Excellent Ingredient of the Week
Today lets' talk about the avocado. Because we all have them, they are cheap around here and all anyone does is make guacamole. I have a recipe for avocado gelato, so there! But first, what are the benefits of avocados? Here are some odd facts:
- European sailors en route to the New World used mushed avocados in place of butter.
- There are more than 80 varieties of avocados. The most common is the year-round Hass avocado, whose original mother tree still stands in California.
- The avocado is also known as an alligator pear, because of its shape, green skin, and rough texture of the Haas variety. (The Florida avocado has a shiny, smooth surface.)
- The two main U.S. producers of the fruit are California and Florida. The Golden State far outranks the Sunshine State, however, with more than 6,000 groves accounting for about 90% of avocado crops.
- Avocados are a good source of fiber, potassium, and vitamins C,K, folate, and B6. Half an avocado has 160 calories, 15 grams of heart-healthy unsaturated fat, and only 2 grams saturated fat. One globe contains more than one-third daily value of vitamin C, and more than half the day’s requirements of vitamin K.
So the obvious choice for the avocado is salad. Or in salad dressing, puree 1/2 an avocado in your ranch dressing, dips or guacamole. But they can be so much more! Think avocado wontons, avocado can be a bowl for a scoop of crabmeat salad, or smoked salmon mousse, or ...
Avocado Gelato
This recipe calls for a crushed vitamin C tablet, which is the trick to retaining the bright green color of the avocados without affecting their flavor. Brilliant!
Ingredients 2 cups whole milk 3/4 cup sugar 3 (4- by 1-inch) strips fresh orange zest 2 tablespoons cornstarch 2 firm-ripe California avocados (1 to 1 1/4 lb total) 1 (500-mg) vitamin C tablet, crushed to a powder
Procedure Bring 1 3/4 cups milk, 1/2 cup sugar, zest, and a pinch of salt to a simmer in a 2-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat. Whisk together cornstarch and remaining 1/4 cup milk in a small bowl until smooth, then whisk into simmering milk. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly, and boil 1 minute. Transfer mixture to a metal bowl, then set bowl in a larger bowl of ice and cold water and cool completely, stirring frequently. Discard zest. Quarter, pit, and peel avocados, then purée with vitamin C and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a food processor until smooth. Add milk mixture and blend well. Freeze avocado mixture in ice cream maker. Transfer to an air-tight container and freeze until hardened, about 1 hour. Ice cream can be made 1 week ahead.
