The nights may be drawing in but this dish reminds me of summer. This is a firm favourite on One Devonshire Gardens' summer lunch menu. This dish works well as a starter or a light meal. Tomatoes are so versatile but there is no denying tomato and basil is a classic combination. Here I have used a mixture of British heritage tomatoes which come in a variation of sizes, shapes and colours. This is a brilliant vegetarian dish which is simple to make but big on flavour.
Avocado mousse, tomatoes, basil and mozzarella
Serves 2-4
Ingredients
3-4 ripe hass avocados
1 x juiced lime
Tabasco
100g selection of tomatoes of your choice ie baby plum/heritage
2 x cloves garlic
Thyme
Basil leaves
1-2 mozzarella balls
Olive oil
Sea Salt
Method
For this dish the baby plum tomatoes are slowly cooked in olive oil, garlic and thyme. Fill a pan with olive oil, just to cover the tomatoes. Reserve half the tomatoes. Add a few cloves of garlic and thyme, and sit on a low heat for an hour or two. The tomatoes will be ready when the skins start to peel off and they almost melt in your hand.
To make the avocado mousse remove the stone and skin from the avocados. Place in a blender with a juiced lime, a couple of drops of Tabasco, a pinch of salt and blend until smooth. Push this through a sieve to get the smoothest puree. If you are storing this make sure the cling film touches the mouse as it could oxidise quickly.
The remaining tomatoes can be cut as you desire (you could use a heritage variety rather than baby plum, if you wish). Slice or cut into wedges or a mixture. Season with a little salt.
The mozzarella can be torn into pieces, served as one piece or sliced. I’ve finished the dish with fresh basil and a drizzle of olive oil.
This is a dish that can be built in any way for any occasion. Let your imagination go wild and see what you come up with.
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