Avocado Toast with Marinated Tomatoes and a Soft Boiled Egg

Cook's Notes: Start your day healthy with avocado toast, marinated tomatoes, and an egg. Elevate your avocado toast game with this casual but super-gourmet open-faced sandwich! It features fresh sliced avocado, marinated and roasted cherry tomatoes with a drizzle of balsamic, and a soft-boiled egg.
Another option is to scramble the egg instead of making a soft boiled one.  

Avocado Toast with Marinated Tomatoes and a Soft-Boiled Egg

Ingredients: 

• Avocados
• Slices of sourdough bread
• Olive oil 
• Small lemon  
• Cherry tomatoes
• Balsamic vinegar
• Honey
• Optional Shirracha 
• Eggs 
• Sea salt nd pepper

Directions: 

• Dice avocados into slices and squeeze lemon juice over them. 
• Fill an 8-inch fry pan halfway with water and set it on the stove on low heat.  
• Set oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Slice bread and lightly brush both sides of the bread with olive oil.
• Toast for 3 minutes in the oven and then turn over to toast the other side.  
• Remove the bread from the oven and set it aside.
• Halve cherry tomatoes on a paper towel. Add tomatoes, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and hot honey to a bowl. Mix well. 
• Place the tomato mixture on a parchment-lined baking sheet and roast in the oven at 400 degrees. Smash the tomatoes when they are done. 
• While the tomato mixture is cooking, increase the heat to medium-low. When the water is almost boiling, crack the egg/eggs into the water and cover.

On a plate, place in the following order:

bread slice, avocado slices, roasted tomato mixture, and an egg 

WARNING: Use a metal spatula or a slotted spoon to carefully remove the egg from the water and place it on top of the tomato mixture. LOL, I used a Teflon spatula, and the egg slid off onto the counter before it even got to a plate!! 

• 
  Desert Spring Alert

Here in the SW, we have been in severe drought with little or no substantial rain since last August. To compound the problem, there have been many days of wind with blowing dust. The emergence of wildflowers, which are usually plentiful by now are rather sparse. In our yard we have many cacti which I have been patiently waiting for blooms. TODAY was such a day.

Lemon Tart with Gingersnap Cookie Crust

 MAKE YOUR SPRING A LITTLE BIT SWEETER 

MEYER LEMON TART

Cook's notes: 

If Meyer lemons are not available, substitute regular lemons. The recipe was adapted from countrylivng.com, April 2014
Ingredients:

• 2 c. crushed gingersnaps
• ¼ c. dark-brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon Saigon cinnamon or 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 large eggs
• 3 large egg yolks
• ¼ c. granulated sugar
• ½ teaspoon cornstarch
• ⅓ c. fresh Meyer lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons Meyer lemon zest
• 1 stick of butter, cut into large pieces
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 c. heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar
• ¼ teaspoon almond extract

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 
• Combine the crushed cookies, brown sugar, cinnamon, and cooled, melted butter in a blender or food processor. 
• Press the cookie mixture in a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom in an even layer on the bottom and up the sides. Bake until fragrant, about 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool.
• Increase the oven temperature to 375 degrees. In a medium saucepan, off the heat, whisk the eggs and yolks, granulated sugar, and cornstarch to combine. Transfer the saucepan to medium-low heat. Add the lemon juice and zest, and whisk continuously until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter pieces and vanilla.
• Pour the mixture into the cooled cookie shell. Transfer the tart to the oven and bake until the crust darkens slightly, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let the tart cool to room temperature.
• In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer on high speed, whip the cream until soft peaks form, about 3 minutes. Add the confectioners' sugar and almond extract, and whip until the peaks are almost stiff, about 2 more minutes. Slice the tart and serve each slice with a dollop of almond whipped cream.