Avocado Appetizer: Anne leBlanc's Pistachio Avocado

After a weekend in the Adirondack Mountains and a Memorial Day parade and barbecue I was relieved that French Friday's recipe was so simple... or so I thought? If it wasn't for the pistachio oil this recipe would have been a cinch. Oh Dorie, you always have to push us a little beyond our limits. I spent a morning traveling around to speciality shops looking for an oil that no one has ever heard of: walnut, orange, lemon, peanut, even avocado oil,... but pistachio oil: jamais entendu parler de lui.

So I sent an all points bulletin out to the Dorista's and within a short while Theresa came to my rescue with a recipe to make my own pistachio oil. It was simple and the result... OK, pistachio oil.

This appetizer was very Mediterranean to me, the dishes I ate that were flavored with pistachio simply had chopped pistachio sprinkled on top of them. I can remember a delicious dessert cheese in Turkey that was topped with honey and pistachio, and a not so great Lebanese raw ground lamb dish that was doused with olive oil and pistachios.

With the memory of these dishes in mind I sprinkled some ground pistachio on top of my avocado appetizer, a eureka moment,... next time I make this dish I will just put good quality olive oil on it and pistachios. The pistachio oil is just not necessary to get the flavor, and I like the contrast of the crunchy pistachios to the velvety avocado.

The verdict from the family: my husband loved it and so did I and my son said, "It was interesting... not like stuff I usually have, different." I consider that comment a thumbs up. My daughter has nut allergies so she made guacomole with her avocado which she enjoyed very much.

Avocado Pistachio Appetizer

by Diane Balch simplelivingeating.com
Adapted from Dorie Greenspan Anne leBlanc Pistachio Avocado recipe
Preparation time: 7 minutes Serves: 4
Ingredients:
2 ripe Hass avocados sliced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons good quality extra virgin or speciality olive oil
2 tablespoons of ground roasted salted pistachios
1 teaspoon of fleur de sel or other course salt

Directions:
1) With a mini food processor or coffee bean grinder grind the pistachio into fine pieces.

2) Slice the avocado plate them on 4 dishes and brush the pieces with lemon juice.

3) Drizzle some oil on the the slices and top them with a small amount of pistachios and salt.
avocado , pistachios , olive oil , fleur de sel , mediterranean recipe , appetizer

Note: As a member of French Friday's with Dorie I am not allowed to print the recipe. I invite you to take a look at this wonderful cookbook "Around My French Table" if you are interested in this or any other recipe I review.