Monday, May 5, 2008

Holy Guacamole Batman!

Today on Cookie Baker Lynn's blog you have a guest blogger. Believe it or not, Lynn doesn't do all the cooking in the house, just most of it. Like a lot of husbands, I do the barbecueing and the occasional boxed macaroni and cheese but I also am the designated gaucamole chef. Since this is Cinco de Mayo, Lynn asked me to share my guacamole recipe.

When I was dating Lynn, one of our favorite places to eat was a Mexican resturant that served "Super Nachos." It was a huge plate of Nachos with lots of cheese, salsa and great guacamole. After we were married and had a couple of kids and our fun money was nonexistent, our dining out experiences were few and far between. To compensate, we searched for a guacamole recipe to duplicate the experience of "Super Nachos" at home. Surprisingly it was a during the low fat cooking phase of the 1990's when I finally found the perfect recipe. Plain non-fat yogurt, a mainstay of low-fat cooking, also works well in guacamole. Over the years I have tweaked it and really made it my own. It's my family's favorite and I'm always asked to bring it to family gatherings.

The trick to perfect guacamole is using good, ripe avocados. When you pick out your advocados at the grociery store make sure to check for ripeness by gently pressing the outside of the avocado. If there is no give, the avocado is not ripe yet. If there is a little give, the avocado is ripe. If there is a lot of give, the avocado may be past its prime.

It may sound odd, and even heretical to guacamole purists, but the addition of non-fat yogurt extends the guacamole and adds a slightly sour overtone that balances the garlic. Make sure to use plain yogurt and get the firm variety if you can. You don't want the guacamole to become soupy.

The secret ingredients in my recipe are the coriander and the garlic. The coriander gives the guacamole a lemony citrus flavor that blends well with the avocado and the large amount of garlic really makes this recipe outstanding.


In our family we love garlic and the more garlic the better. Over time the recipe has changed a bit but the garlic amount has stayed the same. You may be tempted to cut back on the garlic but at least once try the recipe as written. I think you'll like it.


Extraordinary Guacamole

4 Advocados
12 cloves garlic
2 1/2 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon celery salt
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/4 of one lime jucied
2 green onions sliced


1) Cut advocados in half, remove pit and peel off the skin.

2) Place 6 advocado halfs in a mixing bowl and reserve one whole advacado for later use.

3) Using a fork, mash the avocado until smooth but leave a little texture.

4) Using a garlic press, add the garlic. My family loves garlic and one of the things that makes this guacamole wonderful is the amount of garlic used. If you're shy about garlic, start with 1/2 this amount and work your way up.

5) Using a mortar and pestle, grind the coriander and add it to the mixture. The freshly ground coriander flavor is intense and adds a wonderful zing to the guac.

6) Add the celery salt and yogurt. Mix until the color of the mixture is uniform. It's also important to realize that the size of avocado's varies. Make sure to add the yogurt in small batches and stop adding yogurt if the dip is looking to wet and soupy.

7) Slice the remaining advocado into small cubes and add to the mixture with the green onion. This adds texture to the mix so don't over mix.

8) Add the lime juice but don't mix it in. Just let it sit on top of the mixture. Cover the mixture with plastic wrap and place in the refridgerator. Make sure the plastic wrap is in contact with the mix so oxygen doesn't turn the guacamole brown. The ingrediants will percolate through the guacamole and really come alive after about an hour.

When it's time to serve the guacamole, remove the plastic wrap and mix in any lime juice still sitting on top of the mixture.

Serves 6-8

29 comments:

Sarah said...

The perfect post for Cinco de Mayo...I need someone in my house that is a designated guacamole maker! You are lucky!

Sean said...

Sensei, you must share the ways of the guac with me that I too may be the life of the party in spite of my nerdiness!

grace said...

i've been known to sit down with a bowl of guacamole and eat it with a spoon, so i'm loving this post.
adding yogurt seems like a stroke of genius, and i'm anxious to test it out. nicely done, sir.

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

Love the guest post! I'm OBESSED with guacamole (and garlic!), so I'm totally craving this recipe - yum!

Happy Cinco de Mayo! :0)

Deborah said...

All I can say is - YUM!!

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

I agre that this guacamole is extraordinary:D

RecipeGirl said...

This is loads different than my San Diego Style guac. I'll have to try yours to compare!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Gretchen Noelle said...

Great cinco de mayo post. Funny thing here, most don't like their guac with all the extras and they eat it with french rolls for breakfast. That did take some getting used to, now I love it!

Anonymous said...

Dear Guest Blogger-husband, Very good recipe and hints. I am very glad it was coriander seed rather than cilantro used in your recipe.

LyB said...

12 cloves of garlic! Now that is my kind of guacamole! The addition of coriander seeds is quite intriguing. Fun post! :)

Ginny said...

I am always looking for a perfect guacamole recipe...thanks for the hints! I'll give it a shot!

Peabody said...

Yay for guest bloggers. Good story and good tips.

Mama Mia said...

happy cinco de mayo!

Gigi said...

Muchas gracias Senor Cookie Baker Lynn! I can't wait to give this a try!

Emily said...

Hello guest blogger! Happy cinco de mayo to you and Lynn.

Who would have thought to put yogurt in guacamole?! That's a great idea. I could use some lighter food around here.

Renee said...

I think the world is divided into two types of people...those who make guac with tomatoes and those who do not. I personally fall into the former category, but you made yours sound so delicious that I might try it!

Patricia Scarpin said...

What a wonderful idea to have the hubby posting too!
I have never tried guacamole, but I can tell this is delicious.

Anonymous said...

Oh I am soooo trying this recipe. It looks fantastic! Thanks for being the guest today and sharing this great recipe.

Anonymous said...

I love the yogurt idea...it sounds amazing! Can't wait to try this recipe - thanks for sharing!!

Lady Di said...

Rave - has been and will always be my favorite guacamole. The only thing that makes it more perfect is a crisp autumn day and a brilliant Seahawk victory.

You should have given yourself credit, at least under a nom de plume Mr. Wayne.

test it comm said...

Fresh homemade guacamole is the best! I will have to the celery salt next time.

Cakespy said...

Oh, hello perfection! I love guacamole. Love the celery salt!

ChichaJo said...

My husband loves Mexican food so this is much appreciated! :) (he is the designated griller also...and steak maker)

MyKitchenInHalfCups said...

And what a wonderful guest!! Love guac and garlic! Super Nachos here we come. And I'm sure in need of a Mexican fix!

Anonymous said...

Your post inspired me and while I was at the store today picked up the ingredients to make this yummy guac! Of course, I forgot the yougurt.. will have to go back, but thought you would like to know we are going to be enjoying this very soon :)

Aimée said...

Welcome guest blogger! Thanks to you and Lynn for this great recipe!

Neen said...

Yay to guest blogger! We definitely need more men in the foodie blogging world. And the addition of firm yogurt to guacamole is brilliant. Must try next time I find ripe avocados in the market.

Karen Baking Soda said...

Hi Guestblogger! Love to try your guacamole..or I should say convince my husband to try yours? Besides the bbq he is also the master of quacamole! (and deep fryer, the Peeler/Cooker of Asparagus, oh and mussel cleaner.)
Fun!

Anonymous said...

WOW!!!! What more can I say...I am in love with this guac recipe! I make it once a week :) Everyone who has tasted it has said it is the best one they have ever tasted, and I agree YUM!!!!