Somerset W. Maugham, the suave English playwriter and novelist was known for his fabulous hospitality. In the late 20’s he purchased and restored the lavish ‘Villa Mauresque’, a 12 acre property on Cap Ferrat. It became his home for the next 40 years. During all this time an array of influential writers like H.G.Wells, Ian Fleming and Evelyn Waugh were invited to his soirées and literary gatherings. In his biography, it is said, that sometimes for dessert, he used to present his guests with an avocado ice cream which had a hint of rum. There isn’t a formal written recipe for this icecream, so after arriving from the warm weather of a holiday, I couldn’t stop but put into a formula what I think Mr. Maugham used to delight his guests with: A smooth, rich, and full bodied icecream that I believe accompanied the night long literary discussions in this Mediterranean home.
Icecream “Villa Mauresque”
Ingredients
4 ripe avocados
185g light brown sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
250ml cream (for whipping)
2 tablespoons of rum
Preparation
Peel and stone the avocados and reduced them into a purée. Put the purée in a bowl with the sugar and beat until smooth. Add the cream and whisk till all is blended and has the appearance of whipped cream. Fold in the vanilla essence and the rum.
Pour this mixture into an icecream maker and follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Alternatively, put the bowl into the freezer for 2 hours. Take it out from the freezer and with a fork, churn the icecream. Repeat this again at least twice. Leave in the freezer and then serve, topped if desired with some chocolate chips.
This looks so sexy. The colour’s amazing.
Even the photo looks delicious, beautifully muted colours, was the bowl pink inside, or is it a reflection. Well done.
HOWEVER -have you tried fish finger sandwiches?