RCP: Blue Cheese Guacamole (Cinco de Mayo's coming!)

[Jenise]

I never stopped liking guacamole because I never stopped liking avocados, but make it and serve it? Haven't in years--it's just too ubiquitous. But when I saw the picture in Roberto Santibanez' book, Truly Mexican, of a guacamole studded with blue cheese and chopped smoked almonds--and salivated!--suddenly guacamole sounded like an incredible idea. Made it last weekend for a wine geek dinner, and it was a huge hit.

2 T finely chopped white onion
1 T minced fresh jalaopeno or serrano, including seeds
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 chopped cilantro
1 T fresh lime juice
1 large or 2 small avocados
1/4 c big-coarse chopped smoked almonds
3 T crumbled blue cheese

Mash the onions and chiles together, than add remaining ingredients while reserving a bit of cilantro, cheese and almonds for garnish.

I think that guac was my favorite part of the wine dinner! A lovely match for champagne. I've already made it for my family--didn't have smoked almonds so just used chopped toasted plain almonds. I didn't have corn or sweet potato chips either, so just toasted some homemade chips made from garlic pita rounds. Will definitely keep this on my appies rotation!

[Jenise]

It was actually the inspiration for the whole dinner. I pitched this idea to Annabelle, and the whole Mexican-French thing took off from there. It's also one of the few things that turned out exactly as planned...it's such a challenge cooking in that kitchen. Sigh.

...it's such a challenge cooking in that kitchen. Sigh.

I felt your pain. Someone needs to have a BIIIIG yard sale! Despite the limitations I think you did a splendid job!

[Jenise]

That yard sale won't happen in our lifetimes. Last year I asked if she had a slicer for a beet carpaccio I wanted to make. Our friend climbed a ladder in the laundry room and got down a little box about 7" x 3". In it: a tiny, flimsy plastic thing with a cutting 'blade' that was just a wobbly strip of tin. She paid $1 for it in Malaysia, and it looked like it. I made one or two slices before determining that "It's not safe; it can't even cut a cooked beet." Anyone else would have thrown it in the trash where it belonged. But not our friend. It went back in the box and back to the laundry room. I begged her to exercise sanity but the mere suggestion caused raw pain. It's mental: in spite of the obvious fact that stepping over and around all the useless stuff makes the actual useful things harder to use, what comes in can never leave. This applies to the pantry and refrigerator-freezer too.

T what comes in can never leave..

You know what's making me happy lately? Opening cupboards and closets and they are empty (or nearly empty). I've been on a major purge of useless stuff lately and do not miss one single thing. More needs to go...

[Jenise]

I'm like you! Good thing, too--cuz Bob isn't!

OK 2 year old thread but we made this Sat and loved. Thanks Jenise.