Valerie Heegard of Bend, Ore., has been hunting for a great guacamole recipe for some time. She said her sister-in-law had a delicious one, made with sour cream and perhaps cream cheese, but she died years ago and Heegard never got her recipe.
Guacamole, the avocado-based dip that dates to the Aztecs, is extremely common in modern Mexican cuisine and has been fully embraced by Americans as a dip, condiment or salad ingredient. Recipes range from mild to super-spicy, and variations are numerous. However, at its core, good guacamole is all about the avocado.
Beverly Fabian of Baltimore shared a guacamole recipe that she said her mother used to make in the 1970s, before avocados and guacamole were so popular in this country. She said it was always a big hit at parties. These days, it's standard fare at restaurants, bars and parties. In fact, sales soared to a record of nearly 4.25 billion avocados last year — more than double the amount in 2005, according to a recent Washington Post article.
This recipe is pretty fool-proof, provided you get the avocados at just the right degree of ripeness. You can adjust the heat to your liking, and in the end, there is little doubt that homemade guacamole will taste better then even the freshest store-bought variety. No need to wait until Cinco de Mayo to give this recipe a try.
Requests
Betty Arnold Henderson of Bradenton, Fla., is looking for a recipe for a meatless baked stuffed eggplant similar to the one she and her late husband enjoyed at Mariann's Italian Villa in Santa Barbara, Calif. The restaurant is now closed, and Henderson has tried to duplicate the recipe on her own without success.
Great guacamole
Makes about 2 cups
3 ripe avocados, peeled, pitted and slightly mashed with a fork
1 tablespoon sour cream
2 3-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons of salsa (choose mild, medium or hot depending on your preference)
Dash of garlic salt
Dash of onion powder
Pinch of salt
Dash freshly ground pepper
In a small bowl, mix together avocados, sour cream, cream cheese and salsa with a fork. Blend to desired consistency. Take care not to overdue it; the guacamole should be a little chunky. Mix the remaining ingredients together and add gently to the avocado mixture. Cover surface tightly with plastic wrap and chill for at least a half-hour before serving.