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