Vegan Avocado Ice Cream with Mango Sauce

Tags

avocado, booze, easy, frozen, gluten-free, ice cream, lime, mango, raw, recipes, sauce, tequila, vegan

I can be a complete and utter nutter in the kitchen, but it usually turns out well, right?  *crickets*

This is my third sweet (and vegan) avocado experiment, but if it grosses you out, let me remind you about a couple of things.

1. Avocados are fruit.  I mean, look at those big honkin’ pits!

2. They don’t have a very strong flavor.  Most people are probably accustomed to avocados being mashed up with tomatoes, garlic, onion, etc. and dipping chips into said mixture.  However, in some parts of the world, they are used to make creamy, refreshing desserts.  Smart people.

Here I am presenting you with something that is not only creamy and refreshing, but vegan and raw!  The avocados make up the smooth base with their healthy fats.  Lime juice gives it a citrus zing, but the sweetness of the sugar prevents it from tasting sour.  Finally, what keeps the mixture from freezing rock hard is tequila!  Sí, señor!! 

Quick story time: My parents received two bottles of this Jose Cuervo Platinum (!!) from people at work a few years ago for Christmas.  They said I could have them (!!!), so I took them home with me.  Welllll, I found out last summer that they only meant for me to take one of them, and were surprised/amused when they realized I took both.  Anyway, that’s why I have this badass tequila (it comes in a box!) and am sure it’s probably total sacrilege to use it in ice cream, but whatevs.

With the lime juice, the tequila makes this stuff taste like a (not strong) creamy margarita in spoonable form.  And you know what?  I love me some mango margaritas, so I couldn’t resist making a mango sauce to top it off.

Vegan Avocado Ice Cream
by Rick Bayless via Eating Well

If you’re not a fan of alcohol, you can probably use less tequila.  Like I said, it’s not a very strong flavor, but I worry that if you nixed it, the ice cream might harden too much if you don’t eat it sooner than later.  If anyone does try a tequila-less version, let me know!

1 1/2 cups avocado puree, from about 3 ripe large avocados (see below)
1 1/2 cups cold water
1 1/3 cups sugar
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/3 cup tequila

Make the avocado puree: Remove the pulp from the avocados (this is my favorite way), then pulse it in a food processor or blender until completely smooth.  You might need to scrape down the sides and stir things around just to make sure all the chunks are gone.  Measure out 1 1/2 cups of puree and use the extra for something else.  (I had an extra 1/2 cup and used it on nachos!)

Make the base: Return the avocado puree to the food processor or blender.  Add the water, sugar, lime juice, and tequila and blend well.  Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight.  Tip: If you are going to leave it overnight, place some plastic wrap directly on the surface of the mixture.  I didn’t and had a brown top the next day, which I just skimmed off.

Make the ice cream: Pour the avocado mixture into an ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer’s directions.  I have a Krups model, and all I had to do was turn it on, pour the mixture in, and let it mix until I had ice cream.  EASY.

You might want to let it sit in the freezer to firm up a bit, but it’s not going to get hard.  Thank you, booze!

Mango Sauce
loosely from Epicurious

I like to cut mangoes the same way that I cut avocados (but cutting to the left or right of the center to avoid the pit, of course).  You lose less pulp when you scoop it out of the skin as opposed to cutting the skin off.  Then you can scrape what’s left off of the pit.

Also, I didn’t put amounts because the flavor really depends on the sweetness of the mango and your taste preference.  Trust thyself!  If you would like more of a reference, then see the original recipe.

ripe mango(es)
fresh lime juice
sugar

Remove the fruit from the peel and pit (see above) and dump it in a food processor or blender.  Add some lime juice and sugar (maybe a couple teaspoons of each to start), blend until completely smooth, then taste.  Add more lime juice or sugar to taste, if needed.  You can run the sauce through a sieve if you want it super smooth, but I didn’t because I was lazy and didn’t care.

I suppose I should address Valentine’s Day (did you hear me groan? sorry.).  If you’re still looking for something to make that is unique and NOT chocolate, you should totally make some avocado ice cream.  It would be SO cute in margarita glasses!  (Mine are hiding, but can you imagine?)

And if you ARE looking for chocolate recipes, I suggest going the spicy route: Spicy Bark with Almonds and Sea Salt and Dark Chocolate Chipotle Brownies with Cinnamon White Chocolate are totally swoon-worthy.