Mango Avocado Ice cream

Imagine my surprise when a few days ago, a close family friend brought us a full box of ripe avocado. A WHOLE BOX!!! I mean, I've never had more than four avocados at a time in the house... Whenever I see them at the grocery store, they'd be either too ripe, or too expensive. Only once in a blue moon would I see a perfect bunch.

***SCORE!!!!***

In Vietnam, we eat avocados like fruits. Slice one open and sprinkle some sugar on top, and just spoon. Or whiz together in the blender some avocado, condense milk & ice and you've got a hefty smoothie. The first time I saw slices of avocado in a salad, I actually thought it was gross...

So I went to sleep thinking of all the things I can do with the them... Ah!!! The creamy green flesh that tastes awesome savory or sweet. I then woke up thinking of them. It was like that for a few days... really obsessive... so I knew I had to make something before my brain explodes green goo...

I used to blend avocado & Ataulfo mango together with a touch of lime, and eat it chilled like a pudding-ish dessert. So I thought I could make an ice cream version. And since avocado is already fatty & creamy enough, I went with whole milk instead of cream

Avocado Mango Ice cream

• flesh of 1 Ataulfo mango
• flesh of 2 ripe avocados
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 cup to 1 1/2 cup of whole milk
• 3 Tbsp honey

Blend everything together in a blender until smooth. Refrigerate over night. When ready, churn in your ice cream maker as according to the manufacturer's instruction.

I didn't have any pistachio nuts on hand, but if you do, chop some and sprinkle on top. It's such a great combination :)

P.S: So, 80 cookies sold and all of the $220 raised donated to Amnesty International from Tramie's Kitchen. Together, the Yoga Mala this passed Sunday raised $5053!!!! Isn't that awesome!!!??? I'm now left with a sunburned nose and it actually hurts LOL!!!

3 layers panna cotta: honey, mango & strawberry

It's supposed to be end of spring here in Montreal, yet the weather is still extremely moody. Yesterday was crazy hot and sunny. Today was cold & cloudy most of the time.

The only good things that remain stable so far are the yummy fruits & vegetables. The vibrant colors, the ripe smells & the feel of them in your hands. I love everything about spring and summer (except for my allergies and the wasps that like to hover in my face)

So let's pretend it is hot outside, and indulge in this cold creamy & fruity goodness of panna cotta. A lot of the time it is made with cream ("panna cotta" means "cooked cream") but I went with whole milk instead. I started out with this recipe & then got carried away and made 2 other layers, lol!!!

Honey panna cotta
(recipe taken from Diary of a professional eater who got it from Giada D.L)

• 2 cups whole milk
• 2 packets of Knox gelatin
• 1/2 cup honey (more or less depends on your taste)
• a tiny pinch of salt
• a tsp vanilla extract

In a sauce pan, mix milk & the packets of Knox, let sit for a few minutes, then put on medium low heat & stir constantly until heated through. Add honey, salt & vanilla extract, stir to blend, thwen take off heat and pour into glass. Refrigerate a few hours

Mango layer
(I didnt cook the milk, so it can't be panna cotta... but what is it then? Mango mirror?)

• 1 Ataulfo mango, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 packet of Knox gelatin (I used only half and it wasn't set enough)

Put mango & milk in blender and work it until smooth. Sweeten it if you want but I didn't. Take about 1/4 of the mango mix, sprinkle the gelatin on top & mocrowave it for 10 seconds. Stir until everything is well blended and add the rest of the mango mix into it. Stir again.

Layer on top of set honey panna cotta. Refrigerate for an hour


Strawberry layer

• 1 cups of washed, hulled & chunked strawberries
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 packet of gelatin

Repeat the same steps as with the mango. Then layer it on top and refrigerate a few more hours.

I had some strawberries and a bit of the white chocolate Cointreau custard left, so I made another plate of dessert. All were greatly enjoyed by my parents and their friends.

TGIF!!!! Oh and Zesty Cook is giving away a blog make-over!!!! It's such a great idea!!!! Go visit & subscribe, u get recipes sent to you EVERYDAY! :O

Mojito shrimp ceviche

Six Feet Under, season four, episode 50, Claire said to Billy: "Hey, do you like ceviche?" And that's all it took for me to jump out of my comfortable vegging state & head into the kitchen to make some, almost immediately.

See, my goal today was to not get out of the house at all. So I made this ceviche with jumbo frozen shrimps instead of fresh white fish. The lemon juice came from fresh lemons that I squeezed myself & froze in ice cube trays a couple of weeks ago. (It's really hard for me to resist buying a lot of lemon at 10 for $1.79!!! Once the cubes defrost, it's like you had just juiced them)

The marinade was inspired by a Ginger Mojito I had on Friday with some friends. So just like that, the final product is a combination of Six Feet Under, Friday night drinks and a fridge & freezer raid.

Mojito shrimp ceviche
(serves 4)

• 12 jumbo shrimps (defrosted if frozen) shelled & devained.
• 2 cups of fresh lemon juice (about 8 lemons or more, depending on the size)
• 1 tbsp white rum
  
• 1 medium-ripe avocado, cubed
• 1 mango, cubed (I used Ataulfo because that's what I had)
• about 20-30 mint leaves, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp grated ginger
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

Prepare a big bowl of ice. Bring a pot of water to a boil, add a pinch of salt. Cook the shrimps for about 30-45 seconds, then throw them into the ice right away to stop the cooking process. Chop them into the same size as the avocado & mango cubes.

Put lemon juice, rum and everything into a big bowl. Make sure it covers all the ingredients well. Refrigerate for at least 3-4 hours.

When ready, serve with tortilla chips or boiled corn on the cobs.