Am a big fan of avocados, but they are such a delicate fruit. After doing the mole (modified) a couple weeks ago, and wondered if I could come up with a way to bring them into he meal so they are easier to handle......so, welcome nixtamalization.
@Chef Nick and I had a good discussion at the last visit regarding this technique and I've used it on a number of things like squash, celery root, salsify and such. So, I wondered if I could turn avocados into a finger food using this technique. So, I cored and sliced it up and cooked it ( via nixtamalization-in a collander so that stirring was easier by displacing the collander and automatically mixing the solution without having to bust up the avocado) and then poached it in a syrup for a couple of hours, another part I baked and another piece I sauteed.
I was able to use my hands with all versions and each was slightly different. The sauteed worked nicely with salsa (thought is would be a decent test to use it as a dip) as did the baked but two different flavor profiles (sauteed closer to traditional flavor, baked more of the tortilla-like texture and flavor). The poached dipped in salsa was really cool. It was like an mex/asian fusion sweet and sour type of dish . but really nice.
