California avocados are now in season, and
Cinco de Mayo is the perfect occasion to enjoy delicious dishes featuring this
premium quality fruit. In fact, avocados are such an essential part of any Cinco
de Mayo menu that the California Avocado Commission (CAC) estimates that more
than 87 million pounds of avocados will be consumed during this year's
festivities.
To kickoff the Cinco de Mayo celebrations, chefs Mary Sue Milliken and Susan
Feniger, known as the "Too Hot Tamales," have teamed up with CAC to share fun
and festive avocado-inspired brunch recipes.
"Cinco de Mayo falls on a Sunday this year, so brunch is the ideal meal to help
celebrate the holiday, and we created our California Avocado Chorizo
Egg-in-a-Hole recipe to be a Latin twist on a brunch classic that the whole
family will enjoy," says Milliken. "Also, to give your brunch table a really
festive feel, try our Crispy Black Bean Corn Cakes with Smoky California Avocado
Salsa."
Milliken and Feniger, both of whom have competed on Bravo's "Top Chef Masters,"
are the co-chef/owners of the popular Border Grill restaurants in Santa Monica,
Calif., Downtown Los Angeles and Las Vegas, along with the Border Grill Truck,
which brings their modern Latin cuisine to neighborhoods throughout Southern
California. Feniger also is the chef/owner of STREET in Los Angeles.
While California-grown avocados bring a delicious flavor and texture to Cinco de
Mayo dishes, the fruit also contributes valuable nutritional benefits, such as
nearly 20 vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients and the unsaturated "good fats"
necessary for a healthy diet.
For these and other Cinco de Mayo recipes that feature fresh California
avocados, including additional original recipes developed by chefs Milliken and
Feniger, visit the CAC website at CaliforniaAvocado.com.
California Avocado Chorizo Egg-in-the-Hole
Recipe created by chefs Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger for the California
Avocado Commission.
Serves: 4
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
-- 2 (3-oz.) Spanish chorizo links, cut into small dice
-- 2 ripe Fresh California Avocados, seeded and peeled
-- 2 thinly sliced scallions, white and light green parts only
-- 2 Tbsp. roughly chopped cilantro
-- 1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
-- Sea salt, to taste
-- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
-- 8 slices of brioche or other soft bread, crusts removed
-- 4 large eggs
-- Unsalted butter, softened for spreading on bread and for cooking egg
-- Arbol Salsa (see make-ahead recipe below), for serving
Instructions:
1. In a hot pan, sear the chorizo until browned and crispy. Set aside on a paper towel.
2. Combine avocados, scallions, cilantro, lime juice, salt, pepper and cooked chorizo in a medium bowl. Using a fork, mash and stir ingredients together into a uniform, chunky mixture.
3. Double up the slices of bread on a cutting board (as if making sandwiches), and using a 2-inch round cookie cutter, cut a disk out of the center of each set. Leaving the disks in place in the slices, open all four sandwiches like a book. Spread an even amount of the avocado mixture on one side of each sandwich, and then close. Spread soft butter evenly over the tops of each sandwich.
