Quick and Easy Guacamole - VIDEO

I regularly hear from folks about the dreamy guac they had at restaurant X.  I find it crazy, as they see how the guac is made:

A waiter (with his shirt unbuttoned just slightly too low) comes over to the table with a couple of avocados.  He cuts them and mashes them with a fork.  He seasons the guac to the order.  He serves it in a Mexican molcajete.  Sexy.

Well, I can mash avocado with the best of them, and I can keep my shirt on.


Guacamole is simply mashed avocado, salt, and an acidulating liquid such as lemon or lime juice.  We prefer lime.  The salt brings out the subtle flavors of this healthy fruit, and the lemon or lime add both flavor and preservative qualities, keeping the mash from turning brown (yuck).  One can also add chilies to spice things up, as well as onions, tomatoes, and sour cream.  But we are purists.

Most intimidating is the avocado itself.  How do you pick a ripe one, how do you remove the seed, how do you easily mash the avocado?

First the avocado.  It's a pretty cheap item these days especially when you compare it with the increase in the cost of other groceries these days.  My grocer had them on sale for 4 for $5, or a little over a buck a piece.  Cheap and healthy.  If you are making guac tonight, pick fruits that give slightly when you press a finger against the skin.  It should not be neither mushy nor hard.

I know.  Ambiguous.  A few avocados in you will find the softness you like.

Now. Removing the pit.  I cut across the equator the very end of the avocado (the branch end) and then cut around, from north to south, connecting the cuts.  a simple twist of each half reveals the meat and pit of the avocado.

Removing the pit is easy.  Simply place the avocado half in your hand, pit side up, and with a generous amount of force swing the blade of the knife into the pit.  With the knife imbedded in the pit, torque it slightly to twist the pit across the equator of the avocado and the pit will pop out, attached to the knife blade.

Now the secret weapon.  No forks or knives or mixers to mash the avocado.  We use a pastry cutter.  For 12 bucks you can make quick and easy quac and zero in the consistency for which you are looking.

The rest is easy.  Half a juiced lime or to taste, some salt, maybe a few grinds of pepper, and you can unbutton your shirt too and grab the accolades.

Here's the finished product:

And here is the video: