Rick Bayless' Avocado Ice Cream
Back in March, I went to Chicago for the first time, a quick three-day trip to see the Bulls play and explore the city.
And eat some good food. I researched where I wanted to eat well in advance. In addition to restaurants, this included Chicago-style hot dogs (you can find vegetarian ones! ), Garrett’s popcorn (get the caramel and cheddar mix – trust me), and deep-dish pizza.
Given financial and time constraints, we could only eat at two restaurants. One of them was Rick Bayless’ Frontera Grill. The savory food there is delicious – I recommend the ceviche sampler, a changing offering of three ceviches, for an appetizer – but, as a sweets person, what I most remember is the dessert: avocado ice cream and sour cream ice cream.
These are the best ice creams I have ever had.
And the recipe for one, avocado ice cream, is available online. It’s actually a vegan ice cream with only four ingredients – avocados, sugar, lime juice, and tequila – plus water.
When I bought my avocados, they weren’t ripe yet. I left them out to soften for two days, but then couldn’t wait any longer. I was craving this ice cream.
So my avocado puree did not get as smooth as I am guessing it should have. If you use unripe avocados, you may end up with tiny pieces of avocado in your ice cream.
But your ice cream will still have what food critics call “depth of flavor” thanks to the lime juice and tequila.
Avocado Ice Cream
From the Top Chef Website
2 cups avocado puree
2 cups water
1 ¾ cups sugar
1/3 cup lime juice
½ cup tequila
Blend in a blender and then place in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s directions. Place in freezer until frozen.
[...] cream. I’ve made ice cream before – see avocado ice cream and chestnut ice cream – but I’ve always used soy milk or low-fat milk or half-and-half. And [...]