Avocado Mousse with Strawberry and Agave Sorbet – A New Take on the Great Lebanese Fruit Cocktail

Well. Where have I been? No new blog posts since the 12th of October! What a shameful excuse for a foodie you say, no? Well, as a matter of fact, I have been so consumed with food related matters that I haven’t had the chance to do anything else, including the update of this blog. October was the month for SIFF, the Sydney International Food Festival, and besides attending several events, including the World Chef Master Showcase, I have been busy preparing an event of my own. Along with my friends (and fellow food bloggers), I’ve been more than a mere attendant of SIFF. The 24th and 31st of October saw Lili, Trish and myself prepare dinner for 60 diners at our Food Bloggers’ Secret Dinner. A full account of the event may come here soon, but you’ll be able to read some great blog posts at Karen or Steph’s blogs who attended our first dinner.

This entry is about one of the dishes I prepared on the night. This recipe is one that I am extremely proud of because of its simplicity, originality and amazing flavours. My avocado mousse with strawberry and agave sorbet is based on the Lebanese fruit cocktail. The original cocktail is made with avocados mixed with milk and honey, topped with almonds and a layer of ashta (Lebanese clotted cream), followed by chunky fruits covered with strawberry nectar and finally topped with more ashta, nuts and honey. This cocktail is just one of the best things you can have on a hot summer’s day, and apart from the ashta, it is very healthy. My approach stays true to the original, but starts with a layer of my strawberry and agave sorbet, topped with the avocados and finishes with double cream and pistachios. Agave syrup is my favourite low calorie sweetener, followed by xylitol and stevia. It is an extract of the agave cactus and is supposed to be low GI making it suitable for diabetics, and has a consistency similar to honey but thinner. The flavour is awesome. Of all the dishes I made that night, this is the most special to me. You have to try it. You will absolutely love it. The textures work amazingly well together, and the different temperatures are spot on. Of course, you have to prepare the sorbet first and freeze it. I promise you, this is THE BEST strawberry sorbet you will ever have.

Avocado Mousse with Strawberry and Agave Sorbet Recipe

Strawberry and Agave Sorbet
Ingredients
800 ml strawberry purée (fresh strawberries puréed in the food processor)
1 cup light agave

Method: Throw ingredients in the food processor and blend for 5 minutes (you want the seeds of the strawberries to almost disappear). Churn in your ice cream maker as you know how.

Avocado Mousse
Ingredients
1 avocado (cold from the fridge)
1/3 cup milk
2 tbspn honey

Method: Again, throw ingredients in the food processor and blend until smooth and thick. You want it to be sweet, but not too sweet, so add honey if you need to

Putting it all together:
Layer the sorbet first, then the avocado mousse, topped with double cream and finish with peeled pistachios. You can get dry pistachios, soak them in water for 4 hours and then peel them.