There's been a lot of talk of toast lately. When I was on my recent carb crawl through San Francisco, I did painstaking research on toast and all its forms. I was curious to see if people would buy $4 warmed bread. Yes, they would. Now, back in Los Angeles, I'm seeing more and more toast on menus like Superba Food and Bread who has a whole toast section on their menu (including dinner), selling $7 and $8 toast piled high with sweet pea creme fraiche, bacon gelee and pea tendril. Sure, I've laughed, but I've eaten, I've paid and I've enjoyed. Now it's time to create.

I thought about what I wanted on my ideal toast and I've always been a fan of Mexican flavors so I decided to introduce great South of the Border ingredients to artisanal bread. I started with a layer of homemade guacamole, then followed that up with a smattering of goat cheese, and then topped it with a warmed tomato salsa. And if it's breakfast time, you might just want to throw an organic, free range egg on top.

You can have it for breakfast or lunch or drop the egg and serve it in bites, crostini style, at your next party. Love or hate the new craze, make some fun while you have some fun with the trend du jour of artisanal toast.

Avocado Toast with Tomato Salsa

Serves 4

Toast Ingredients

• Guacamole (see below)
• Tomato salsa (see below)
• Good artisanal baguette or gluten free bread, sliced into 4 thick pieces
• 4 eggs (optional)
• 4 tablespoon crumbled goat cheese (optional)

Toast Instructions

1. Prepare guacamole and salsa
2. Toast bread
3. While bread is toasting, heat a medium pan over medium with non-stick cooking spray if using eggs. Crack 2 eggs in the pan and once the whites begin to set, flip them over. Wait another 30 seconds and then take off the heat.
4. Layer each bread slice with guacamole, goat cheese, egg and then finish with the tomato salsa.

Guacamole

Ingredients 

• 1 large avocado, ripe, peeled and pitted
• 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime
• 1 teaspoon Sriracha
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• Dash of celery salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Mash all ingredients together by hand, leaving chunky bits of avocado.

Tomato Salsa

Ingredients

• 2 large ripe tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 cup of white onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions 

1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat with olive oil. Once warm, add the onions and sauté until translucent, then add the tomatoes and garlic.
2. Cook all ingredients until warm.