'A' is for...avocado ice-cream

Today marks my very first "Cooking A-Z" post for 2012. Where better to start than with avocado ice-cream? Well, that's what I thought. My beloved did not share my passion for converting this typically savoury ingredient into a milky dessert. He spent the good part of half a week trying to convince me to start the A-Z challenge with apple ice-cream, apricot ice-cream, allspice, almond....you get the picture. I persisted, maintaining that, while I had never eaten the fruit in ice-cream form, it makes a deliciously lush, thick smoothie and a velvety mousse and thus *must* make for a delectable ice-cream. For my sake (and that of women the world over, right?!), I was correct. Not only was the ice-cream a hit with my beloved (who has asked me to "make it again...and soon"), but my parents are tempted to make this dish an entry requirement for our regular dinners. This is an incredibly simple recipe (using all store bought ingredients and requiring no cooking) and was made with lactose-free milk and cream, both of which were low fat varieties. The rich, creamy flavour was not at all compromised and my farty lactose-intolerant other half was thrilled.

Avocado ice-cream

(Serves 6-8)

3 ripe avocados

1/2 lemon (juiced)

1/2 cup sugar

300ml cream

1 cup skim milk

Remove flesh from avocados and blitz with lemon juice and sugar in a food processor until smooth.
Transfer avocado mixture to a bowl and add cream and milk. Whisk until well combined, like so:

Chill in the fridge for a couple of hours and then churn in an ice-cream maker for around 10 minutes or according to manufacturer instructions.

Enjoy either immediately in "soft serve" form...

...or freeze for a couple of hours for a more solid consistency:

Rich, luscious and creamy goodness - perfect for a balmy Summer evening!