Chilli avocado and blood orange bruschetta with lemon thyme and toasted cumin seeds on sourdough

This pretty, light and tasty recipe was inspired by the healthy avocado breakfast that we ate at Le Pain Quotidien  at St Pancras Station before boarding our train for Brussels over the Easter Weekend. It was delicious and perfectly hit the spot, inspiring my thoughts to healthy options for Spring Eating. The blood oranges and lemon thyme lighten the richness of the avocado adding flavours that I associate with sunshine and energy.

Enjoy!

Chilli Avocado and Blood Orange Bruschetta

Serves 4

4-6 slices sourdough bread slices

4 ripe avocado pears

1-2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tablespoons chilli infused olive oil

Two limes

3-4 sprigs of fresh lemon thyme, leaves and tender stems only

Salt to taste

2 blood oranges

1 tablespoon cumin seeds, lightly toasted

 Method:

Lightly toast the sourdough slices

Cut all of the avocados in half, remove the stones and skin.

Put two of the avocado i.e. 4 halves, into a bowl or blender along with the crushed garlic, the juice of one of the limes and the two tablespoons of chilli infused olive oil. Blend to a paste and then adjust the taste with the addition of further lime juice and a good pinch of salt.

Finely chop the leaves and tender stems of the lemon thyme and mix about three quarters of it into the avocado paste. Reserve the final quantity for serving.

Evenly slice the remaining avocado halves crossways. Florentine the blood oranges by cutting the skin and pith off as close to the flesh as you can and removing the segments from between each fibrous membrane.

To assemble the Bruschetta divide the avocado spread between the toasts and roughly spread. Arrange the avocado and orange segments alternately on top of the toasts. Spritz with lime juice and a few twists of black pepper, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle over the toasted cumin seeds and the reserved chopped lemon thyme.