At the end of each year food professionals discuss fads and popular trends in the culinary world and often make predictions about what's to come.
I don't know what's coming but I can say that as far as I know, one food trend this year was: avocado toast. Which is basically guacamole sandwich. Which is basically mashed avocado with some lime or lemon juice and anything else you might want in your guacamole, like tomatoes or chili pepper and so on.
I also know this: there's a good reason that avocado toasts became a thing. They're scrumptious. They're easy to prepare. They are incredibly versatile, as in you can use them as a base for a whole host of hors d'oeuvre, which might come in handy for New Year's get togethers.
For example: these avocado toasts on melba rounds topped with chopped salmon and some seasonings.
Honestly, it couldn't get much easier than this and they do look pretty don't they?
They're on my menu for my New Year pre-dinner cocktail hour.
And btw, I buy salmon "scraps" that (fortunately) my local supermarket sells -- the leftover but still good pieces of salmon that the lox cutter cuts away to get those perfect slices. Because you chop this salmon up, so why not buy the cheap stuff?
SMOKED SALMON AND AVOCADO TOASTS
24 toast rounds (or packaged Melba rounds)
2 small avocados, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon plus 1-1/2 teaspoons olive oil
2 tablespoons finely chopped scallion
2-3 tablespoons lime juice
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 pound smoked salmon pieces
1 tablespoon chopped chives
pinch or two of cayenne pepper
If using bread, cut out small circles with a cookie cutter, or use packaged Melba rounds. In a bowl, mash the avocados. Add one tablespoon olive oil, the scallion, 2 tablespoons lime juice and salt and pepper to taste. Mix thoroughly and add more lime juice if desired. Spread the avocado mixture evenly over the bread. Chop the smoked salmon, add the remaining 1-1/2 teaspoons olive oil, the chives and some cayenne pepper and mix ingredients thoroughly. Spread equal amounts of the salmon mixture on top of the avocado mixture.
Makes 24