Celebrate California Avocados With Top Los Angeles Chefs

The versatile California Avocado – mmm, we love it in everything. During 2017 Summer dineL.A., some of L.A.’s greatest chefs will create special dishes using this fantastic local fruit.

 If you’re a California Avocado lover, be sure to make your reservations today at one of these restaurants during dineL.A. (July 14-28). 

• Josiah Citrin of Charcoal Venice
• Nick Erven of Erven
• Neal Fraser of redbird
• Chandra Gilbert of Gracias Madre
• Ted Hopson of The Bellwether
• David LeFevre of Fishing with Dynamite
• Akasha Richmond of Akasha & AR Cucina

Akasha

Makes 4 servings
Ingredients:
8-ounce center-cut sushi grade wild salmon filet, cut into 1/4-inch slices (about 24 slices)
1 small to medium California avocado, skin removed, pitted and sliced
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
Flakey or coarse sea salt (such as Maldon or Jacobson)
2 radishes sliced very thin
Additional lemon wedges

Preparation:
Divide slices evenly among small plates. Place avocado slices over the salmon. Drizzle with lemon and extra-virgin olive oil. Season the salmon and avocado with salt and pepper. Garnish with radish slices and lemon wedges.

The Bellwether

Ingredients (serves 4)

8oz      California Avocado-Yogurt (recipe below)

2Tbl    Dried Za’atar with Sumac

1ea      Hot House Cucumber

2ea      Heirloom Tomato (med-large)

1ea      California Avocado

¼ c      Pickled Onion (recipe below)

2 sprigs Dill, picked from stem

6 sprigs Curley Parsley, picked from stem

2ea      Lemons, Juiced

1.25oz Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1c        Pita Crumble (recipe below)

California Avocado-Yogurt

 2ea      California Avocado (approx. 6oz of meat)

4.5oz   Greek Yogurt

¼ tsp   Cumin Seeds

½ ea    Lemon, Juiced

tt          Kosher Salt

1. Toast the cumin seeds in a dry pan until fragrant, approx. 1 min
2. Put all ingredients in blender, blend on high until smooth.
3. Cool down the smooth yogurt and keep cold.

Pita Crumble

6ea      Pita Bread

8oz      Olive Oil (not extra virgin)

3oz      Shallot, minced

1oz      Garlic, minced

.5oz     Kosher Salt

1. Pulse pita in food processor to turn into a large pita crumble.
2. Mix the all the ingredients together until the pita is well coated in the oil.
3. Spread on sheet tray with parchment.
4. Cook in 350 oven for 10-15 min, until golden brown and well toasted and crunchy.
5. Store at room temp.

Pickled Onion

1ea      Jumbo Yellow Onion

2c        Distilled Vinegar

1T       Kosher Salt

1. Slice the onions into a julienne, roughly 1 inch long and 1/8” thick
2. Heat the vinegar and salt together until boiling.
3. Pour hot liquid over onions, let cool overnight in fridge.

To Assemble the dish:

1. Cut the cucumber into oblique shapes, rounghly ½ - ¾ “ big, leave the skin and seeds intact.
2. Cut the tomato into the same size as the cucumber.
3. Quarter the California Avocado, and peel it.  Place on a hot grill, and cook all 3 sides until well charred.  Cool them in the fridge to let the meat firm  back up (it gets soft from cooking).  Cut into large cubes and set aside.
4. On a plate or bowl, spread the avocado-yogurt on the plate.  Sprinkle the za’atar on the yogurt, so it sticks onto the plate.
5. In a mixing bowl, add the cucumber, tomato, pickled onion, dill, and parsley.  Season with the lemon juice, olive oil, and add kosher salt as necessary.
6. Place the salad on the plate, just off to the side of the yogurt (don’t cover it up if possible).
7. Top the salad with the chunks of grilled California Avocado.  If you toss them into the salad, they will break down, we want them to stay whole and beautiful.
8. Sprinkle the salads with the pita crumble.

Charcoal Venice

Serves: 6
Ingredients:
2 firm, small zucchini, sliced on the bias
2 leeks, whites only, split down the middle lengthwise, washed well
3 medium heads little gem, stems removed and leaves cut
6 kumquats sliced, as many seeds removed
Opal Basil, for garnish
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Sea salt
Espelette Pepper

California Avocado Dressing:
Half of ripe California Avocado
1/2 cup lime juice
1 tablespoon greek yogurt
Half an English cucumber (peeled and seeded)
1/2 clove garlic, crushed
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup grapeseed oil
1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
Sea Salt, to taste
Espelette, to taste

To prepare the dressing: Place all the ingredients but oil in a blender. Puree until smooth. Season lightly with salt and pepper. It is important to add salt before oil, as the salt does not
dissolve in oil. While blending the avocado puree, slowly drizzle the olive oil into the blender to create a smooth, creamy dressing. Put aside.

Prepare the grill and heat coals until hot. When the coals are ready to go, brush the split leeks with extra virgin olive oil. Season leeks with salt and place on the hot grill. Cook until
the leeks have a nice char, about 8-10 minutes. Turn the leeks over and cook for another 4-5 minutes and remove from the coals. Toss the zucchini with olive oil and salt in a bowl and
place on the grill. Cook the zucchini for 90 seconds, then crosshatch for another 40 seconds. Flip the zucchini and repeat the process. Remove from the coals.
After the leeks have cooled, chop them into 1-inch pieces. In a large bowl, combine the leeks, zucchini, and little gems with just enough avocado dressing to lightly coat the salad.

Place the salad in a large serving bowl. Artistically place the kumquats and torn opal basil on the salad and serve.

Erven

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

2 ea California Avocado, cut in half and charred with a torch

2 cups macadamia nuts toasted

1 cup water

1 T salt

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds

1/2. cup ginger chopped

1/2 cup shallot chopped

1/2 cup garlic chopped

1 cup sambal

3 cups oil

2 T soy sauce

3 T rice vinegar

2 T sesame oil

1 cinnamon stick

1 star anise

1 cup mizuna

Chili Garlic Salsa

1. fry together ginger, garlic and shallot
2. place in non reactive bowl and add sambal. soy, vinegar, cinnamon, star anise and oil
3. let sit at room temp overnight

For Macadamia Tahini

1. Blend together until smooth, nuts, water, salt and oil

To Plate

1. spread a circle of tahini on the bottom of round plate
2. place charred California Avocado on top
3. fill each basin of the California Avocado with the chili garlic salsa
4. season with salt
5. top with mizuna and pomegranate seeds

Gracias Madre

Crust

1 C - pecans

2 oz - date paste

1/8  C - lucuma powder

pinch  salt

1 t – vanilla water

Combine all ingredients, except vanilla, and process until evenly broken down. Add vanilla and process until mixed. Press into the bottom of a well oiled spring-form pan.

Filling

Blend: (small blender)

1 C - lime juice

 ¾ C – agave

 ½ C - coconut milk

 12.5 oz - California Avocado

  2 T – vanilla water

 ¼ t - salt    

Add and blend:

 1/3 C - lecithin

 1 C - coconut oil

 Should equal to 5 cups each filling

 Set in the fridge or freezer until solid. Frost with 2 cups of whipped cream.

Redbird

Avocado Mousse

2 each Ripe Avocado
125 grams Crème Fraiche
To taste Lime Juice/salt

• Peel and pit avocado, place in blender with crème fraiche, and blend until smooth. Season with salt and lime juice.

Compressed Watermelon

Half a seedless watermelon
Simple Syrup
Sherry Vinegar

• Remove rind from melon, and slice into 1 inch thick slices. Place in cryovac bags with enough simple syrup to cover and a splash of sherry vinegar. Vacuum the watermelon, removing 100% of the air, remove from the bags and cut into cubes.

Watermelon Gazpacho Sorbet

Sorbet Base
42g Sugar
7g Cremodan Sorbet Stabilizer

378g Sugar
391g Water
182g Glucose Powder

• Combine first amount of sugar with Stabilizer, set aside
• Combine remaining ingredients in a pot, whisk constantly while heating to 65 C
• Whisk in sugar/stabilizer mix, and continue whisking while heating mixture to 85 C
• Chill on ice

1000g Watermelon
150g Cucumber
100g Red Bell Pepper
100g Tomato
25g Shallot
To taste Salt and Sherry Vinegar

• Make the gazpacho by blending all ingredients until smooth. Season with salt and sherry vinegar. Pass through a chinois to remove any pulp or skin that wasn’t blended. Add enough Sorbet Base so that the mixture reaches 32°Bx on a refractometer. Churn in a batch freezer or freeze and spin in a PacoJet.

To Plate

Avocado Mousse
Compressed watermelon cubes
Watermelon gazpacho sorbet
Freeze dried lychee
Cucumber Ribbons

• Spread the mousse on the plate with the back of a spoon.
• Place a few watermelon cubes on the mousse.
• Place cucumber ribbons around the watermelon.
• Crumble freeze dried lychee over plated ingredients.
• Finish with gazpacho sorbet.

Created in 1978, the California Avocado Commission strives to increase demand for California avocados through advertising, promotion and public relations, and engages in related industry activities that benefit the state’s nearly 4,000 avocado growers. The California Avocado Commission serves as the official information source for California avocados and the California avocado industry. For nutrition information and recipes visit CaliforniaAvocado.com, or join us on Facebook at Facebook.com/CaliforniaAvocados and @CA_Avocados on Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram for updates.