RECIPE: Avocado ice-cream

I am possibly the HUGEST avocado fan on the planet... especially the Fuerte varietal. The best part about it is they are pretty much available all year round, with specials like 3 for R10 at Rodgers Fruiterers, who wouldn't be a permanently stoked avo fan? Just one avo provides a source of monounsaturated fat and omega-3fatty acids, antioxidants, including Vitamin E, fiber, Vitamin K and folate and many essential minerals including potassium, thiamin, iron, riboflavin, niacin, magnesium and manganese and zero cholesterol!

Soft and buttery scooped with a spoon is the best way to go for me - with a dash of sriratcha for a bit of a kick, a squirt of lime juice and a crush of garlicy hummm, in salad, on pizza, in a smoothie... so why not put it in ice-cream? I PROMISE you will be pleasantly surprised by this creamy, almost guilt-free treat!

Supplemented photos from: http://www.laventel.com/, http://www.yuppiechef.co.za/, http://www.tastespotting.com/features/avocado-smoothie-recipe

Avocado ice-cream

adapted from two peas and their pod 

Makes 1 litre

Ingredients: 

3 medium ripe avocados

1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup cream (i like the double tick one from Woolies)
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
Pinch of salt

Slice open the avocados, remove the pits, and scoop out the flesh. Put the avocados in a bar blender/ food processor/ stick blender. Add the sugar, sour cream, cream, lime juice, and salt. Blitz until smooth.

I churned mine in my sorbetiere then in the freezer for a firmer texture - if you don't have a sorbetiere/ ice-cream machine,just put it in the freezer and give it a stir periodically to break up the ice crystals. 

 This ice-cream would go well with a citrus tart, something chocolatey, dollop on a summer gazpacho - endless possiblities.

COLLEGE: Butternut Ravioli

Ravioli is a type of filled pasta composed of a filling (usually meat or cheese) sealed between two layers of thin pasta dough. The name comes from the Italian plural of raviolo, literally meaning little turnip.

Today we made butternut, swiss chard and feta stuffed ravioli pasta parcels on a plinth of roasted butternut cubes served with a tomato fondue, butternut ribbon crisps, parmasan and olives... what a mouthful - a SCRUMPTIOUS mouthful!

RECIPE: Camembert pie

At this point, you should already know that I WORSHIP camembert! This really is so quick, easy, delicious and SUCH a crowd pleaser... sereve as a appetiser, starter, dessert or snack, savoury or sweet. If you share my passion, this one's for YOU!

The idea for the Camembert pie was sparked by Kristen, one of the WorldTeach volunteers of 2010.

Ingredients:
Puff pastry (pre-bought or homemade)
wheel of RIPE camembert (that means; soft, oozy and a little stinky!)
butter/ egg wash
Optional flavouring:
*dried cranberries and honey
*cape gooseberry preserve
*garlic, thyme and white wine (only a teaspoon or it will make the pastry soggy)
*anything you can think of!

Method:
If using frozen pre-bought puff pastry, defrost. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. 
Roll out the pastry. Smear a teaspoon of preserve onto the pastry the size of the camembert. Place the camemberbert over it, then another smear of preserve on top. Sprinkle with dried cranberries. Fold the pastry over the camembert forming a parcel - seal the edges with melted butter or egg wash and smooth over. Brush the parcel with egg was or butter - when baking, this will give it a golden colour. Place in the oven for 30min or until golden brown. Serve immidiately with sliced apples.

Make mini pies by cutting the camembert into little blocks.
This recipe works well with phylo pastry too!

COLLEGE: Kingklip en Papillote

En Papillote, "in parchment", it is a method of cooking usually fish or poultry in a folded pouch, pillow or parcel and then baked in the oven. The moisture from the food item, stock, wine, or water, is held in by the parcel, holding ALL the flavour in.

For our Kingklip en Papillote, we layered baby spinach, fennel bulb, onion, tomato, mushroom, topped with our filllet of Kingklip and a sprig of dill. To serve we made a creamy mousseline (veloute with cream).

COLLEGE: Chicken pot au feu

Our first dish of the year we started with chicken pot au feu (with an Asian twist). Pot au feu means “pot on the fire”, basically a traditional French stew where vegetables and meat are cooked all in one pot, slowly over a fire (like our potjie).

We deboned a chicken in the supreme cut, then deboned the leg (thigh and drum), stuffed, rolled and poached it. Served with crunchy julienned vegetables, vermicelli rice noodles and a sweet soy sauce.