Roasted Feta (with Avocado Toast)

For 5 days, a 4-ounce block of leftover feta stared me in the face every time I opened the refrigerator door. I could have crumbled it up in a salad in a meaningless way and been done with it but it was boring and not even worth the slight effort. So there the block sat until today when I found a unique recipe, Roasted Feta With Thyme Honey by Sara Dickerman (New York Times, September 9, 2007).

At the same time I had a ripe avocado that I didn’t want to go to waste. I originally purchased it because avocado toast has lately been all the rage. I had meant to use the avocado earlier in the week but didn’t want to smear it on a piece of toast and add random ingredients. Basically, I didn’t want to go through the effort of figuring out the right combination of ingredients.

So today, I had an aha moment and decided to marry the roasted feta with avocado toast. I grabbed the feta, olive oil, found the jar of honey (that our arborist harvested and gifted to us) and some fresh thyme and made the roasted feta. I then toasted a slice of multigrain bread, grabbed the avocado, a handful of broccoli sprouts and sliced up some cucumber. 

And this is what happened…

This version of avocado toast is so fresh, light and delicious yet slightly decadent thanks to the roasted feta. The fundamental ingredients are Greek but somehow it doesn’t taste typically Greek. Maybe it’s because I added the sprouts. I gobbled up this toast and promptly made another. It was exactly what I needed – a delicious detox of sorts.

I’m now going to hunker down for winter storm Jonas and make a pot of chili (and some s’mores). Enjoy and stay safe and warm!

Roasted Feta (adapted from Roasted Feta With Thyme Honey by Sara Dickerman (New York Times, September 9, 2007). I used a 4-ounce block because that is what I had leftover in my fridge, but this recipe can easily be doubled using a standard 8-ounce block of feta.

Serves 2 people;  Prep time – 10 minutes; Cook time  – 12 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 ounces feta cheese (block), blotted dry
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, roughly minced
• Black pepper, freshly ground

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Place the feta in a small oven-safe dish and cover with the olive oil. Bake until the cheese is soft and springy to the touch but not melted, about 10 minutes.
3. Remove from oven and set oven to BROIL. Drizzle honey over the feta.
4. Place under broiler until the top of the cheese browns and just starts to bubble, about 2 to 3 minutes, but don’t walk away because it could burn. Sprinkle with minced thyme and season with black pepper to taste. Serve immediately. 

Roasted Feta with Avocado Toast (makes 2 toasts based on 4-ounce Roasted Feta recipe above):

1. Toast two slices of multigrain bread (or your bread of choice). Top with sliced avocado.
2. Top avocado with broccoli sprouts (of whatever sprouts you can find).
3. Top sprouts with sliced cucumber.
4. Slice roasted feta (works best using a sharp knife) and place on top of cucumber. Garnish with additional thyme and ground black pepper. Enjoy!