oh! foodie: Ahhhhh-vocado

The avocado is a fruit. Many people in the states are unused to this fact and so prepare it in mostly savory dishes. And there's nothing wrong with preserving its purity by mashing it into guacamole or adding a few firm wedges to your salad. After all, the tomato's a fruit, too, but you don't see the diners around town serving hot tomato pie ala mode.

Still, the avocado's creaminess lends itself to use in desserts. In the Philippines, avocado is blended with sugar and milk for a dessert beverage. In Brazil, it's added to ice cream. In my house, it's used in both: blended with soy milk, vanilla, sweeteners, and crushed ice; and stirred into cream and eggs and then frozen. Perhaps we fear the alligator pear for its high-fat content. But one ounce (one-fifth) has about 55 calories and over 25 important nutrients, including fiber, potassium, Vitamin E, B Vitamins, folic acid, lutein, phytochemicals, and beta-sitosterol (whatever it is you can bet it’s good for you!). It has monounsaturated fat and no cholesterol.

This recipe for avocado ice cream is from a low-carb food forum. In my recipe, "sweeteners" refers to half Splenda, half xylitol. You may substitute sugar in equal quantities.

Ingredients
2 egg yolks
2 C heavy cream
1 C sweeteners of choice
1/2 t salt
1/2 t vanilla extract
2 ripe avocados
1/2 t almond extract
1 t lemon juice (opt.)

Instructions
Over low heat until slightly thickened, heat egg yolks, cream, and sweeteners. Add salt and vanilla. Cool in refrigerator.

In a separate bowl, mash avocados 'til smooth, then add 2/3 cup remaining sweeteners, more to taste, almond extract, and lemon juice, if adding (I didn't use it; the color was perfect).

Mix the mash with the cream, and freeze according to your ice cream freezer's instructions.

The avocado is, to quote Linda Richman, "like buttah," so, if you'd prefer, light cream can be substituted for heavy, or you can add a little milk to the whole recipe to tone down the flavor, if you are less comfortable with the idea of sweet avocado.

I leave you with a haiku couplet about my two favorite fruits.