Avocado Toasts with Oaxacan Sesame Sauce

We do a lot of dinner parties, so I’m always on the lookout for good cocktail hors d’oeuvres. FYI, for as long as I live, I will never ever be able to spell hors d’oeuvres without having to Google it. Drives me nuts. I found these avocado toasts with Oaxacan sesame sauce casually browsing through Food & Wine magazine. A brief geography lesson for you (I had to Google this too) Oaxaca is a state in Mexico located on the southwest coast. Interesting food fact...one of their common food delicacies is chapulines – barbecued grasshoppers. Yikes. These toasts have a nice grasshopper-like crunch without the grasshopper; they’re easy to eat; they look impressive; and the flavor contrast of the tangy avocado and nutty sesame sauce is delicious.

Note* - Cutting the sesame sauce recipe in half will most likely yield you enough sauce for 12 baguette slices. If you double the amount of toasts then make the full amount of sesame sauce.

Ingredients

1 cup sesame seeds (4 ounces)
1/3 cup raw slivered almonds
1/3 cup raw peanuts
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1 cup peanut oil
2 Hass avocados, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1 to 1 ½ T fresh lime juice
Twelve 1/2-inch-thick slices of baguette
Olive Oil
Chopped cilantro and sliced grape tomatoes, for garnish

Instructions

In a medium skillet, toast the sesame seeds, almonds and peanuts over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until they are golden and fragrant, about 7 minutes. Transfer to a food processor and let cool completely.
Add the crushed red pepper and peanut oil to the food processor and pulse until a chunky sauce forms. Scrape the sauce into a bowl.
Season with a few healthy pinches of kosher salt and little black pepper.
Toast bread slices then brush with a little olive oil. Sprinkle with a little salt.
In a medium bowl, toss the avocados with the lime juice and season with salt. Mash the avocado onto the toasts and transfer to a platter.
Spoon some of the sesame sauce on top, garnish with chopped cilantro, a few small slices of grape tomatoes and serve, passing additional sesame sauce at  the table.