Black Currant Smoothie

I love this time of year. All sorts of exotic fruits start to show up in the store (although, only at my special market which is more like an upscale farmer's market...regular stores don't tend to carry these seasonal items).

One of Pineapple's favorites is black currant. The store also carries red and golden currants, but we prefer the flavor of the black currants.

Tools

• Fine-weave strainer (fine enough to catch the seeds)
• Professional blender with jar
• Second blender jar or a bowl
• Rubber scraper

Ingredients

• Lime juice from 1 to 2 limes depending on desired tartness level
• 3 oz black currants (I get them in 1/2-pint containers, so this is about 1/3 of a container)
• 1/2 to 1 fully ripe avocado
• Approximately 3 to 8 heaping tablespoons cane sugar, depending on desired sweetness level
• Ice
• Water
• Optional: desired amount of unflavored protein/collagen powder

Directions

1. Put the black currants in the blender jar (the smaller jar if you have 2 jars of different sizes).
2. Add water until just above the currants or they start to float.
3. Blend for a few seconds; long enough to break up the currants.
4. Set the blended currants aside
1. If you are using a second jar, just set it aside for later
2. If not, pour the blended currants into the bowl then rinse out the blender jar (to remove any remaining seeds)
5. Add the cane sugar to the blender jar. Black currants are a bit tart so I find they need a little more sugar than other smoothie recipes. You can adjust this to your own preferred sweetness level.
6. Add/Prepare the protein/collagen powder
1. If using a brand of protein/collagen powder that doesn't clump in cold water, add the protein/collagen powder to the mixture in the blender. (I prefer to use 2 scoops from this brand.)
2. If using a brand of protein/collagen powder that does clump in water, mix the protein/collagen powder with about 16 oz. of (preferably cool or cold) water following the directions on the container and set the mixture aside. (I use 3 scoops from this powder.)
7. Add the avocado.
8. Add the lime juice
9. Strain the blended black currants into the blender
1. Place the strainer over the mouth of the blender jar
2. Pour the blended currants into the strainer
3. Using the rubber scraper, scrape through the pulp along the strainer to move the pulp out of the way and help move the juices through the strainer
1. You don't need to exert much force
2. You will end up with a thick paste of mostly seeds when you are done
4. Rinse the scraper and then scrape the exterior bottom of the strainer with the scraper to get the last of the juices into the blender
10. Add some ice. (I typically add about 10-12 ice cubes) Add less ice if you want more potent flavor.
11. Add water (or the mixture from step 6.2) until you hit the 1-liter mark.
12. Set aside an additional glass/cup with cold water.
13. Blend until smooth. (The Blendtec has a "smoothie" button for this.)
1. Warning: If the blender starts to struggle or spin freely--meaning the blender is running but the smoothie mixture is not moving or is sluggish--immediately start adding water from step 12 until the smoothie mixture starts to flow again.
14. Pour, serve, and enjoy!

Additional Notes

Blender

I use a Blendtec blender, but a similar professional blender like a Vitamix will work.

Ice and Water

The ideal ice-to-water ratio will result in a smoothie which has the consistency of yogurt or soft-serve ice cream. If you find the smoothie is too watery then either add more ice next time or cut back on the water added. When there is not enough water then the blender will start to spin freely as mentioned in step 14.1.

Avocado

1/2 of an avocado will get you a smooth texture, but you may find the smoothie is not very satisfying. Using an entire avocado will make the smoothie far more satisfying.

The ripeness of the avocado matters. If the avocado is not ripe, then the smoothie will be clumpy, will start to separate, and the flavor will be unsatisfying. If the avocado is ripe, then the smoothie will be satisfyingly creamy and will stay uniform for a long time--at least a half-hour.

I've attempted to use avocado oil in place of the avocado, but that particular smoothie doesn't have the right texture and starts to separate immediately. I've also tried to substitute coconut oil, but that also separates immediately and tends to be clumpy.