Berried Treasures

Avocado Dolce con Frutti di Bosco e Zucchero d'Oro
Sweet Avocado with Mixed Berries and "Golden Sugar"

I love avocados! Mild, buttery, versatile and delicious... and healthy to boot! There are about a million and one ways to enjoy them, both savory and sweet. This was a spur of the moment idea, which was kind-of forming whilst I made my sweet pizzas last week. It was the seasoned, "Golden Sugar" I invented you see... I just knew there were many, many ways I could make use of that too. So this is a combination of a versatile fruit and a versatile seasoning... it just had to work, didn't it!

Okay- let me briefly remind you of how I make this golden sugar. All you need is a mortar and pestle, some regular granulated sugar, a pinch of sea salt (!), some finely chopped or grated orange zest, a little star anis, finely chopped rosemary, chili flakes and cinnamon. Grind these together with your mortar and pestle and you have a wonderful, sophisticated and complex flavoring in the blink of an eye. There is nothing outlandish or crazy about it- they are all flavors that we are familiar with and love. But it is the combination that has the magic in it. So prepare to bewitch your guests and put them under your sweet spell...


Cut the avocado in half and remove the stone. Squeeze the juice of a lime onto a flat plate and add a teaspoon of confectioners sugar. Now lay the avocado with the cut surface side down onto the juice to stop it from discoloring. You can obviously remove the peel completely, which would make this more convenient to eat, but I decided to leave the peel on for visual reasons- and also because it gives you a little more stability whilst you arrange it. I then cut 2 slices from each half and made sure to moisten them in the lime juice /sugar mix. It is a little tricky, but with a sharp knife you can get 2 decent slices from each half. 


The end pieces are your little treat- give them an extra-generous sprinkle of that good sugar and grab yourself a sneak-preview!

I decided to use red currants and raspberries this time, but some chopped strawberries, raspberries, cherries or any other kind of "forest fruits" would be equally delicious. Arrange decoratively and sprinkle with the golden sugar, making sure to get an even coating on everything. 

Let the flavors soak into the avocado for 5-10 minutes for the best results... the sugar may not look so pretty anymore as it begins to dissolve... but it will taste all the better as it releases the spicy citrus and herb aroma into the sugar and lime flavored pear... mmmm! Make sure to mash some of those berries down and get some of those juices mixed-in too when you eat it! And simply enjoy! What a wonderful, colorful, simple dessert, full of all the flavors of Summer! But please... don't just take my word for it... try it and see for yourself!