Avocado Gelato Recipe!

I was lucky enough to get hooked up with a copy of the book, The Art of Making Gelato: 50 Flavors to Make at Home by Morgan Morano. There were some really interesting recipes in the book, but the one that peaked my interest the most was the avocado gelato recipe. Now the recipes in this book are not easy, they all require a food scale as all the ingredients are in weight measurements and some ingredients are god-damned impossible difficult to find. In particular, tapioca starch which is required in all of the recipes and acts as a thickening agent and reduces ice crystallization. The only place I was able to find tapioca starch was at my local oriental market. 

Ingredients
- 2 ounces / 56 grams milk powder
- 7.05 ounces / 200 grams granulated sugar
- 1 pinch kosher salt

- 0.7 ounce / 20 grams tapioca starch
6.75 ounces / 192 grams heavy cream
- 24.15 ounces / 685 grams whole milk
- 1.15 ounces / 33 grams light corn syrup
- 4.7 ounces / 134 grams avocado, sliced (about 1.5 hass avocado)

Yield: About 1 quart / 950 milliliters

Avocado Gelato

 Mix the milk powder, sugar, salt, and tapioca starch in a bowl.  Add the heavy cream and whole milk and whisk well to incorporate all of the dry ingredients into the liquid.  Add the corn syrup and avocado. Blend with an immersion blender, making sure to fully incorporate all of the avocado pieces into the base. No large pieces should remain and most, if not all, of the avocado should be blended into the base.

Pour the mixture into a 2.5-quart / 1.42-liter saucepan, using a spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl. Place the saucepan on medium- high heat and cook, whisking continuously to prevent
any burning or clumping. Whisk slowly in the beginning and increase speed as the mixture gets warmer and begins to steam and thicken. It should thicken without boiling after 8 to 10 minutes on the heat; watch carefully so it doesn’t burn. Once the mixture has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon, continue cooking 15 seconds longer, whisking vigorously. Then immediately remove from the heat.

Avocado Gelato

Pour the mixture into a clean glass or stainless-steel bowl and lay plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming on top. Allow the mixture to sit 30 to 45 minutes, until no longer hot. Then place in the refrigerator to cool completely, about 4 hours. If the mixture needs to be used right away, submerge most of the bowl in an ice bath and let it sit 30 to 40 minutes, refreshing the ice as necessary.

Once the mixture has cooled completely and thickened further, pour it into the bowl of the gelato machine and churn the gelato according to the manufacturer’s directions. The gelato will expand and should spin until it’s thick and creamy but still soft enough to scoop into a storage container, about 30 to 55 minutes. 7. Use a rubber spatula to scoop the gelato into a storage container. 8. Press a piece of plastic wrap or parchment paper directly on the surface of the gelato, seal the container with an airtight lid, and put it in the freezer.

 Freeze at least 4 to 6 hours. When ready, the gelato should be firm enough to scoop but soft and creamy in texture. Serve 10. Enjoy the fresh gelato as soon as possible. If using after 2 days, allow 7 to 10 minutes for the gelato to soften outside of the freezer before eating.

Avocado Gelato

The flavor is unlike anything I've ever tasted. It's earthy, refreshing and very funky. Definitely something to try if you've got a couple of left over avocados laying around.