Hey hey it's Friday, so here's a festive post for any weekend entertaining you may be doing - on a small scale of course 😉
A hedonistic, decadent, yet fairly wholesome dessert. A dessert nevertheless and not a healthy meal - so for the occasional treat for weekend afternoon tea, birthday celebrations or high days and holidays. It is rich and delicious, yet nutritious (contains whole foods, not refined, processed foods) and sustaining. It definitely doesn't taste of avocado!
Caveat: Good quality chocolate which uses cocoa butter (and not hydrogenated fats) should be chosen - always.
Ingredients
Pie Crust:
120g nuts/seeds 1st choice (crush wholesome rusks/crackers in case of nut/seed allergies)
40g cocoa butter or butter
Pinch of salt – optional
1 to 2 tablespoons dark sugar – optional – depending on family tastes/health
Filling:
500g avocado pulp, skin and pips removed (approx 7 to 8 avos depending on size)
300g milk chocolate, melted (if using dark chocolate some liquid needs to be added)
3 heaped tablespoons cocoa/cacao (NB addition - ensures no residual avo taste remains)
¼ teaspoon Himalayan or sea salt - optional
4 to 6 tablespoons dark sugar or if possible less - depending on family tastes/health
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Method
Start with Pie Crust:
Melt butter/cocoa butter
Reduce almonds/rusks/biscuits to crumbs in a food processor
Mix all ingredients together, stir well, press firmly into dish & place in freezer
Filling: While the pie crust chills, start on the filling
Place all ingredients into food processor, blend till smooth and all avocado has been evenly incorporated into the mixture. At least once midway through processing, scrape sides down and continue processing, to ensure no green lumps of avocado remain.
Scrape into pie dish on top of crumb crust and smooth the surface
Refrigerate for a couple of hours
Notes
I use a 22cm springform pan (but it could work in normal pie dish or even a square/rectangular pan and cut into squares?) Scale amounts down for a smaller pie – this one is a goodly sized one for a special occasion (i.e. family + guests).
In the case of nut/seed allergies: appropriate cracker/rusk choice instead and/or desiccated coconut.
This pie is delicious both chilled and at room temperature (at which it holds its shape).
Ring the changes: a)Omit the base and serve in individual little ramekin bowls for a wonderful chocolate mousse. b) Add 3 tablespoons of a neutral alcohol eg vodka and freeze in individual little bowls for a frozen chocolate mousse-like ice cream dessert.
Ideally use genuinely unrefined dark sugar. I like Dark Muscovado by Natural Sugars (the green packet) available at many health shops and some Checkers stores.
– provides a good quality, genuinely unrefined sugar at a reasonable price in comparison to some specialist, unrefined sugars. It's available at certain supermarkets, health stores and specialist food stores.
© Dr Karen Morris
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