Buying and Storing Avocado Pears
Avocado skin
colour ranges from bright green to green-brown to almost black and from very
smooth to quite knobbly and its flesh ranges from greenish yellow to golden
yellow when ripe.
They must be
fully ripe before they can be used however, because of the harvesting process
(see above), they are sometimes sold "unripe" in markets and stores, so if you
need to use them straight away, you should be careful when selecting. To
test for ripeness place the avocado gently in the palm of your hand and
apply gentle pressure. A good specimen will yield slightly but still be
quite firm. If pressing leaves a dent it means the fruit is very ripe and
suitable for mashing.
If bought when
hard (unripe), avocados will usually ripen at room temperature within 2-3 days,
although this can be speeded up by placing them in a paper bag with a banana.
Once they are at
the desired ripeness, they can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Avocado Nutritional Values
and Cooking with Avocado
A whole medium
avocado contains approximately 21 grams of fat, though most of it is
monounsaturated fat. Avocados a. Avocados are rich in B vitamins, vitamin
E and vitamin K. They have the highest fibre content of all fruit and have
60% more potassium than bananas. They also have higher fat content than
most other fruit though this shouldn't be of concern as it is mainly
monounsaturated.
If you've never
dealt with a fresh avocado, there are a couple of things worth noting:-
1. The flesh
can turn brown quite quickly after exposure to air but coating with lime or
lemon juice once they are peeled prevents discolouration.
2. There is a
very large stone in the centre of the fruit which is best removed before to
process the flesh in whatever way is required. The best way to do this is to cut
completely around the fruit lengthways, then holding both halves, twist in
opposite directions. The seed will remain in one half. Then with the
avocado on a flat surface , using a sharp knife, "chop" into the seed -
the knife will stick in the seed. Twist the knife and the seed should come out
(attached to the knife). Click
here
for a video on how to prepare fresh avocados.
3. Due it its
richness, you should avoid serving it with heavy sauces or cream and try to use
ingredients which will cut through and enhance the creaminess and flavour such
as vinaigrettes.
4. Avocados are
not sweet like most fruit and is generally not used in desserts but more often
in savoury dishes.
The hollow left
by the removal of the large seed is a natural receptacle for fillings from a
simple vinaigrette which can be served as a starter, to more substantial
ingredients such as chicken or seafood.
Click
here for lots of Avocado Pear Recipes
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Avocado
trees are evergreens and grow to 20 metres (65 ft). Although the flowers
are unremarkable and relatively small at 5�10 millimetres wide, they produce the
pear-shaped fruit which can grow to 20cm/8-inches long with weights up to
1kg/2.2lb which have a large central seed. Mature trees yield about
120 avocados every year. 