I was 15 when I visited the Philippines for the first (and so far, only) time. 

My parents had just gotten their green cards a couple years before. My dad was fortunate in that the majority of his immediate family was already in the States by the time he followed. My mom, on the other hand, was the first of her family to go abroad in the hopes of making enough money to support two generations - hers, and mine. Unable to leave, she had missed her family and her country for 13 years before America released its claws from her shoulders and allowed her back. She left to visit her family not even two weeks after getting her green card.

For the next two years, my parents saved enough money to afford a long trip for all of us to go. We went around this time, June/July, when my brother and I were out of school for summer vacation. My brother, father, and I were staying for three weeks, my mom for a full month. It's funny now, looking back I don't remember packing or the 16 hour flight (my longest yet). I do remember going to Costco or Sam's Club to make last minute balikbayan boxes (boxes of American goods for family back in the Philippines to enjoy) that we would take along with our luggage. 

After landing, I remember it was not as hot as I thought it would be. It was humid, but during that time of the year there wasn't a lot of direct sunlight. Mainly a lot of overcast, with ripe clouds threatening a tropical downpour at any minute. I didn't really know how to dress for warm rain.

When we arrived at my maternal aunt's house, I met my Lola (grandmother) for the first time. My brother and I were the last of her grandchildren to meet her. She barely spoke any English but I can't begin to express the amount of emotion in that room at that moment. She offered her hand first to me, then to my brother. One at a time, we took her hand in ours and brought it to our foreheads - a gesture of blessing that had been lost in America with our generation, for the most part. I remember my dad telling me afterward that he was proud that we had remembered to do so. 

After that, my brother and I were introduced to at least a dozen relatives gathered at my aunt's house that day, the first of many dozens. My mom is one of nine siblings, so there were plenty of people to meet that first day. 

At some point, while my mom was catching up with her sisters, one of my uncles brought out a big bowl of something green. It was a mixture of avocados, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and ice. My uncle started passing out full cups of the stuff, offering one to my brother and me first. Honestly, I had never eaten avocados before that moment but true to my non-confrontational nature I accepted a cup rather than appear like a spoiled, picky, maarte American girl. It was important to me that I didn't come across as hopelessly detached from my culture. Understanding tagalog helped - at least, I had the leg up on my brother. But staring down at this cup of green something made me feel as though I was outside in that warm rain I wasn't prepared for again. 

I needn't have worried - it was delicious. Having a sweet tooth I inherited from my dad, I ended up asking for a second cup before anyone else had finished their first. I guess you could call it a "deconstructed avocado milkshake" to please any Western sensibilities. It was great.

You can try avocado milkshakes or ice cream at any number of Asian boba tea shops or markets here in America, but that was the first time I had ever had anything like it. It was cool, sweet and creamy, perfect for a warm, humid day. So I made my own version, adding mint and cucumber to the mix for more refreshment to balance the creaminess of the avocados. There's only a total of 5 ingredients in this recipe, so hopefully you find it more approachable than my first encounter with it. 

Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 large, ripe avocado
• 4 sweet, seedless Persian cucumbers
• 2-3 sprigs of fresh mint leaves
• 2 cups of heavy cream
• 1 14 fl oz can of sweetened condensed milk

Method

• Pour the heavy cream into a small saucepan. Rip the mint leaves into small pieces and stir them into the cream. Set over medium heat, stirring occasionally, just until tiny bubbles appear around the edges of the pan. Remove from heat and allow the mint to steep into the cream for at least 2 hours in the fridge. 
• In a food processor or juicer, blend the cucumbers. Strain out all the juice you can from the solids, then transfer the juices to a blender. Discard the solids. Add the avocado and the sweetened condensed milk to the blender, and combine until smooth.
• Make sure your heavy cream is good and cold, then strain out the mint leaves. Pour the cream into the bowl of an electric mixer, or using a handheld mixer, start whipping the cream with the whisk attachment. Whip to very stiff peaks.
• Gently fold 1/3 of the blended mixture into the whipped cream, then fold that lightened mixture into the rest of the blended mixture. Pour the ice cream base into a 9x5 loaf pan, and cover with plastic wrap flush to the ice cream base to ensure no ice forms. Freeze overnight. Remove from the freezer 10 minutes before serving to soften.

Notes:

• This ice cream melts much faster than regular ice cream because there are no stabilizers (like eggs) in it, so enjoy quickly!
• Really do try to get the stiffest peaks out of your whipped cream to ensure a fluffy ice cream texture. (Mine was a smidge icy because I didn't whip my cream enough.)