You Say Avocado, I Say Abogado

About author / Rebecca Michaels

Queen of the desserts and pastry chef extraordinaire; graduate French Culinary Institute; Golden Scoop Award winner; Flying Monkey Bakery founder

Avocados make wonderful desserts. "Has she lost her mind," you ask? "Avocados are for guacamole! They're not sweet! They're not even fruit!"Wrong! Interestingly, avocados are a fruit. In fact, they are a single-seeded berry. Once considered an aphrodisiac by the Aztecs, the avocado has a long history in Western food culture. It was first written about in 1672 as "one of the most rare and pleasant fruits of the island. It nourisheth and strengtheneth the body, corroborating the spirits and procuring lust exceedingly." Whoah there, tiger!

There are over 1000 varieties of avocado, but we will focus on the two most popular in the United States: Fuerte, or Florida avocado, and the Haas.

The Haas variety is generally grown in the mild climates of California and are in season year round. It has a pebbly dark green to black skin. The Haas is the standard avocado for guacamole and spreads because it becomes mushy rather easily. It is also higher in fat (hence tastier in my opinion!) than the Fuerte. The Fuerte is grown in Florida and has a smooth bright green skin. It is a considerably firmer than the Haas and holds up well cut up. It is in season from late fall to spring.

In the past couple of years, pastry chefs have gotten pretty creative with avocados. There is avocado ice cream and sorbet, mousses, breads, and many mixed fruit salads. If you happen to run across a dessert that features this fruit, go ahead and give it a try. The smooth creamy texture and mild flavor blend agreeably with dairy and sugar.

Avocados are relatively easy to handle. Run a knife around the fruit from one side of the stem to the other. Gently twist the two halves apart. The seed may come out quite easily, but if it doesn't, wedge your knife directly into the seed and it will pull out nicely. I find it easier to peel it at this point rather than before cutting; it can get pretty slippery, especially if it's ripe. Rub a little lemon or lime juice on the exposed fruit so it stays a pretty shade of green.

Do not store your avocados in the fridge or freezer. They take a couple of days to ripen when you get them from the store (In theory, grocery stores generally try and sell them still relatively hard because they bruise quite easily). Just leave them on your counter until you're ready to use them.

Now for one of my favorite fruit salad recipes. It may seem a little strange with the combination of savory and sweet, but trust me, it's delicious and makes a wonderful item to bring to a party. You'll be the talk of the town: "That crazy person! What are they doing mixing fruits and vegetables?!" But we know otherwise. . .

Serves/Makes: 2

• 1 avocado
• 1/2 small red onion
• 1 mango
• 3 kiwi fruit
• 1 orange
• 1/2 lime
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1 tablespoon Grand Marnier
• 1 dash kosher salt