Guacamole with Nectarines

My father, not a Mexican and therefore not entitled to tell me—who IS half a Mexican!—how to make my guacamole—the food of MY people—hates that I don’t add jalapeño to my guac. You know what? I’m an adult now, I can have my guac any darn way I want.

Of course, even though he’s only Mexican by association to my mother, to whom he has been married to for 36 years this month, he does make the most kick ass salsa verde. We’ve established this. But I don’t like the guacamole that comes out of MY kitchen to be spicy. I like it to have a hint of sweetness instead.

Avocados are absolutely perfect on their own. They’re filled with good fat. They’re a gift through the centuries from the Aztec people (I might be embellishing). They’re green. The skin on some of them looks like it was birthed by a dinosaur. You can sub them for bananas in baking. And they’re delicious! But if you add a teeny bit of garlic salt and a cubed nectarine, you have a dip that will blow your mind.

I am not overstating that fact. Take a bowl of the green stuff topped with stone fruit to a party, and people will look at it askew. Then, after you dare them to taste it, they suddenly turn rabid. Every single time I take this to a party it disappears immediately. Every single time I make myself a single serving of it, I seem to inhale it. Something about avocado + nectarine = food orgasm.

The original recipe I found nearly 10 years back, before the popularity explosion of all things culinary. Nowadays, the pairing of these two items doesn’t seem that unusual, but back then, people were weirded out. And this is California, for crying out loud! Weird food is where we’re at. Anyway, the original recipe called for peaches. But when I did the grocery shopping for this particular dish, the peaches were ridiculously expensive. Their non-furry pals, on the other hand, weren’t going to cost me un ojo de la cara (Spanish for “my first born” or some such saying). And thus my new go-to party dip was born.

The ratio of 2-3 medium avocados to one nectarines scales easily. Nectarines seem to bear more flesh than avocados, which is why you want more of the green fruit than the peachy. Add a sprinkle of garlic salt to taste, squeeze a lime over, and you’re done. 

And don’t kid yourself that saving the pit will keep your guac from turning brown. What you need to do is cover with plastic film, but push it down onto the dip so that no air enters the bowl before you’re ready to dig in. 

If you, like my dad, just can’t abide by guacamole sin jalapeño, then by all means, add it in! Who am I to tell you how to make your food. They’re your tastebuds. 

Plus, I’m only half-Mexican, after all.

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Guacamole with Nectarines

by Paulette Fontanez, August-13-2012

A sweet twist on your favorite summer party dip. For a spicier take, add a jalapeño or chile flakes.

Ingredients

• 6 medium avocados
• 1-2 medium nectarine
• garlic salt, to taste

Instructions

1. Slice the avocados in half. Discard pits and remove meat into bowl. Mash to a chunky consistency.2. Cube nectarine and add to mashed avocadoes. Stir to combine thoroughly. Add salt to taste. 

Details

Prep time: 5 minutesCook time: Total time: 5 minutesYields: 1 medium bowl

Wordless Wednesday: Summer Drinks Courtesy of Picanha

Raspberry Mint Martini

A few weeks ago, the good people at Food 52 asked for testers for their raspberry recipes. Every time they do so, it becomes a first-come, first-served frenzy as community members call dibs on the various recipes. This time I snagged the Spicy Raspberry Mint Soda.

The directions were easy. Make a simple syrup with raspberries, cinnamon and dried pepper and you've got yourself a spicy pink concoction. Add some mint, ice and club soda, and you've got a summer drink.

It'll make you and the kids forget all about lemonade. I even said so in the testing notes.

Add some gin, and you have an adult summer drink.

The inventor behind the drink, Gr8ChefMB suggested vodka for an adult version. The vodka version was okay. The gin was significantly better. As it always is.

Have I mentioned I'm partial to gin?

The original recipe calls for a dried chipotle pepper. Those can be a bit difficult to find, so I used a dried ancho pepper, instead. When they're dried, they're pretty similar. Ancho peppers can probably be found in your larger supermarkets, in the ethnic aisle. (I had a hell of a time finding a chipotle pepper, and I went to several Mexican stores.)

If you're at all sensitive to spice, make sure to take out all the seeds. Contrary to some sadists' beliefs, there might be such a thing as too much heat.

To relieve yourself of behind-the-bar time and allow yourself more party time, make a full pitcher. Follow the directions to make the simple syrup. Then muddle a good handful of mint (a semi-packed cup), and throw it in a pitcher. Fill halfway with ice, then add the strained, cooled syrup, followed by a liter of club soda.

To keep this child-friendly, leave as is. If you're too mature for virgin drinks, splash an ounce of gin in a martini glass and fill with the mix. Garnish with oranges. They taste good with a squeeze of oj, too.

Original recipe found here.