I remain a cautious and suspicious cook. With brightly-lit photos and hundreds of five-star ratings, it’s easy to be lured into trying a recipe and expecting stunning and results. More often than not, ingredients lists run long and cooking times are off and the result is disappointing. It’s rare to achieve photo-worthy perfection from a recipe you found on Pinterest.

When I came across a recipe for avocado crème brûlée I was immediately suspicious. I’m not shy about putting savory things in my desserts, it’s just that delicate French mouses and cakes are already difficult to pull off and adding extra variables in the home kitchen can lead quickly to failure. I’ve made crème brûlée many times before. I’ve added rose water and chai tea no problem.

Here are some money shots:

 

Recipes can be found here and here.

Still, I remained suspicious of adding avocado to a delicate french dessert composed of perfectly tempered egg yolks and heavy cream. But you won’t find either of those things here. No, in fact there are only three ingredients, four if you count the crispy sugar top coat. Avocado, condensed milk, and lemon juice. That’s it.  ‘How can you call this a crème brûlée?’ I wondered aloud to no one when I came across the recipe in a targeted Facebook ad.

It fucking worked. And it was creamy, sharply green tasting, and refreshing. Almost like a perfect avocado protein smoothie but more decadent. That might make it sound unappealing but just trust me on this one. I am a converted skeptic.

The recipe came from Food Republic, a site I’ve written for in the past. Follow the recipe exactly or use my condensed version below. This is a very rich custard so you can certainly share.

You MUST use classic Carnation brand sweetened condensed milk and you must use a torch. Ramekins are also ideal but you can use any sort of ceramic bowl.

Avocado Crème Brûlée

(adopted from Food Republic)

Serves 2-3 

Ingredients

1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

1 large and perfect avocado

2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

3 teaspoon sugar (the chunkier the better)

Gear: 2-4 ramekins, kitchen torch, and blender or food processor.

Directions

1. Add the condensed milk, all the flesh of the avocado and the lemon juice to a food processor or blender. Blend until very very smooth.
2. Pour the mixture into 2-4 ramekins, depending on size. You’ll end up with about a cup and a half of custard.
3. Chill the filled ramekins in the fridge for 4 hours, no less.
4. Spread 1 teaspoon of sugar onto the surface of each ramekin and torch for about 8-10 seconds until it becomes a black and smoky crust. Eat right away or store in the fridge for one day.
Like this? Then surely you should try one of these…

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