Avocado Chocolate Gelato

When we stayed at Tiger House two years ago, in celebration of our 40th wedding anniversary, we had a lovely time reading through the resident cookbooks. 

Blowed if I can remember which one it was now. But I did take a photo of the recipe. Phew!  

This chocolate gelato is so good! What a strange addition- lots of ripe avocado, but it works. beautifully.

100 gms dark chocolate- 70% 

300 gms ripe avocado- probably 2/3 depending on the size

200 mls full cream milk (or milk that suits)

2 tbsps cream (or coconut cream I imagine)

1/3 cup of unrefined sugar- not honey as I tried that and the mixture was not quite firm enough.

35 gms (1/3c) raw cocao powder

2 tsps vanilla essence 

pinch of good salt

Melt the chocolate in a bowl over water in a little saucepan

Add everything else into a blender or food processor. 

Pulse to combine-mixture should be thick & mousse like. 

Add melted chocolate and blend for another minute or so to combine well.

Freeze in to small jars, a container, or little bowls.

Leave to stand out of the freezer for 10 minutes or so before eating/serving.

Actually, this is fine as a mousse and firms up nicely by simply being in the fridge.

This dessert is great on it's own but also teams up well with instant banana ice cream.

You can find the recipe for that here.

Another variation for this versatile dessert is to layer the mousse with other deliciousness such as this nod to Tiramsu:

Bottom layer is the above avocado mousse

Second layer is coffee chia pudding made with 1/4 chia seeds

 1 cup of whole milk, 1 dsp chicory coffee essence, 1 tsp vanilla essence, 1 tsp maple syrup or honey.

Mix altogether in a jar, stir every now & then.

Leave to do it's thing for a few hours- until thick.

Third layer- 1 cup coconut cream set with 1 tsp gelatine, a wee pinch of salt & a tsp of vanilla & maple syrup or honey.

Top with caramelised walnut pieces or dust with cocoa powder or whatever takes your fancy at the time! I used our own foraged walnuts. Melt a dsp brown sugar in a pan, add the walnuts stir to combine- cook for 5/10 minutes until crispy. Cool.   

These are great stored in the fridge with the lid on.

Great for barbecues & picnics too. 

Of course there are loads of variations that you could use in the chia pudding part such as strawberries, even the freeze dried powders etc instead of the coffee flavouring. And of course, you could use coconut milk or cream or almond milk etc.

Katie x

Chickpea Blondies

 Yes, chickpeas and chocolate is a thing!

These "blondies" are quick and easy to make and can be vegan too, if you like.

Turn on the oven to 180 degrees

In to a food processor put:

2 cans chickpeas or white beans, drained and dried off with a clean tea towels or paper towels.

2/3 cup of maple syrup (rice syrup or honey).

2/3 cup of smooth peanut butter (or almond butter).

2/3 cup of spelt flour or a mix of flour and ground almonds.

2 tsps baking powder and a large pinch of salt.

1 dsp of vanilla

Blend all together until smooth.

Remove the blade and stir in 1/2 cup of chocolate chips- good quality dark chocolate is best.

Spoon in to a small tin lined with baking paper. Sprinkle over a few more chocolate drops and press in to the mix gently

Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden and cooked.

Cool well before removing or cutting.

Decadent Chocolate Cake

An utterly gorgeous chocolate cake for a very special occasion. A Jo Seagar recipe from way back. I've halved the recipe since unless you're making a cake for a crowd you really don't need to be eating that much chocolate! I bought 80 percent dark organic chocolate buttons from Le Petite in town. A 500 gram bag was $19 and between the cake and the ganache icing I used the lot!

Turn on the oven to Bake 180 C

In a pot dissolve 1 cup of raw sugar in 150 ml of water. Boil for about a minute. And add 225 gms chocolate and 225 gms of butter. Stir until melted. Remove from the heat. Beat 3 eggs in a food processor using the whisk attachment. Add 1/2C of  flour and combine briefly. Add the cooled chocolate mixture and whizz again.

Pour in to a greased and lined 23 cm spring form tin.

Bake in a water bath for 40 minutes or until set and firm.

Cool in tin for a while before turning out.

When cold wrap in glad wrap and put in the fridge overnight.

To make the ganache topping heat 1 cup of cream until almost boiling, add 225 gms of dark chocolate and a tsp of vanilla essence. Let it sit for a minute and then stir in together. Spread over the cake.

If the ganache separates or goes lumpy- gently warm it up a again and add more cream. Stir.

Serve with whipped cream adding a tsp of vanilla essence when whipping.

The cream is really important to this cake as it balances out the other elements.

Katie X