This odd little recipe is from a book called the Joys of Jell-O. There are multiple editions of this book (all undated), but I think this particular one – the 9th edition- is from around 1967.
There are a ton of recipes in this book that I want to try, but as I was scrolling through I just couldn’t resist the avocado ring. Plus, it’s one of maybe two recipes I’ve tried that actually has a picture!
I might as well tell you now that this is yet another gelatin recipe that turned out to be a condiment. I also discovered about 5 minutes ago that I am far from the first retro food hobbyist to take it on. Disappointing, but not particularly surprising. Anyway, we’re already in too deep to bail out now!
Avocado Strawberry Ring
Ingredients:
- 1 package (3 oz) Jell-O Lemon or Lime
- 1 cup boiling water
- 3/4 cup cold water
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 avocado, pared and mashed
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 pint fresh strawberries or Birds Eye strawberries, thawed and drained.
Dissolve Jell-O gelatin and salt in boiling water. Add cold water. Chill until slightly thickened. Stir lemon juice into avocado; blend into gelatin with mayonnaise. Pour into a 3 or 4-cup ring mold or individual ring molds. Chill until firm. Unmold; fill center with berries. Makes about 2 1/2 cups gelatin, or 5 servings.
I decided to go with the lemon Jell-O, thinking that the color would be more of a muted green. I also used miniature ring molds. And don’t be fooled by the name of the recipe, the strawberries do not actually end up inside the jello. This is a molded dip to accompany the berries.
Sadly, my finished ring doesn’t look as much like the photo as I would have liked. It’s ballpark, which is fine I guess. My ring was a bit too small, the plate was a bit too big and I probably should have used lime Jell-O to get the color right.
But who cares what it looks like, how does it taste??
The Verdict
Well…it reminds me of what I imagine lime-flavored butter would taste like, which is interesting because there’s no lime in it. And it’s very smooth and creamy. Like butter. Or maybe yogurt.
The avocado ring is much better eaten with strawberries than without; it’s a little weird on its own. The tartness of the strawberries was balanced really well with the gelatin. I truly didn’t mind this recipe but the rest of the household hated it. It’s not that bad!
Even though I thought it was okay I probably wouldn’t make it again. Mostly because I don’t think it would go with anything other than strawberries and nobody but me would eat it. Still, I don’t regret giving it a try!
Avocado Strawberry Ring is an interesting and healthy fruit dip that definitely tastes like it belongs in another era.
Molded Memories 