Sweet State of Mine: California

California - Avocado Pie

Ok everyone, time to be open minded!

California produces so many great fruits - grapes, dates, oranges, figs, kiwi, persimmons, pineapples, avocado - that it was hard to decide which fruit to feature in their state sweet. Wait, did she say avocado is a fruit?!

Yes, avocado is indeed a fruit and comes from the Lauraceae family. It’s probably no surprise to you that California produces 90% of the avocados grown in the United States. I’ve always associated Avocado with California so I was pleased to find that there is in fact a dessert featuring this creamy, green vegetable fruit - Avocado Pie!

A Retro Recipe
I haven’t been able to nail down an exact date when this green pie was invented, but the nature of the recipe leads me to believe it probably made it’s debut in the 1950’s - 1960’s (graham cracker crust + gelatin + sweetened condensed milk + refrigerator = retro homemade goodness)!

Avocado-y-ness
I was able to locate several Avocado Pie recipes and many of them sounded like a Key Lime Pie recipe with a smidge of Avocado. If I’m going to make an Avocado Pie, I want the Avocado to be the star, so I found a recipe that calls for 3 avocados.

The Supporting Cast

The Recipe
9 inch Graham Cracker pie crust
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
3 medium Haas avocados, mashed
14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sour cream

❉ Combine lime juice, lemon juice and unflavored gelatin in small bowl and let stand 4 - 5 minutes or until softened
❉ In a large bowl of food processor combine gelatin mixture, mashed avocados, sweetened condensed milk and process until smooth
❉ Pour into prepared pie shell
❉ Refrigerate at least 2 hours until firm
❉ In small bowl, whip heavy cream and sour cream together until stiff peaks form
❉ Top pie with whipped cream and serve

So Simple!
Look at that fun green color! Reminds me of Kermit!

I decided to make individual sized pies instead of the 9 inch pie. I was purchasing pre-made graham cracker crusts anyway so I thought these would be cute!

I was able to get 12 small pies from this recipe.

Call me crazy...
But I really liked this pie! I enjoyed the citrus tang but really loved the fresh avocado flavor. I felt like I was playing a trick on my taste buds giving them a sweet avocado experience instead of the spicy - guacamole - avocado taste they have become so accustomed too. Despite having an entire can of sweetened condensed milk, the pie is not overly sweet. The whipped cream / sour cream topping provides an additional tangy note so I recommend adding some 10x when you make the topping.

Guess what else?
Avocados are always in season, so you can make these little cuties anytime your heart desires!