An elegant avocado dessert

Dear SOS: I was at Yi Cuisine in Los Angeles and had the most interesting and delicious dessert -- avocado mousse with raspberry sauce and sorbet. It was served in an avocado shell and would be perfect for an elegant dinner party. Is there any chance I could get the recipe?

Joan Ragonese

Los Angeles

Dear Joan: This mousse is surprisingly light, and it’s beautifully complemented by the lychee sorbet, which is easy to make and delicious enough to serve by itself.

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Yi Cuisine avocado mousse with lychee sorbet

Total time: 45 minutes, plus about 45 minutes chilling time

Servings: 4

Note: Make the mousse just before serving. It will darken if left to stand.

Raspberry sauce

1 cup raspberries

1/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup water

Combine the berries, sugar and water. Puree and strain.

Lychee sorbet

1 (15-ounce) cans lychees in heavy syrup

1. Puree the lychees with syrup in a food processor.

2. Freeze in an ice cream maker. Spoon into a glass container; cover and freeze.

Mousse and assembly

1/3 cup sugar

2 cups heavy whipping cream

2 ripe avocados

2 tablespoons instant gelatin

1/2 cup warm water

Raspberry sauce

Lychee sorbet

Mint sprigs

1. Place the sugar in a large bowl. Add the cream and mix until dissolved. Using a whip or electric mixer, whip the cream until firm peaks form. Refrigerate.

2. Halve each avocado and remove the pit. Carefully spoon out the avocado flesh with a large spoon, leaving the shells intact. Scrape out all of the flesh and wipe the insides of the shells with a paper towel. Place the shells in the freezer.

3. Dissolve the gelatin in the warm water. In a food processor, puree the avocado until smooth. Slowly add the gelatin mixture and blend until incorporated.

4. Add the puree to the sweetened whipped cream, gently folding to incorporate. Chill in the refrigerator until the mousse sets up enough to mound in the shells, about 30 to 45 minutes.

5. For each serving, spoon raspberry sauce into the bottom of a large soup bowl. Place a small scoop of sorbet on the sauce. Fill the frozen avocado shells with the mousse mixture to resemble uncut avocados. Prop a filled shell on the sorbet scoop in each bowl. Garnish with mint.

Each serving: 784 calories; 8 grams protein; 64 grams carbohydrates; 9 grams fiber; 59 grams fat; 30 grams saturated fat; 163 mg. cholesterol; 62 mg. sodium.