Toast with Dijon Mustard Avocado and Smoked Salmon

This year spring seems to be hiding from us.  I know from the grumblings on Facebook it snowed this week in Vermont.  Which means a happy sign of spring for me was being in New York City on a sunny cloudless day when it was snowing at home.  In previous years April vacation in New York City has meant we spent the entire week in shorts.  This year we were jubilant to shed our winter coats.  Instead of spending hours in Central Park playing in the amazing playgrounds we went on the subway to the many science museums we can get into for free with our Echo membership.  Everyone's favorite was the MTA museum (Metropolitan Transportation Authority) in Brooklyn which we went to with my cousin Steffi, her husband Ran and her 23 month old son Idan.

The boys happily pretended to drive buses, tried out the seats in every style of subway car and explored all the exhibits.  They even put up with my cousin and I telling them which styles of buses and subway cars were from our childhood.  It appears that Sebastian is even old enough to hold on to the old, subway strap, so long as he does not require his feet to touch the ground.

Sebastian dangling from an old subway strap

MTA Museum with their second cousin Idan, at the subway exhibit

This trip was also different because while we did attend 2 Passover seders, I did not have to cook for either of them.  This marks the first time since Sebastian was born that I have not been slaving in the kitchen to prepare a feast, what that works to hide the missing flour and leavening.  At the second seder Sebastian was happily eating his dessert when he said, "These can't be kosher for Passover!"  If one of my children appreaciates the matzo slight of hand involved in Passover baking I am doing something right.  For the record,  all the desserts served were kosher for passover.

To continue the ease of not hosting a seder there is the breakfast I had several times while away.  You may notice it is not suitable for anyone who is keeping kosher for Passover, which I only adhere to during the seders.  If you are sticking to matzo right now, this would be a great way to appreciate bread when Passover is over.  I am not going to call this a recipe, as it is not anywhere as precise as a recipe implies.  It came about because I read a recipe for toast with mustard mayonaise last summer on Food 52 and vowed to try it, as soon as I remembered.  I remembered the recipe but not the details and forgot about the mayonnaise.  Maybe I will still try the original, however this one will still be a permanent part of my diet.  I was all set to eat the toast I spread with butter, dijon mustard and avocado.  I was all set to eat it as is, and would have quite happily; then Lewis pulled lox out of the fridge to top a bagel.  The result being that any time I do not have a ripe avocado and resort to cream cheese with smoked salmon something will be missing, for this combination was more complex, creamier, more balanced then the cream cheese alone will ever be.

Toast with Dijon Mustard, Avocado and Smoked Salmon

1 slice whole grain bread well toasted

butter to spread on the hot toast

good dijon mustard to taste, I used about 1/4 to 1/2 tsp (my current favorite is Maille Dijon Mustard)

1/2 a ripe avocado

Enough smoked salmon to cover the bread

Toast the bread well and spread it with butter.  Spread a thin layer of dijon mustard to taste on top of the bread and then mash half a ripe avocado on top of the butter and dijon mustard.  Top with smoked salmon and eat.