Avocado Pie - sweet green loveliness

I was intrigued, upon looking through the Avocado cook book "Around The World - Chilean Hass Avocados", to see a recipe for a sweet Avocado pie.

Now never having eaten avocado in a sweet context, I couldn't really see how things could add up to something nice, let alone something as simply gorgeous as the end result.

However, as I'd been given the gift of six Hass Avocados with which to have a go at some of the recipes in the book, nothing ventured was nothing gained and I cautiously put the recipe together.

Now, should you ever find yourself a recipient of one of these cook books, it is worth noting that the recipe for Avocado Pie is eccentric in the extreme, as it refers to 2 limes in the ingredients, then doesn't refer to them at all in the method!  It also gives no indication as to how you include the butter with the biscuit crumbs, but having made many a biscuit base in the past, this wasn't a problem for me.  I simply microwaved the butter and poured it into the food processor, gave it all a quick whizz and it was done.  Other evidence of such eccentricity is the over-estimation on the biscuit base (considering the recipe claims to serve 4, mine came out way too much for an 8 inch pie dish), and no indication whatsoever of what size of tin of condensed milk to use.  I used a medium tin and then didn't use it all.

So, what you have here is my version of the recipe, which turned out to be a simply delicious, creamy, citrussy, green treat.

AVOCADO PIE (serves 6)

Ingredients :

Cake base (for an 8 inch dish) :
150g digestive biscuits
100g butter

Filling :
2 ripe Hass avocados, skinned and in pieces
1 lemon, zest and juice
2 limes, zest and juice of one and zest of the other
1 397g can of condensed milk - use around three-quarters thereof.

Method :

1.  Prepare the pie base by crushing the biscuits in a food processor, then microwave the butter until it is liquid and add to the crumbs, blending to combine.

2.  Pour mixture into the dish and press with fingers to form a crust.  Set aside in the fridge to cool and solidify.

3.  Prepare the filling by adding to a blender the juice and zest of the lemon, plus the juice and zest of one lime, the condensed milk and lastly - to prevent any oxidisation of the avocado - the avocado pieces.

4.  Blend until smooth and even.

5.  Cover base with the cream and refrigerate for 2 hours.

6.  Decorate with the zest of the remaining lime.

"Around the world - Chilean Hass Avocados" cookbook

Well goodness me, but that was a surprise!

We'd just got back from shopping, when there was an extremely loud hammer on the door and the dogs went bonkers, barking like mad.  I went to see if we were being raided by the police (which is what it sounded like) and there was our postman, proferring a brown cardboard box at me.  ~shrug~

Whatever could it be?  I wasn't expecting anything - and that always makes it all the more interesting.  Opening the box, there, nestled in a comfy bed of bubble wrap, was this :

"Around the world - Chilean Hass Avocados", from The Chilean Hass Avocado Cook Book Collection.  How exciting!

Now I love Avocados, as does hubby.  Son hasn't yet come around to their texture, although the flavour is okay so long as it's involved in Marie Rose sauce and prawns.  He'll get there, give him time!

Looking through the book, there are some yummy looking recipes (like Crab & Salmon Terrine with Avocado, and Lamb Chops with Pea, Mint & Avocado salad) and some recipes that appear to just involve slicing the avocado and putting it on top of, or beside, the main dish (such as Colombian Potato Soup, where the avocado is simply garnish). 

However, as often happens with any cook book, there are a couple of recipes that intrigue, such as the Avocado pie, which together with a biscuit base, lemon and lime, results in a sweet pie that looks rather like a Key Lime Pie.

So thank you, whoever sent it to me - it's very welcome and most interesting.

Now the only problem is that - at the moment, at any rate - we can't afford to buy Avocados!   Anybody want to send me some, so that I can play with the book?  LOL