I don’t know about you, but I am experiencing avocado toast fatigue. There’s nothing wrong with it, but this nation-wide obsession is clouding our brains and preventing us from realising other delicious avocado applications. If you need help getting out of your avo-toast rut, we can help. Here are five new and exciting ways to get more avocados into your life and mouth, none of which involve a toaster or tortilla chips.
Illustration by Angelica Alzona. Photos by Kim Ahlström, Taryn, Claire Lower and Dan.
Make a Marg(arita)
Yeah, I know avocado is supposed to be “like, so good for you”, but that doesn’t mean it can’t get boozy. The first time I ever experienced an avocado margarita was at Disney World, and it was a revelation. It was icy cold, slightly creamy and impossibly refreshing. I don’t have Walt’s recipe, but the one in the video above from Epicurious is pretty close. Watch to get all the frosty deets, but you’ll need to following to create this creamy concoction:
- 175ml fresh lime juice
- 175ml tequila
- 120ml orange liqueur
- 1 teaspoon of sugar
- 1 whole, pitted avocado
- 1 stemmed, deseeded jalapeno
- 2 tablespoons fresh coriander (feel free to omit this if you think coriander tastes of surfactants)
- As much ice as you like
Add everything to a high-powered blender, and then blend until smooth. Pour into four glasses and garnish with lime wedges, chilli salt or both.
Hustle Up Some Hollandaise
![Five Ways To Eat Avocado (That Isn’t Toast Or Guacamole)](https://www.lifehacker.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/26/o4yq2zv8zmupbi3hrjhl.png?quality=75?quality=75)
I have heard tell of people who don’t love Hollandaise sauce, and frankly I just don’t see how that’s possible. The creamy, tangy, somewhat fluffy sauce is at least 78 per cent of the reason I go to brunch, and this avocado iteration from The Kitchn sounds quite divine. The lack of egg yolks gave me pause at first, but subbing in the fatty green fruit means you’re not losing any richness. Plus, this recipe lets our egg-intolerant and vegan friends get in on the fun which is nice, because everyone should be able to enjoy the magic of Hollandaise.
There are two ways you can whip it up: Using a high-powered blender like a Vitamix, or using a whipping siphon. To make this silky sauce in a siphon, you will need:
- 2 shallots, peeled and sliced
- 2 cups white wine
- ½ cup champagne vinegar
- 3 avocados
- ¼ cup grapeseed oil
- ¼ cup Meyer lemon extra virgin olive oil (regular olive oil is fine if you can’t find the flavoured stuff, just add in the juice of half a lemon)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon Tabasco
- ¼ cup water
Add the shallots, wine and vinegar to a saucepan set over medium heat and reduce it down to ½ cup. Let the reduction cool, then chuck it in a blender with everything else. Give it a taste, and adjust your seasonings as needed. At this point, you have a perfectly tasty and serviceable sauce, but if you want to get gourmand, you can take the texture to new gastronomical heights by pouring it into a whipping siphon. Apply two charges of CO2, let it all rest for half an hour, and dispense your Hollandaise on asparagus, salmon and (obviously) eggs benedict.
Turn Them Into Truffles
![Five Ways To Eat Avocado (That Isn’t Toast Or Guacamole)](https://www.lifehacker.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/26/h3at7xccglv7fwgicteh.png?quality=75?quality=75)
The mixing of avocados with chocolate is tricky business; the ratio has to be just right, otherwise you end up with a hot mess of situation that is essentially chocolate guacamole. (I was served this exact thing at the first house party I ever went to in Portland. I was told I “wouldn’t even taste the avocado”. I was told wrong.)
Luckily, these three-ingredient truffles from Food52 nail the mixture — the avocados contribute to the texture in the creamiest, dreamiest way possible without confusing the flavour profile. To make these little balls of joy, simply mash, blend or process a medium avocado until it is completely smooth and without lumps. Weigh out 280g of really high quality dark chocolate chips, and set aside about half a cup of them. Melt the remaining chocolate in microwave, removing to stir every 10 seconds until the chocolate is melted. Combine melted chocolate with the avocado and mix until completely blended. Roughly chop the remaining half cup of chocolate chips and stir those in. Pop the whole thing in the fridge for an hour until firm, then roll the chilled, chocolatey mixture into balls, roll them in cocoa powder and enjoy.
Make Some Very Devilish Eggs
![Five Ways To Eat Avocado (That Isn’t Toast Or Guacamole)](https://www.lifehacker.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/26/iirtd93iwqv8frdmbbjj.jpg?quality=75?quality=75)
Though their regions of origin are quite different, guacamole and devilled eggs are both icons of the snack food world. This recipe combines both of the tasty delights into one, surprisingly harmonious bite. Feel free to mess around with this recipe — both devilled eggs and guac are fun to tweak to your personal tastes — but here’s how I make mine (originally inspired by this recipe on xoJane):
- 6 hardboiled eggs, peeled
- 1 large avocado
- The juice of half a lime
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt to taste
- 1 serrano pepper, chopped
- 1 tablespoon of chopped coriander
- Chopped chives and more coriander for topping
Cut your eggs and half and remove the yolks. Mash ’em up good with the avocado, lime juice, sour cream, garlic powder and salt. Stir in chopped serrano and coriander and mix until well-combined. Scoop filling back into egg whites, top with chives and coriander leaves and serve.
Freeze Them Into Ice Pops
![Five Ways To Eat Avocado (That Isn’t Toast Or Guacamole)](https://www.lifehacker.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/26/c11t8uwfrr9d8qjqy2fm.jpg?quality=75?quality=75)
Australia is well into summer, so now is a good time to go ahead and add these avocado-lime ice pops to your recipe box. Similar to the margaritas above, the avocado provides a subtle sweetness and creamy mouthfeel while still remaining surprisingly refreshing. They’re also pretty simple to make. You will need:
- 2 avocados, pits removed
- 1 cup (packed) mint leaves
- ½ cup fresh lime juice
- ½ cup simple syrup
- Pinch of kosher salt
Put everything in a blender and blend until it’s silky smooth. Divide the mixture among ice pop moulds and freeze until solid. Enjoy with a sunny summer day.
I hope at least one, if not all of, these recipes have revived you from your avocado toast fatigue, and inspired you to do more with the deliciously fatty fruit. Of course, if you do run back to its warm, bready comfort, no one will blame you. Avocado toast is pretty freaking good. (Same goes for guac, to be quite honest.)
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