Creme de Abacate
In much of Brazil the avocado lands squarely in the dessert column, not the savory one, blended with lime and sugar into a cool green cream eaten with a spoon. This version keeps the lime and the silk but sends the sugar away: ripe banana and a few Medjool dates sweeten it, and the avocado supplies a richness that reads like custard. It comes together in one blender in the time it takes to zest a lime. Serve it cold and small, because it is genuinely rich, a whole-food fat doing the work of cream. A little lime zest on top is the only finish it needs.
Ingredients
- 2 wholes Avocado, ripe, pitted
- 1 whole Bananas, ripe
- 3 wholes Medjool dates, pitted
- 1/2 cup Unsweetened soy milk
- 3 tbsp Lime juice
- 1 whole Limes, zested
Method
- If your dates are firm, soak them in hot water for 5 minutes and drain. A soft date blends into a smooth caramel; a dry one leaves grit, and softening it first is the whole trick to a sugar-free sweetener.
- Scoop the avocado flesh into a blender with the banana, dates, soy milk, and lime juice. Blend until completely smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides. The banana and dates do the sweetening while the avocado brings the richness, so the cream tastes indulgent with nothing refined in it.
- Taste and add more lime if it reads flat. Avocado is mild and a little sleepy on its own, and acid is what wakes the whole thing up, the same way salt would in a savory dish.
- Spoon into small glasses, cover, and chill at least 30 minutes. Stir the lime zest in just before serving or scatter it on top. Chilling firms the cream to a mousse and the fresh zest on top keeps the perfume bright, since blended zest fades as it sits.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 230 calories, 3 g protein, 7 g fiber, 15 mg sodium. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement. How these are computed.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt. How this is computed.
