There is something about a weekend lunch that gives you permission to have a little more fun in the kitchen. You’re not looking for the heaviness of dinner, but you still want something satisfying enough to feel like a real meal.
That’s exactly what we’re making this week on Cooking with Tiffany.
A thick slice of Italian bread is brushed with olive oil on both sides and air-fried until beautifully golden and crisp. Then comes the part that really separates this from ordinary avocado toast: a creamy avocado spread made by combining a whole ripe avocado with cream cheese.
Fresh diced tomatoes go over the creamy avocado, followed by big, juicy shrimp finished in garlic butter. And alongside the whole thing, we’re cracking open an ice-cold Keystone Light Apple.
This isn’t just avocado toast. This is a weekend lunch.
The bread provides the crunch, the avocado and cream cheese create a rich and silky base, the tomatoes bring freshness, and those warm garlic-butter shrimp turn the whole thing into something substantial.
And then that cold apple beer comes in with a completely different flavor to finish the pairing.
The Creamy Avocado Makes the Difference
The creamy avocado spread is where this recipe really starts to develop its personality.
Instead of simply mashing avocado and spreading it over the bread, take one whole ripe avocado and combine it with a generous scoop of softened cream cheese. Mash and mix the two together until they become smooth and creamy.
For the recipe, I’d measure that generous scoop at about 2 tablespoons of cream cheese. That’s enough to noticeably change the texture and flavor of one avocado without overwhelming it.
The cream cheese gives the avocado more body and an extra level of richness. You still taste the avocado, but now it has a smooth, almost whipped consistency that creates a substantial base for the tomatoes and shrimp.
A little salt and black pepper are all you need to finish it.
Creamy Avocado Toast with Garlic-Butter Shrimp
Ingredients
- 1 thick slice Italian bread
- 1 whole ripe avocado
- 2 tablespoons cream cheese, softened
- 1 fresh tomato, diced
- 3 large shrimp, peeled and cleaned
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 to 2 teaspoons olive oil, for brushing the bread
- Salt, to taste
- Black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 375°F.
- Brush a light coating of olive oil over both sides of the Italian bread.
- Place the bread directly into the air fryer and cook for approximately 3 to 5 minutes, flipping halfway through, until both sides are golden and crispy.
- Place one whole ripe avocado in a bowl and add approximately 2 tablespoons of softened cream cheese.
- Mash and mix the avocado and cream cheese together until you have a smooth, creamy spread. Season lightly with salt and black pepper.
- Dice the fresh tomato into small pieces and set aside.
- Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a sauté pan over medium to medium-low heat.
- Add approximately 1 teaspoon of minced garlic and cook for 30 to 60 seconds, just until fragrant.
- Add the shrimp and cook, turning as necessary, until they are opaque throughout and pink-orange on the outside. Toss them through the butter and garlic so they’re thoroughly coated.
- Remove the Italian bread from the air fryer and spread a generous layer of the creamy avocado and cream cheese mixture across the entire slice.
- Scatter the fresh diced tomatoes over the creamy avocado.
- Arrange the garlic-butter shrimp across the top.
- Spoon a little of the garlic butter remaining in the pan over the shrimp if desired.
- Serve immediately while the shrimp are warm and the bread is still crispy.
The Beer Pairing: Keystone Light Apple
Now comes the other half of this weekend lunch.
For this Cooking with Tiffany pairing, we’re serving an ice-cold Keystone Light Apple.
And once cream cheese enters the avocado mixture, that cold beer becomes an even more interesting contrast.
There are now two significant sources of richness on the toast. The avocado and cream cheese create a thick, creamy base, while the butter coating the shrimp adds another layer of richness on top.
The fresh tomatoes help break through all of that with their juiciness and acidity. Then the apple character of the Keystone Light Apple brings something fruity and refreshing alongside those savory flavors.
Take a bite and you get the crunch of the air-fried Italian bread followed by that creamy avocado and cream cheese spread. Then comes the fresh tomato before you hit the warm shrimp coated in garlic butter.
Follow it with a cold sip of Keystone Light Apple.
That fruity apple character provides a contrast to the savory garlic and shrimp, while the cold, refreshing beer gives your palate a break from the richness of the avocado, cream cheese and butter.
That’s what makes the pairing interesting. You aren’t matching rich food with something equally heavy. You’re giving it contrast.
A Weekend Lunch Worth Making
This is exactly what a weekend lunch should be.
It doesn’t require hours in the kitchen, but it also doesn’t feel like something you threw together because you needed to eat.
Every layer has a purpose.
The olive-oil-brushed Italian bread brings the crunch. The avocado and cream cheese create that rich, creamy foundation. The tomatoes bring freshness. The garlic-butter shrimp provide the warm, savory centerpiece.
And the ice-cold Keystone Light Apple brings the refreshing finish.
It’s creamy without being one-note, rich without needing a heavy sauce, and substantial enough to turn a piece of toast into a genuine weekend lunch.
So grab that thick Italian bread and get it crispy in the air fryer. Mix that avocado with a generous scoop of cream cheese. Dice up a fresh tomato. Get the butter and garlic going in the sauté pan and give those shrimp their moment.
Then sit down, crack open a cold Keystone Light Apple and enjoy your weekend.
Creamy avocado and cream cheese. Fresh tomatoes. Garlic-butter shrimp. Crispy air-fried Italian bread. And an ice-cold apple beer.
Now that’s Cooking with Tiffany.