WOMAN.ca - Canadian Website For Women Fashion Entertainment Parenting Forum Bridal Blogs

With a sharp knife, cut each avocado in half symmetrically along its length, making sure to cut down all the way to the hard pit at the center. Holding the avocado with both hands on either side of the cut, twist your hands in opposite directions to separate the halves. To remove the pit, carefully hold the half containing it in one hand, keeping your fingers clear. Then, with your other hand, carefully but firmly strike the center of the pit with the knife's sharp edge to lodge the blade in it, and twist the blade to pull out the pit, carefully removing it from the knife. (Alternatively, use a spoon to scoop out the pit, keeping the edge of the spoon's bowl close to the pit so you don't lose much avocado flesh.)

With a spoon, carefully scoop out all the flesh from each avocado half and put it in a food processor fitted with the stainless-steel blade; if possible, keep the shell of each half intact and reserve it for serving, keeping them covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator.

Add the onion and half of the lemon juice to the avocado in the food processor. Process until smoothly pureed, stopping a few times as necessary to scrape down the bowl.

Set a fine-meshed strainer over a large mixing bowl and use a rubber spatula to press the puree through the strainer. Stir in 2 C. of the chicken broth and all of the cream until thoroughly blended. Season to taste with salt, pepper and more of the lemon juice. Cover the bowl and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Taste the chilled soup and, if necessary, adjust the seasonings with a little more salt, pepper and lemon juice. If you'd like it a little thinner, stir in some of the remaining chilled chicken broth. Place the avocado shells, if using, inside individual bowls to hold them level. Ladle the soup into the shells, or into chilled serving bowls. Garnish each serving with watercress leaves and, if you like, a small dollop of caviar.