avocado salad for Bryan

I love avocados! Sadly supermarkets these days either sell ones that are so bruised they are mostly black inside or hard enough to knock a hole in someones head. When I shop with this dish in mind I feel homesick of the weekly market in the local town in the Charente in France, where the avocados were beautifully ripe if they had them.

However, if you do find some avocados that are nice and ripe, this is a good recipee for them:

This recipee will do a starter salad for about 6 people or if you have some bread with it a meal for 2:

Materials:

* 2 avocados

* a coarse lettuce

* 2 ripe tomatoes that can be sliced

* a 100 gram of smoked streaky bacon cut in pieces (the French call these lardons)

* a clove of garlic

* provencale herbs

* seasalt grinder

* pepper grinder

* a table spoon of coarse dijon mustard

* white wine vinager

* extra virgin olive oil

What to do:

* peel and slice the avocados
* wash and dry the lettuce
* peel the clove of garlic and rub the inside of your salad bowl with it, or rub the plates if you are serving straight out onto plates
* put the lardons in a frying pan that has been heating up on the hob and fry them on a moderate heat for 4 - 5 minutes
* lift the lardons out with a spoon with holes so that the fat stays in the pan
* mix the mustard with the fat in the pan and add a small drizzle of olive oil and white wine vinager, use some lukewarm water (start with a teaspoon) to allow the dressing to mix properly
* slice the tomatoes
* build the salad by putting the lettuce first, then the tomatoes, then the avocado, then the lardons. Do not mix!
* pour over the dressing, sprinkle some herbs on top and some freshly ground salt and pepper

This salad is meant to be served lukewarm as far as the lardons and the dressing go, so you can serve it straight after putting it together.

Bon apetit