Author: Julia

See below for recipe

Avocado Toast didn’t just pop up out of nowhere. Its origin story began long before it was an Instagram sensation and the “downfall” of millennial budgets across the nation. There are several legends about how toast smeared with avocado came about. It turns out its roots reach further than you might imagine.

The person who claims he put avocado toast on menus across the world is Bill Granger of bills restaurant in Sydney, Australia. Granger says he has no doubt that Australian cafe culture is what brought this breakfast into the spotlight. His version of avocado, lime, salt, and olive oil on toast was on the menu as early as 1993.

However, Chef Chloe Osborne of NYC’s Cafe Gitane says that she snacked on avocado toast in Australia during the 1970s, eventually bringing the tradition with her to the USA. She later added avocado toast to her Manhattan restaurant’s menu, with the earliest recorded appearance in 2006, though she claims they served it up before then. Her avocado toast really helped the trend spread across America. The Kitchen posted a copycat recipe in 2008, and since then, it’s spread and evolved across the country, with an avocado toast recipe in Gwyneth Paltrow‘s It’s All Good being hailed as another turning point for the humble breakfast item.

Avocado Toast in California

Avocados grow abundantly in Mexico, so it makes sense that they would have made their way to California. A New Yorker article describes a diner enjoying an avocado sandwich on whole wheat at Best Drug Stores, Inc. in Los Angeles in 1937. Even earlier, in 1931, the LA Times wrote about women enjoying avocado on toast with their coffee, hot or iced, after long days of shopping.

Outside of Los Angeles, it seems like the meal wasn’t unheard of, either. In a 1920 article for the Covina Argus, there’s a recipe for avocado on toast. More notably, The San Francisco Chronicle ran an article in 1927 suggesting that one should “Mash the flesh of the avocado and spread thickly on toast or between thin slices of bread.”

According to Rico Torres, co-chef of Mixtli in San Antonio, Texas, records of humans eating avocado date back 10,000 years ago in Puebla, Mexico, where avocados, indigenous to Mexico, were domesticated there before spreading to Central and South America. Torres says that avocado on a toasted tortilla likely preceded avocado on toasted bread.

Bread arrived in Mexico in the 1500s, along with Spanish colonizers, so it wouldn’t be too surprising if they put two and two together then. Chileans and Peruvians have a tradition of eating smashed avocado on bread, too. The dish is called pan con palta, and it’s so common it’s almost laughable to think of it as a trendy food. In Chile, fresh bread called marraqueta is smeared with mashed avocado and served for breakfast, as a snack, or with tea, a culinary tradition likely dating to the late 1800s.

A Perfect Pair

Looking at the evolution of avocado toast, it seems like one thing is true. Once avocado and bread are in the same place at the same time, it becomes obvious they were meant to be together. It’s thanks to Instagram and social media buzz that the combo has become so popular today. Truth is, this snack’s at least a century old and likely many more. obvious they were meant to be together. It’s thanks to Instagram and social media buzz that the combo has become so popular today. Truth is, this snack’s at least a century old and likely many more.

California Avocado Toast – Recipe

Adapted by John Coletta

Yields 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 250g. Avocado; Ripe; Peeled; Halved; Pitted
• 20g. Shallots; Peeled; Finely Minced
• 5g. Mint; Fresh; Leaves Only; Fine Chopped
• 5g. Parsley; Italian Flat Leaf; Leaves Only; Fine Chopped
• 10ml. Oil; Avocado
• 10g. Salt; Sea; Fine Grind
• 2g. Pepper; Black; Tellicherry; Coarse Grind
• 4 Slices Bread; Whole Grain or Whole Wheat; 1.25 Centimeters Thick
• 1 Garlic; Fresh; Clove; Peeled; Cut in Half
• 30ml. Oil; Olive; Extra Virgin
• 5g. Parsley; Italian Flat Leaf; Leaves Only
• 5g. Radishes; French Breakfast; Shaved lengthwise; Paper Thin
• 1 Lemon; Fresh; Grated on a Microplane
• 5g. Salt; Sea; Flaky; Maldon
• 2g. Pepper; Black; Tellicherry; Coarse Grind
• 2g. Pepper; Red; Crushed

Instructions

1. Mash the avocado with a stainless steel fork in a shallow bowl until chunky. Add the shallots, mint, and parsley and slowly drizzle the avocado oil. Mix until unified. Season with fine salt and black pepper.
2. Toast the bread until browned and crisp. Lightly rub 1 side of each slice with the cut side of the garlic until fragrant; reserve the garlic for future usage. Lightly brush the toasts with oil, and season with fine salt and pepper.
3. Divide the fork mashed avocado mixture evenly among the toasts, and top with Italian Parsley leaves and Shaved French Breakfast radishes. Evenly distribute the grated lemon rind, and season with flaky sea salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes.
4. Arrange onto an appropriate serving vessel and serve immediately.

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Traditional dolma is made with meat, rice, and a mixture of herbs rolled into grape leaves. There is also a variety of dolma made with a filling of nuts. Its name comes from the verb ‘doldurmaq’, meaning ‘to stuff’ in Azerbaijani. The ingredients vary from region to region and depending on the time of year. For example, in summertime, stuffed aubergines or tomatoes are also considered dolma dishes.

Grape Leaves Dolma – Recipe

Adapted by Orxan MUXTAROV

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground lamb or beef (or a combination)
• 1 medium onion, passed through a meat grinder or grated
• ½ cup medium-grain white rice, thoroughly rinsed (do not use long grain rice, such as Basmati!)
• ½ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
• ½ cup finely chopped fresh dill
• ½ cup finely chopped fresh mint
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• About 100 small-size or 50 medium-size fresh grape leaves (or frozen grape leaves, or canned leaves (about ¾ of a 16-ounce can)
• 3 tablespoons clarified butter (ghee) or unsalted butter (add more if meat is lean), or olive oil
• Plain Yogurt or Garlicky yogurt sauce, to serve (recipe follows)

Instructions

1. First, prepare the stuffing. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the ingredients for the stuffing (add less salt if using briny canned leaves). Mix with your hand until well combined.
2. If using fresh grape leaves, boil slightly salted water in a medium saucepan and blanch the leaves in small batches (about 10 at a time) in the boiling water for about a minute (less if the leaves are very tender). This will soften the leaves and make them easier to roll and faster to cook. Remove the leaves from the pan using a slotted spoon and drain in a colander. Cut off the stems.
3. If using canned leaves, put batches of them in a colander, rinse well under cold water to remove the salt, and drain. If the canned leaves feel too thick, blanch them in boiling water for about a minute, then drain. Otherwise, do not blanch. Cut off the stems.
4. Have a medium saucepan ready. If using medium-size mature leaves, cut them in half. Small, young leaves can remain whole.
5. If there are any torn or damaged leaves, do not discard—use them to patch holes in other leaves as needed. Also, arrange some of the damaged leaves flat on the bottom of the saucepan. If you don’t have damaged leaves, line the bottom of the saucepan with unused whole leaves to cover.
6. Now stuff the grape leaves. Hold a leaf (or half, if cut) shiny side down on the palm of your hand. Place about 1 heaping teaspoon of the filling at the stem end of the leaf. Fold the top down, then the sides over the filling and roll up tightly to shape it into a 1-inch round bundle. Arrange the stuffed leaves, seam side down, on the bottom of the pan. Continue until all the leaves and filling are used, arranging the stuffed bundles snugly together in the pan, making several layers.
7. Dot the top with butter and pour in water to cover the dolma halfway. Place a small lid or a small ovenproof plate on top of the stuffed leaves to keep them tight and to prevent them from opening. Cover and bring to a boil.
8. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 1 hour 30 minutes, or until the leaves are tender, the filling is cooked, and there is little liquid left (if the liquid is completely absorbed at some point during cooking, add more water and continue to simmer).
9. Serve immediately with bread and plain yogurt or garlicky yogurt sauce to spoon onto the dolma to taste.
10. Garlicky Yogurt Sauce: To make garlicky yogurt sauce, in a bowl, combine 1 cup or more plain yogurt with 2-4 cloves garlic, crushed with a garlic press.

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The History of Baked Alaska

On March 30, 1867, for a mere $7.2 million — about two cents per acre — the U.S. bought land from Russia that would eventually make Alaska its 49^th state, gaining a delicious fringe benefit in the process: Baked Alaska.

No, this igloo-shaped dessert — cake and ice cream shrouded in toasted meringue — didn’t come from the icy north, but its name was inspired by the land deal. In fact, the treat’s true roots date back to the turn of the 18th century, when American-born scientist Sir Benjamin Thompson (aka Count Rumford, a title he gained for his loyalty to the crown during the American Revolution) — whose inventions included a kitchen range and a double boiler — made a discovery about egg whites.

Rumford realized that the air bubbles inside whipped egg whites made meringue a great insulator. “That’s really why the Baked Alaska works,” says Libby “O’Connell, the History Channel’s chief historian and author of The American Plate.”The meringue insulates the ice cream from heat.”

By the 1830s, this culinary revelation had inspired French chefs to create a dessert called the “Omelette Norwegge.” This predecessor of Baked Alaska consisted of layers of cake and ice cream covered in meringue, then broiled. The French named this elaborate treat in reference to its own frigid territory to the north — Norway.

So how did the “Omelette Norwegge” become embroiled with the Alaska purchase?

Charles Ranhofer, an expat Parisian pastry chef at the legendary Delmonico’s restaurant in New York City, was renowned for dishes doubling as cultural commentary — Peach Pudding à la [President Grover] Cleveland or Sarah Potatoes after actress Sarah Bernhardt, for example. In 1867, Ranhofer made a quip through his pastry that the world would never forget.

Secretary of State William’s Seward’s acquisition of a faraway tundra drew no shortage of criticism and ridicule. Ranhofer, who likely encountered the “Omelette Norwegge” in his French training, jumped on the bandwagon with a dessert he dubbed “Alaska, Florida” — a reference to the temperature contrast between ice cream and toasted meringue.

The original version consisted of banana ice cream, walnut spice cake and meringue torched to a golden brown. While making Baked Alaska today is much easier because of modern conveniences such as electric mixers and blowtorches, it was once an incredibly opulent dish, requiring a full kitchen staff and a significant amount of time. And it was also alluring, because it contained expensive bananas from Central America.

O’Connell says, “It’s one of the best exemplars of the Gilded Age in American history.” The price tag reflected its grandeur — the cost of the dessert then would equal about $40 today. And Delmonico’s, established in 1837 and still in business today, was a who’s who of the dining scene, drawing personalities like the Rockefellers and Charles Dickens.

According to Billy Oliva, Delmonico’s current executive chef, the dessert’s name was coined in the 1880s when English journalist George Sala visited the restaurant and remarked: “The ‘Alaska’ is a baked ice … the nucleus or core of the entremets is an ice cream … surrounded by an envelope of carefully whipped cream, which, just before the dainty dish is served, is popped into the oven or brought under the scorching influence of a red hot salamander.”

Michael Krondl, an associate editor of the Oxford Companion to Sugarand Sweets, tells a slightly different tale. He says the French “Omelette Norwegge” didn’t appear until the 1890s, and evidence for Ranhofer’s debut of the “Alaska, Florida” is too slim to credit him with its creation.

According to Krondl, the journalist who visited Delmonico’s was Charles Augustus Sala — though records account for just one English journalist in this era with the surname Sala: George Augustus Henry Sala which is in line with Delmonico’s story. “Charles Augustus Sala described eating an ‘Alaska’ at Delmonico’s with more enthusiasm than accuracy,” states the Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets, “He mistook the meringue for whipped cream.”

Conflicting accounts aside, Ranhofer definitely featured the dessert under the name “Alaska, Florida” in his 1894 cookbook, The Epicurean. And today, Delmonico’s continues to serve it at a much more reasonable price — $13 — and in more or less the same fashion as the original: walnut sponge cake layered with apricot compote and banana gelato, covered with torched meringue.

Baked Alaska – Recipe

Adapted by John Coletta

Yields 12 servings

Ingredients

• nonstick cooking spray
• 80g sugar, granulated
• 3 large egg yolks
• 5 ml vanilla, pure extract
• 84 g chocolate, bittersweet, melted, tempered
• 3 large egg whites, room temp
• 3 g salt, sea, fine grind pinch
• 2750 ml ice cream, chocolate
• 1750 ml ice cream, vanilla
• 600 ml ice cream, strawberry
• swiss meringue
• kitchen blowtorch

Instructions

1. Line a 22 centimeter round cake pan with parchment paper, and spray with cooking spray.
2. Combine 40g sugar and the egg yolks in bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment; whisk on medium speed until pale yellow and thick, about 15 minutes. Add vanilla, and fold in melted chocolate just to combine.
3. Combine egg white and a pinch of salt in bowl of electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment; whip on medium speed until frothy. Add remaining 40g sugar; beat until stiff. Fold egg whites into the chocolate mixture.
4. Carefully pour batter into prepared cake pan. Bake until cake is set and top is dull, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack.
5. Spray a 3-liter bowl with a 22 centimeter diameter with cooking spray; line with plastic wrap. Pack base of bowl and up the sides with chocolate ice cream; cover with plastic and press with your hands to make an even, smooth layer. Transfer to freezer and freeze until firm, about 2 hours.
6. Remove plastic wrap and form a layer of vanilla ice cream on top of the chocolate; cover with plastic wrap and press with your hands to make an even, smooth layer. Transfer to freezer and freeze until firm, about 2 hours.
7. Remove plastic wrap and form a layer of strawberry ice cream on top of vanilla, leaving a small well in the center of the coffee layer. Transfer to freezer and freeze until firm, at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
8. Place cake on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet. Remove ice cream from freezer and remove plastic wrap; invert bowl over cake. Keep ice cream covered with plastic wrap, and return ice cream cake to freezer.
9. Fill a pastry bag, fitted with a large star tip, with meringue; pipe onto ice cream in a decorative fashion, or spoon meringue over ice cream and swirl with a rubber spatula. If ice cream starts to soften, return cake to freezer for 15 minutes.
10. Using a kitchen torch, heat meringue until it just starts to brown, transfer to an appropriate serving platter, and serve immediately

For more recipes, visit www.worldchefs.org/news.