I’ve seen snap after snap of friends’ avo-toast popping up on my phone. I’ve watched avocado dishes fly out of the door of my Peruvian restaurants, Ceviche and Andina, in London. I just wonder: what took you so long?
I grew in the suburbs of Lima with an avocado tree in my garden. As a kid, I would take the rich pickings from our garden to my auntie Carmela’s house and she would show me what to do with them. I learnt to use them in everything, sweet or savoury.
Stuffed avocados, mashed avocados in a fried egg sandwich — actually, mashed avocado with anything! Avocado and chicken stew, avocado soup, avocado ceviche — even avocado ice cream.
I’m not alone; most Peruvians are crazy about avocados — we grow the best in the world. We call them paltas; when we say a person is palteado, we mean that person is bewildered, drunk with avo love. I took my passion for paltas to my restaurants, where they are valued for their nutritional content as well as their deliciousness.
Peruvian avocado provides nearly 20 important vitamins and minerals, plus monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats — the good fats. Which means almost guilt-free ice-cream, right?
How to buy and store
Look for an avocado that feels heavy for its size and that has not been bumped or bruised (Peruvian hass avocados have rough skins and a dark green colour that is almost black when ripe). Hold it in the palm of your hand and squeeze it gently. If it yields just a little, it’s ready to eat. If you’re still not sure, flick the stem with your finger and it should come off easily. Store avocados at room temperature or in a paper bag to help ripen, and check them daily. For quicker ripening, place in a paper bag of rice. Never refrigerate.
Avocado ice cream
Makes 1/2 litre
Ingredients
250ml full-fat milk
100g caster sugar
1 vanilla pod, split lengthways, or 1 tsp vanilla extract
3 egg yolks
2 ripe avocados, diced
Juice of 2 limes
250ml double cream
Steps
Put the milk and half the sugar in a saucepan with the vanilla. Stir over low heat until the sugar has dissolved, then allow the milk to come almost to the boil. Take off the heat and leave to infuse until cooled.
Meanwhile, put the egg yolks in a bowl with the rest of the sugar and whisk until thick and mousse-like. Reheat the milk over a medium heat until it again almost comes to the boil, then pour over the whisked eggs and sugar.
Stir, then pour the mixture back into the saucepan. Stir over a very gentle heat until it has thickened — it is the right consistency when you can draw a line with your finger across the back of a coated wooden spoon. Leave the vanilla pod in and chill the custard thoroughly.
Puree the avocado flesh and lime juice in a blender and stir into the custard. Strain the mixture and add the cream. Taste, add more sugar if necessary, pour into an ice-cream machine and churn until thick and frozen.
If you don’t have an ice-cream machine, freeze in a large, shallow container, whisking every 30 minutes until it is the right consistency.
Garnish with chocolate and caramel shards and fresh mint.
— Guardian News & Media Ltd
