Express avocado gelato with the Thermomix

The healthy fats in avocado give this a dense, velvety texture right as it comes out of the ice cream maker, no eggs or cooked base needed. The lime juice isn't just for flavor: it also stops the avocado from browning, so don't skip it.

How to pick the right avocado

This is the one point where this recipe can go wrong, so it's worth spending a moment on it. The avocado needs to be truly ripe: pressing near the stem, it should give slightly under gentle thumb pressure, without caving in.

• Too unripe: the flesh stays firm and slightly bitter, and the gelato turns fibrous instead of velvety.
• Too ripe: dark streaks appear along with a rancid aftertaste that the lime can't cover up.

If you buy it hard, put it in a paper bag with an apple for a couple of days: it ripens much faster.

Why the lime is non-negotiable

Avocado oxidizes on contact with air within minutes, just like a cut apple: the acid in the lime blocks that reaction and keeps the bright green color you see in the photo. Without it, after half an hour in the ice cream maker you'd have a grayish gelato, still tasty but much less appealing.

It also balances the richness: without an acidic note the avocado would taste flat and cloying. If you don't have lime, lemon works too, with a slightly less aromatic result.

Variations and pairings

Avocado has a delicate flavor that loves bold contrasts:

• Dark chocolate, grated just before serving, the most successful pairing.
• Chopped salted pistachios: the salty note over the creamy sweetness works beautifully.
• Lime zest, grated fresh, to amplify the citrus note.
• Coconut milk instead of dairy milk, for a lactose-free version.

How to store it

It keeps a week in the freezer, but it's at its best in the first 48 hours: after that, the avocado still tends to darken slightly on the surface. Cling film pressed onto the surface plus an airtight container slow the problem down a lot.