Smashed Spiced Avocado Cheddar Crostini

On Sunday we found a (new to us) homemade pasta store in Roselle Park, New Jersey, called Casa di Trevi. It is in a nondescript little white building with a small sign. You probably have driven by it 100 times and never noticed it was there. I know we have. We had met some friends for pizza at E’s favorite pizza joint, Sun Tavern, and decided to stop in to Casa di Trevi on the way home. We are so happy we did!

When we arrived we were greeted by the owner. He was so helpful! He explained that they make 24 different kinds of ravioli on the premises.  There were so many different combinations to choose from! From goat cheese and roasted red peppers to pumpkin to asparagus and smoked mozzarella. It was a little overwhelming at first! They had several other kinds of handmade pasta on the premises as well. We picked up a gorgonzola and walnut ravioli and sweet potato gnocchi! Since we were having some fancy new pasta for dinner I decided to go all out and make appetizers. On our way out of Casa di Trevi, the owner was so sweet and gave us a free sesame seed baguette. I didn’t want to let a beautiful loaf of free bread go to waste so I decided to make crostini. Crostini is really just a fancy word for toast.

I had picked up a California avocado at the grocery store and as it happens it was perfectly ripe yesterday. It was my lucky day!  I sliced up the bread and brushed it with a little bit of olive oil and threw it into the oven to bake for 5-7 minutes, at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, until nice and crusty. While the bread was toasting, I mashed together about 1/2 of the avocado with some sea salt, fresh ground pepper, paprika and garlic powder. When the bread came out of the oven we spread a thick layer of the avocado mash and then topped it with some sliced Cabot Cheddar. Our FAVORITE Cabot Cheddar is the Vintage Choice Cheddar Cheese. It has a bold flavor and some nutty undertones. We picked some up on our trip to Vermont but we have seen it at Costco and at the local grocery store.

Give it a try! These little crostini definitely elevated our pasta night. Hope you enjoy!