versions of avocado toast out there, but your description of *this* avocado toast is almost as colorful as your beautifully topped toast! Good thing you didn’t let those photos go to waste… Loved all 500 words!
Away with the naysayers! I’m glad you posted your avocado sandwich. It looks beautiful. It’s interesting how the internet has changed our perception of trends. I’m old enough to remember a day when every cool restaurant in the world had sun-dried tomatoes in everything, and hot bacon spinach salads used to be everywhere. Those pre-social media trends lasted for years. In the age of the internet Trends last for a day or a week and then are quickly forgotten for something new … except for the pumpkin spice latte, which just won’t go away.