The Artisan Gelato column presents the best that the market has to offer for the sector in an unprecedented way.

In this case, we analyze in detail a super food that is yet to be discovered in ice cream parlors: the Avocado. Versatile and with an unmistakable flavor, this fruit lends itself to multiple uses and particular combinations.

It is therefore not surprising that the Avocado in cubes proposed by Rogelfrut, a well-known name in the sector specializing in the best fruit, is also enjoying growing success among artisan ice cream makers. Alessandro Romeo shows us how to best use it in the workshop

The Rogelfrut avocado is of the Haas variety and is processed when ripe, given the reduced ripening window that characterizes it. It has a bright green pulp and a solid consistency.
The one proposed by the Piedmontese company, which has been the market leader in frozen fruit and fruit purees for years, is a ready-to-use product, already peeled and diced to guarantee time savings in the preparation of the finished product. It can be removed in the necessary quantities and does not require total thawing thanks to the IQF freezing of the cubes. It is a fruit with unique properties. It is an excellent source of calcium and potassium and also contains significant amounts of fiber and monounsaturated fats. Despite belonging to the fleshy fruit category, avocado does not have the chemical characteristics of the VI or VII basic food group. It contains less water (about -10/15% of apple, for example), sugars and water-soluble acids, while it is very rich in fats and vitamin E; on the contrary, the fleshy fruits that we are used to consuming in Italy are low in fat, but rich in sugars and acids, and do not contain such levels of alpha tocopherol.

The Rogelfrut avocado therefore represents an excellent starting point for experimenting with new recipes in the laboratory with which to amaze customers. I must start by saying that I am “biased”: I really like this fruit, and I often use it for fresh and tasty combinations. In summer, in particular, avocado can be combined with mint or pineapple for example, but it is with passion fruit that I believe I have found a unique balance. In fact, the mature taste of Rogelfrut avocado goes perfectly with the acidity of lime and passion fruit, guaranteeing a very pleasant taste on the palate that invites several fresh tastings. Compared to the basic recipe, the advice is to replace part of the sugar (assuming 60 g) with 30 g of dextrose and, perhaps, with a pinch of salt: in this way the sweetness point of the ice cream will be lowered, for a balance almost perfect.

Avocado: Experimentation continues...

The great versatility of avocado also allows its use in catering (think of the many recipes of Central American origin, where the fruit comes from). Alessandro Romeo is experimenting with new gastronomic ice cream recipes that have this extraordinary fruit as their main ingredient.

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