Avocado Gelato

I was never a fan of avocado made into ice cream or shake or anything sweet. I prefer avocados in its simple form with just a sprinkling of a little salt and pepper or savory stuff like guacamole or as add-on to a salad, a soup or a sandwich. But I promised myself I’d include avocado ice cream in my to-make list this year. I know I will be pleasing a lot of people.

But I wanted it to be different from store-bought avocado ice cream so I made it into my favorite gelato. You must be wondering why it’s always gelato this-gelato that. It’s because I’ve grown accustomed to the gelato make up – the whole milk ratio being greater than the heavy cream and churning it low to avoid whipping too much air into it. The process is more like stirring than churning so the flavor is more profound and the texture denser and to top it off- no icicles formed therein.

Jen went to the Avocado Festival and brought us some for sampling. I used them all for my gelato which I made in two batches. For the first one, I use the Esthers and the rest I mixed with Mission avocados from Costco which are by the way very good quality- I had to restrain myself from eating one.

I made this straight up avocados and milk- no custard base at all. I just want the natural flavor to come through. I added pure vanilla extract because I think it goes well with avocado and the lemon juice is to add freshness to its rich and creamy nature.

Here's how I made it:

Avocado Gelato

Ingredients:
3 pieces medium avocados
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
juice of 1 small lemon
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions:
Halve the avocados, remove the pits and scoop with a spoon.
Place in a blender with the sugar and whole milk and puree until smooth.
Add the lemon juice and pure vanilla extract and pulse just to incorporate
Transfer the mixture to a bowl and stir in the heavy cream
Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for an hour or so. It thickens fast so check after an hour.
Transfer to the ice cream maker and churn on low for 15 minutes. It should be on soft serve consistency and may be served as such. Freeze for a couple of hours for a firmer consistency.

I can say it was a successful endeavor as the first batch was well received and appreciated. I even had two scoops just because I made it myself. I just realized there are three types of avocado consumers- those who love it savory; those who prefer sweet avocado concoctions and those who love both savory and sweet. I still love it savory but I could use some avocado gelato when I feel like it.