In today's Tasty Tuesday post Kirra Jamison confirms that she is indeed, a triple threat. A talented artist first and foremost, a seriously impressive culinary whizz, and a brilliant writer too! OMG Kirra stop it! You'll put us all out of a job. In all seriousness though, you guys have GOT TO TRY these Matcha and Avocado Popsicles! They are truly so outrageously good. I know it seems like an odd inclusion, but the avocado really does bring some magical creaminess to this icy treat that has to be tasted to be believed, and with the addition of white chocolate... soooo delectable. Cross my heart.  - Lucy

Matcha and Avocado Popsicles Dipped in White Chocolate by Kirra Jamison of Keke! Styling – Lucy Feagins and Kirra Jamison. Photo – Brooke Holm.

Yep. This ice cream is made from avocado. You will need to open your mind. Just as a few sneaky frozen bananas provide the perfect base for a dairy-free chocolate ice cream, avocado is the perfect creamy vehicle for matcha ice cream. And I swear to you that you won’t even taste the avo. I have done multiple experiments on friends and only one of them, with hesitation, guessed avocado as an ingredient.

Matcha. Matcha. Matcha. I can’t help but to say it three times with a Brady Bunch-esque tempo. Matcha is not quite the same as green tea but it does come from the tea tree. Matcha is an incredible green-coloured powder made from air dried young buds of tea plants that are slowly ground between two granite rocks.

For almost 900 years the Japanese have been whisking (using a special bamboo whisk) matcha to make ceremonial Japanese green tea. Buddhist monks even drink it to keep them alert and focused during long days of meditation. Matcha is chock full of antioxidants as well as being rich in chlorophyll. Monks know best. If you’re in Melbourne you can pick up some Matcha at Mr Kitly in Brunswick or Minh Phat in Richmond.

Most (not all!) ingredients. Clockwise from left - honey (in gold tin bowl by Nousaku from Mr Kitly), matcha powder (in By Joost ceramic bowl), Vanilla extract (in ceramic spoon by Yu Kobayashi from Mr Kitly), raw organic cacao butter and avocado (on Marimekko plate), white chocolate, ground vanilla powder (in tiny gold dish which is actually the lid of a ceramic vessel by Hannah Lawrence, from Craft Victoria). Recipe by Kirra Jamison of Keke. Styling – Lucy Feagins and Kirra Jamison.  Photo – Brooke Holm.

Ingredients

For the popsicles

2 large avocados or 3 small avocados
1 can coconut milk
2 tbsp matcha powder
2 tbsp of honey (adjust to taste but you don’t want the mixture super sweet)
1 tsp of pure vanilla extract

For the white chocolate dip*

200g good quality fair trade white chocolate
4 tbsp raw organic cacao butter
½ tsp ground vanilla powder (unless your chocolate already contains this)

*So the addition of white chocolate is where things get kinda lazy and totally indulgent. If you’d rather veer on the side of wholesome then by all means skip this step and your popsicles will still be delicious. Or if you want to make a dairy free white chocolate from scratch this is totally doable too. However if you do want to add white chocolate then I have a confession to make. I actually dip the ENTIRE popsicle in chocolate, but for the sake of food photography cuteness I’ve only dipped the tip of these ones. The addition of cacao butter will thin the chocolate and make it easier to work with.

Melted white chocolate dipping sauce!  Recipe by Kirra Jamison of Keke.  Styling – Lucy Feagins and Kirra Jamison.  Photo – Brooke Holm.

Method (Makes 12 x 80ml popsicles)

Add ice cream ingredients to a blender and blend at high speed until silky smooth. Then pour mixture into popsicle moulds, insert sticks and put into the freezer for five or so hours.

When your pops are frozen hard you are ready to melt your white chocolate. Place chopped up chocolate along with cacao butter into a double boiler (the narrower the chocolate vessel the better). Over medium heat, and with your full undivided attention, gently stir until there are no lumps. Heat just enough so that you can stick your finger in without it burning.

To release the pops from their moulds, quickly run them under warm water. I like to do this one at a time so they don’t melt. Now working quickly dip each pop into the white chocolate. Use a spatula to fill in any spots that you miss. Hold the stick and let it drip for a few seconds as the chocolate hardens.

Place the pop on non-stick baking paper until the chocolate sets completely. Repeat until you cover all the popsicles. Wrap each popsicle in baking paper and store in a container in the freezer until ready to eat.

Massive thanks to Kirra Jamison for joining us this month with her inspired Japanese canteen treats!  For more delicious recipes from Kirra be sure to check out her food blog, Keke!

Headshot of Kirra Jamison in top banner - courtesy Derek Swalwell.

Popsicles waiting to be popped! Tajika iron household scissors in background from Mr Kitly. Recipe by Kirra Jamison of Keke.  Styling – Lucy Feagins and Kirra Jamison. Photo – Brooke Holm.