--- airs weeknights on SBS Food at 7.00pm and 10.00pm, or stream it free on . Catch the avocado episode Thursday 26 August. ---
"Whether avo on toast is our national dish or just another piece in the puzzle of Australian cuisine, the avocado may have come from abroad but it's now right at home in Australian life," says Adam Liaw, the host of SBS Food show The Cook Up with Adam Liaw.
Avo on toast gets its fair share of airtime, but we're here to write home about avocados more unconventional uses – in desserts.
Lorraine Elliott, the food and travel blogger behind Not Quite Nigella, says, "I love using avocado in desserts to make them more nutritious. You get the benefits of eating avocado with all of the vitamins, fibre and minerals, but also the monounsaturated fatty acids."
Whether avo on toast is our national dish or just another piece in the puzzle of Australian cuisine, the avocado may have come from abroad but it's now right at home in Australian life.
Avocado, which is often substituted for butter or oil, also makes desserts creamier. One hot tip from Elliott: "Make sure that the avocados are ripe – you want them creamy textured. Unripe avocados also have a distinctly bitter flavour that will not work well in desserts."
Feel like testing something new? Here are four dessert recipes that champion avocado.
Choc avocado mousse is the epitome of creaminess. Source: Damon Gameau
Avocado coconut cheesecake
"This really makes the most of avocado's creamy texture," says Elliott. "It's an unbaked cheesecake that has a naturally pretty pale green colour."
It's quick to prep, but takes six hours to set in the fridge – so a little patience is required. Alongside avocado are ingredients such as white chocolate, cream cheese, coconut cream and lime zest. The cheesecake is topped with dark chocolate, kiwi fruit and blueberries.
OH SWEET AVO
Choc avocado mousse with berries
Avocado pound cake
Elliott's avocado pound cake brings together not one but two avocados, almond meal, eggs and vanilla. "I adore this recipe because it uses avocados in place of the significant amount of butter that is usually used in a pound cake," says Elliott.
Why not try Damon Gameau's avocado lime slice .
Forget baking with this avocado lime slice Source: Damon Gameau
Avocado and matcha popsicles
Avocado and matcha – a match made in culinary heaven. Chef Leanne Kitchen thinks the combo works particularly well in form too. Avocado, milk, condensed milk and matcha are blitzed in a food processor until smooth, then placed in the freezer for at least three hours.
GREEN ON GREEN
Matcha-avocado popsicles
Part two involves melting white chocolate and cream, then dipping the popsicles into this mixture. They're finished off with a coating of chopped pistachios to make for a not overly sweet treat.
Avocado and banana bread
Pamela Clark, who led the Australian Women's Weekly so-called Test Kitchen for decades, shares her recipe for healthy avocado banana bread on episode 94 of The Cook Up. "The magic ingredient is the avocado. It's the butter or oil substitute, really," says Clark.
COOK UP AVOCADO-BANANA BREAD WITH ADAM LIAW
Avo-nana bread
The recipe features hazelnut meal, mixed spice and a rather unusual ingredient for a bread: "Psyllium husks, good for the gut," says Clark.
"It's gluten-free. And actually sugar-free if you think about it, except for the banana," she says.
THE COOK UP WITH ADAM LIAW
Episode guide | The Cook Up with Adam Liaw | Episodes 76 to 100
