Avocados in foodserviceWith commentary and recipes by Mikey Newlands, Executive Chef - Bracu Restaurant

As they are super nutritious, using avocados in cooking is a great way to add vitamins and minerals to dishes. Many of my customers say

that dishes that utilise avocado are clean, light and easy to eat and something they

could eat everyday rather than leaving them feeling heavy or overfed.

Mikey Newlands, Executive Chef - Bracu Restaurant

Avocados are an amazing ingredient – their nutritional properties and versatility of use continues to inspire chefs and consumers around the world.Their popularity in New Zealand is skyrocketing with a whopping 90,000 more consumers buying avocados in the 2014-15 season than the previous season and if that wasn’t enough to convince you of their rising fame – how about the fact that they are the world’s most Instagrammed food!

These green gems with their luscious velvety flesh, sexy curves and gorgeous colour are also really good for you! A nutrient-dense wholefood that delivers over 20 vitamins and minerals all in a delicious mouthful, made sweet or savoury as your imagination and taste buds so desire.

Avocados are becoming a café breakfast menu staple in New Zealand but their uses are not confined to just being smashed on toast – avocados have a myriad of gourmet uses and there are many dishes still waiting to be invented by a chef like you!

I find the flavour to be a great match with raw or chilled seafood, like a ceviche, but it’s also a very versatile ingredient to add body

and mouthfeel to a dish without making it too heavy by using cream or butter.

Purple Brown - soft ripeReady to eat. Perfect for any meal. Store in fridge.

Brown Green - firm ripeReady to eat. Perfect for slicing/dicing or cubes. Store in fridge to keep firm or continue to ripen in fruit bowl until purple brown.

Olive Green - not ripeStore in fruit bowl until skin turns brown green.

Bright Green - not ripeStore in fruit bowl until skin turns brown green.

c h oo s i n g an d sto r i n g yo u r avo ca do

I prefer to buy my avocados slightly under ripe when they are a purple green, that way I can finish the

ripening myself at room temperature and use them when they are perfect, generally taking one to two days. If

they are a dark purple green then they are super ripe and ready to eat/use

straight away, when they are like this I find they’re best kept in the chiller.

how to pr e pa r e yo u r avo ca do

Step 1Using a large knife, cut the avocado in half lengthwise around pit.

Step 2Twist the two halves to separate; the pit will remain in one of the halves.

Step 3Gently hack the knife blade into the pit; twist and remove pit on the blade.

Step 4Peel the skin from the avocado.

Step 5slice for use in your chosen recipe.

No matter what stage they’re at, avocados can bruise easily so handle gently and store in one layer, never

stacked on top of each other.

I don’ t l ike a lot of heat but am great on a p iz za fre sh from the oven

Use me in a smoothie for a nutrient boost and a creamy texture

R EC I P E B Y M I K E Y

G r e e n g o d d e s s s a u c e

This is one of my favourite dressings/sauces for the hotter months. I learnt to make it in Australia when I lived there and served it with everything from stuffed courgette flowers to grilled fish and shellfish. The avocado gives it a great texture and mouthfeel. Adjust the consistency as you see fit- lighter for dressing a salad and slightly thicker for using as a sauce.

Ingredients • 1 shallot finely diced • 1 clove garlic finely diced • 1 lime, zest and juice • 2 anchovy fillets • 20g basil • 20g chervil • 20g mint • 2 ripe avocados • Ice cubes (if needed) • 125g chilled cream (yoghurt or buttermilk) • 160g avocado oil (can substitute olive oil if you like) • Ascorbic acid (optional) • Sea salt • Black pepper

Method1. Finely chiffonade (shred) the herbs and reserve in the chiller.

2. Using a food processor or powerful blender, scoop out the avocado flesh and blend with the anchovy, shallot, garlic, lime zest and juice. You can add a pinch of ascorbic acid if you wish to help preserve colour. If the mix starts to warm up add a couple of ice cubes to keep the mix chilled.

3. Slowly add the cream in a steady stream with the blender running, you are making an emulsion similar to a mayonnaise. Add another ice cube if you wish and continue to add the avocado oil. When the dressing is smooth and emulsified, season well with sea salt and plenty of black pepper. You might also like a bit more lime juice depending on what you are serving it with.

4. Keep the dressing chilled and just before serving add the herbs and stir through.

This recipe is versatile as long as you take care with emulsifying the sauce. Other flavours that I have used in the past with this sauce are: coriander, cumin, chilli, sorrel, ras el hanout, caraway and even mango!

Tuna is one of my be st friends – we go great together

Avo c a d o a n d C o c on u t I c e C r e am w i t h S h av e d Man j a r i C h o c o l at e

This was a recipe I picked up when working in France for an English family. I was challenged to create a delicious dessert that wasn’t too heavy. This is what I came up with and it went down a treat! You can serve it how I suggest or add tropical fruit and mint to the bottom of the glass. I have also made it ‘very grown up’ by pouring a shot of muscato d’asti (sparkling sweet Italian wine) over before grating the chocolate.

Ingredients • 200g white chocolate • 185g coconut puree or cream (thinned with a little milk if too thick) • 600g avocado flesh (2-3 avocados) • 100g raw coconut sugar

Method1. Place the bowl and blade of your food processor on ice or in the freezer for about forty minutes before starting this recipe. This will ensure that the avocado does not heat up when finishing the recipe and discolour.

2. Melt the white chocolate together with the coconut puree in a bowl over a bath of barely simmering water. Stir until smooth and allow to cool to room temperature for about forty minutes.

3. Scoop the flesh of the avocados and place in a food processor. Immediately add the lime juice and sugar and puree until smooth.

4. If using the stabiliser, whisk into the cream to disperse.

5. Add the cooled chocolate mix and then the cream in a steady stream. Chill down immediately over an ice bath and then churn in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Alternatively you could freeze the mix whisking about every half hour to disperse the ice crystals until you have a smooth ‘soft serve like’ consistency. Leave for two hours in the freezer to firm up.

6. Using a frozen martini glass or similar, place a nice scoop of the avocado ice cream in the glass. Using a microplane grate the dark chocolate over the top in a big pile. Serve immediately.

You could use toasted coconut, hazelnut praline or any other type of chocolate you wish.

R EC I P E B Y M I K E Y

• 2 limes, juiced • 300ml cream, well chilled • 10g sorbet stabiliser (optional) • Valrhona Manjari Chocolate 80g piece • Coarse microplane or grater

I make an incredible dairy free chee se cake with a wicked co lour

You wil l never go wrong with a smashed avocado item on the menu

A good source of Dietary FibreDietary fibre aids healthy digestion

A good source of Vitamin B6Vitamin B6 helps fight fatigue and supports a healthy metabolism

A good source of FolateFolate is important during pregnancy for growth of maternal tissue.

avocado nutr it ional information

Servings per package: Avg Quantity AverageServing size: 1/2 avocado - 83.5g per serving Quantity per 100g

Energy (kJ/Cal) 893/21 (10% RDI*) 1070/256Protein (g) 1.7 (3% RDI*) 2.0Fat, total (g) 22.2 (32% RDI*) 26.6- Saturated (g) 3.1 (13% RDI*) 3.7- Polyunsaturated (g) 2.3 (3% RDI*) 2.8- Monounsaturated (g) 15.3 (22% RDI*) 18.3Carbohydrate (g) 0.5 (0.2% RDI*) 0.6- Sugars (g) 0.4 (0.5% RDI*) 0.5Dietary Fibre (g) 4.0 (13% RDI*) 4.8Sodium (mg) 14 (0.6% RDI*) 17Vitamin B6 (mg) 0.77 (48% RDI*) 0.92Folate (μg) 68 (34% RDI*) 81Niacin (mg) 1.7 (17% RDI*) 2Vitamin E (mg) 1.6 (16% RDI*) 1.9Vitamin C (mg) 6.1 (15% RDI*) 7.3Potassium 468 560 Zinc (mg) 0.58 (5% RDI*) 0.7Iron (mg) 0.67 (6% RDI*) 0.8

Percentage Daily Intakes are based on an average adult diet of 8700 kJYour daily Intakes may be higher or lower depending on your energy needs*Recommended dietary intake (Average Adult)

Source: The Concise New Zealand Food Composition Tables, 10th Edition, Plant & Food Research - 2014

A source of Vitamin EVitamin E acts as an antioxidant to protect the body against free radical damage

A source of Vitamin CVitamin C supports healthy immunity and healthy skin

Naturally Cholesterol freeThe good monounsaturated fat in avocado helps maintain healthy cholesterol levels