Recipe: Caramelized Avocado

Caramelized Avocado

by Victoria Challancin

on

At first the idea of caramelizing an unctuous avocado might seem like gilding the lily, but who am I to shy away from such an appealing flavor boost, gilded lily or not?  When I first encountered the idea of caramelizing avocado in a newsletter from the California Avocado Board, I knew I had struck gold. The recipe was for Baby Head Lettuce Salad with Caramelized California Avocados with Roquefort-Herb Vinaigrette and Bacon Confit.  Whew!  The name alone is a real mouthful.  Yet when I mulled over this recipe in my mind, I could see where this mouthful was headed--right into my own!

As Culinary Producer on Food Network's Season II of Mexican Made Easy, one of the recipes that the chef, Marcela Valladolid, made included Caramelized Avocados, an idea whose time has truly come.  You can watch Marcela caramelize avocados on this video.

For this recipe it is best to use a firm, barely ripe avocado. The one I had on hand today was a little too ripe--perfect for guacamole, but fragile for cooking.  The resulting look is a bit ragged when compared to when using a firmer piece of fruit.  Note that you really only want to coat the pan with oil--you aren't frying the avocados, just providing enough heat to caramelize the sugar.  A nice variation to this recipe would be to add chile powder to the sugar before caramelizing.  Now that I think of it, why not try a bit of Ras el Hanout or Dukkah?  I definitely will and will let you know how they turn out!

Caramelized Avocados

(Adapted ever so slightly from a California Avocado Board recipe)

1 Haas avocado, peeled, seeded, and sliced into 12 thick slices or halves, depending on use

1 Tablespoons sugar

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Extra-virgin olive oil for greasing pan

Grease a small non-stick frying pan lightly, with only enough olive oil to coat bottom of pan.  Heat over medium heat. 

For Avocado Halves:

Sprinkle one side of avocado halves with sugar, salt, and pepper.  Add avocado halves to the heated pan. Cook until sugar has caramelized to a golden color, about 2 minutes.  Turn gently with a spatula and cook for about 30 seconds more, just enough to heat through.  Remove to a plate and set aside.


For Avocado Slices:
Sprinkle one side of the avocado slices with sugar, salt, and pepper.  Add the slices to the heated pan.  Cook until sugar has caramelized to a golden color, 1 to 2 minutes.  Gently turn the slices with a spatula, sprinkle the second side with sugar, salt, and pepper.  Cook for about 1 minute or until sugar has caramelized (this step is optional--you can simply turn and heat for 30 seconds if you prefer not to caramelize the second side).  Remove to a plate and set aside.

Enjoy!

Victoria Challancin

Flavors of the Sun International Cooking School

San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

©Victoria Challancin.  All Rights Reserved

Marcela Valladolid's Baked Cod with Olives and Limes

Photograph by Zachary Popovsky

A Recipe:  Marcela Valladolid's Baked Cod with Olives and Limes

by Victoria Challancin

In March of 2010 I worked in Los Angeles as Culinary Producer for Marcela Valladolid's Season II of the Mexican Made Easy show for Food Network.  One of the things I did was to test recipes for the show.  Marcela's recipes are usually as lively and fun as she is and this baked cod recipe is no exception.

You might wonder that this obviously Mediterranean-inspired recipe would appear on a Mexican cooking show, but remember that in Baja, where Marcela grew up, Mediterranea ingredients frequently appear in modern interpretations of traditional Mexican food on menus throughout Baja.

A slightly different version appears on page 105 of Marcela's book Fresh Mexico. Here the chef adds thinly slices anchovies to the olives, uses fewer capers, and less oil.  Both versions work well and offer a quick, healthy, and easy to prepare dinner that can be put on the table in less than twenty minutes.

Marcela's unique take on Mexican cuisine shines in this book, which is available in both English and Spanish.  

Baked Cod with Olives and Limes

(Recipe by Marcela Valladolid, from Food Network:  Mexican Made Easy)

4 (6-ounce) cod fillets, pin bones removed

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

12 thin lime slices

1/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives, roughly chopped

1/4 cup capers, drained

2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves

1/4 cup olive oil

Lime wedges, for serving

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.

Put the cod in a ovenproof baking dish and season with salt and pepper, to taste.  Top each fillet with 3 lime slices, the olives, capers, and rosemary.  Drizzle with olive oil.

Bake until the fish is cooked through, about 10 minutes.  Remove the fish from the oven and serve with lime wedges.

Enjoy!

Victoria Challancin

Flavors of the Sun International Cooking School

San Miguel de Allende, Gto, México