Guacamole
Okay, show of hands – who likes guacamole more than I do? Guacamole is one of my favorite things, and nobody is happier than I am when I make it in Paris. French people like guacamole too, and you’ll see it all sorts of guises, including frozen at the chain-store, Picard.
In French, often the last part of a word isn’t pronounced, so guacamole is pronounced guac-a-mole, which sounds like whack-a-mole, and I’ve tried to correct their pronounciation, which is difficult. One Mexican restaurant in Paris puts an accent over the “e” at the end, writing guacamolé on the menu, so people pronounce it.
There’s a lot of different ways to make guacamole. A Mexican friend who owns a restaurant in San Francisco says it should only have three ingredients; avocados, salt, and lime juice. When I worked at Zuni Café in San Francisco, part of my job was making guacamole to order, until the health department stopped letting us use molcajetes, the traditional stone mortars and pestles that are used for making guacamole because we couldn’t run them through the dishwasher!
Some recipes have garlic in them, and some don’t. Others add chopped tomatoes, including Mexican cooking authority Diana Kennedy, who skips adding lime juice to hers. People have told me that adding a little mayonnaise gives guacamole a smoother consistency, and adds richness, and sometimes I’ll add a small pour of olive oil – just a teaspoon or so – to round things out. It’s something Mexican chef Gabriela Cámara of Contramar restaurant in Mexico City, adds as well.
A common myth, according to food science writer Harold McGee, is that keeping the avocado pit in guacamole prevents it from turning brown. The lime juice helps but if you want to keep the top from turning brown, you can drizzle a bit of olive oil over the top, the press a sheet of parchment paper, plastic wrap, or an eco-friendly alternative over the guacamole to lessen the browning.
But honestly, the best thing to do with guacamole is to eat it soon after you make it. And a batch of margaritas served alongside will make it even more enjoyable.
Guacamole
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
- 3 medium ripe avocados (about 1 1/2 pounds, 700g)
- juice of one small lime
- One small chili, chopped
- 1/2 small red onion, peeled and finely diced
- chopped cilantro
- optional: 1 teaspoon olive oil
- optional: a dash of chipotle or ancho chile powder,, or hot sauce
- Mash the garlic and salt together in a mortar and pestle. (You can also make guacamole in a bowl using a fork or potato masher. If so, chop the garlic first.) Split the avocados in half and remove the pits. Scoop out the pulp with a soupspoon and dice the pulp, then add it to the garlic and mash it into the garlic along with the lime juice.
- Mash the guacamole so it’s to your liking – some like it chunky, some prefer it smooth – then mix in the onions, cilantro, some chopped fresh chili, and olive oil, if using. Taste and season with more salt, lime juice, and chile if desired. For a slightly smoky flavor, add a bit of chipotle or ancho chile powder.
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