Avocado milkshake

Did you know that when an avocado is really ripe, the skin peels off almost by itself? You only have to start it off with a peeler - after that you can just strip it off. This is the sort of discovery you can make if you leave an avocado in the fruit bowl for day after day after day after day... until you get perilously close to having it die of non-use and old age. My avocado nearly met with that fate - this despite my mother's gentle daily reminder in one form or another ("what were you going to do with the avocado?" "did you find a recipe for the avocado?" "the avocado seems quite ripe now" "Will you be using the avocado today?" and so on) of its existence.



Well, today turned out to be the last day of the rest of the avocado's life (to re-coin a phrase). Although I've known about and liked avocados since my first hill station holiday in Tamil Nadu (except that I knew them as "butterfruit" - the name very likely to do with their rich creamy taste), by and large, I'm not terribly fond of guacamole. And since I dont do sandwiches enthusiastically either, I was pretty much at a loss about what else to do with avocados other than eat them raw.

And then I came across a recipe for avocado milkshake in a blog called "The Traveler's Lunchbox", which seemed promising. Of course, at that point the avocado I had was not ripe enough to try out the recipe, so both had to hang fire until the circumstances turned auspicious... which was today.

Pete thought the milkshake tasted "green", kind of grassy - really, his way of saying "You may now drink the rest, thanks". Honestly, though, the shake was creamy and lovely and a pale green, but only in colour. Taste-wise, it was lovely. I'm glad I know what to do with avocados that end up in my less-than-ideal care.

Recipe for: Avocado milkshake



1 large ripe avocado
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
5 tbsp light condensed milk (or to taste)
3 cups cold semi-skimmed or skimmed milk (more as required)
1/2 cup crushed ice

Method:

1. Peel the avocado and de-seed it.



2. Cut into pieces.



3. Place in a blender with the crushed ice, vanilla extract and condensed milk.



Add a cupful of cold milk



and whip till well blended. Thin with more cold milk depending on how thick you like your shake. Taste for sweetness and add more condensed milk if required.

4. Pour into a tall glass over some crushed ice if liked, and serve cold, garnished with a sprig of mint.