Avocado on toast has become quite a food celebrity, endorsed by human celebrities and healthy foodies far and wide. If you are not yet on the bandwagon I suggest you give this a try, and if you’ve “been there, done that” it can be brand new again with some additional toppings. This is one of my favorite options, starting on the base with a toasted gluten-free english muffin spread with grainy mustard then topped with a mashed avocado and a poached egg, and finished off with some truffle salt, fresh cracked black pepper and dried chili flakes. I like to top it off with a poached egg because the runny yolk compliments the crispy bread and creamy avocado well but scrambled eggs, bacon or slices of ham or turkey bulk this up nicely. Underneath the avocado you can slather on any kind of mustard from honey to dijon or pesto, butter, hummus, olive tapenade or a dark berry jam like blueberry, blackberry or currant. Alternatively you can simplify this to just the toast and avocado and sprinkle with some sea salt (and a squirt of fresh lime juice if you have some). Really, there are no limits.
Poaching eggs is a great way to prepare them because it is fast and does not require any extra butter or oil, making them a much lighter choice over other cooking methods like scrambling or frying. If you have ever tried putting an egg into a large pot of aggressively boiling water, like I did my first time, then you know what can happen when it all goes wrong… egg soup. Here are some tricks that I have found for poaching eggs to guarantee no wasted eggs and a painless process:
1. Do not fill the pot up too much, you just need the water level slightly above the eggs
2. Adding in around 1 teaspoon of white vinegar helps keeps the eggs together (and does not affect flavor)
3. 2 3/4 inch (7 cm) diameter mason jar rings are perfect for containing the eggs so that the whites do not spread out too far (they can be found at grocery, kitchen and dollar stores; the glass jars come in all different sizes are are a healthy and eco-friendly way to store ingredients, food and drinks)
4. Put the eggs in when the water is just barely starting to boil, producing only small bubbles, when boiling more vigorously it can easily pull the eggs apart, then cover the pot and turn the heat off once the eggs are in
5. Crack the eggs into a small bowl one at a time then hold it just above the water and pour the egg in, I find this gives more control over where the egg goes than cracking it straight into the water
- 1 gluten-free english muffin (I used the Food For Life brand's brown rice version but any gluten-free or whole grain english muffins or bread will work)
- ½ avocado
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon grainy mustard
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1 sprinkle each of truffle salt, fresh cracked black pepper and dried red pepper flakes
- Fill up a pot with about 2 inches of water and the white vinegar and place on the stove over high heat. It is easiest to keep the eggs intact if you start cooking them when the water is just starting to bubble, before it goes into a raging boil, it should take around 4-5 minutes to get to this point. Once the small bubbles are rising up all around the pot add in the mason jar rings. Crack an egg into a small bowl or rameken then hold it just above the water and let it slip into the water over the mason jar ring (this will provide containment so the whites do not spread throughout the whole pot), repeat with the second egg. Turn off the heat and set the timer for 4 minutes for runny yolks like in the picture or make it 5 minutes for slightly firmer yolks. Meanwhile pop the english muffin in the toaster and get the avocado, mustard and other toppings ready.
- Once the eggs are done use a wide slotted spoon to scoop them out, jar rings and all then turn them upside down on a piece of paper towel, remove the rings and dab any excess water off.
- Place the toasted muffins on a plate and top with mustard then add on the avocado, leave it in slices to look fancier or use the back of a fork to mash it up, which I find makes it way easier to eat. Then add the eggs on and sprinkle with the salt, black pepper and dried pepper flakes.
This is the easiest way to get avocado slices, cut the flesh then use a big spoon to carefully scoop them out.
