Guacamole Avocado Dip

This authentic guacamole dip is simply a favorite of our guests and truly superiorly made with fresh Hass avocados.  California has a large population of permanent Mexican residents and migrant workers.  Because of this, there is an abundance of great authentic Mexican cuisine in California available border to border.  No self-respecting Mexican establishment would serve guacamole dip without cilantro and chopped tomatoes. Great served in a molcajete [Mole - kah - HEE – tay] the  Mexican version of the mortar and pestle.

3 Large peeled and diced Hass avocados

1/2 Red onion, diced fine

1 Large glorious sun ripen tomato, seeded and chopped

3/4 cups finely chopped cilantro

1/2 tablespoon vinegar (to retard oxidation)

Juice from a lime

4 cloves finely diced crushed garlic

1/2 - 1  finely diced fresh red jalapeño pepper¹

Correct the seasoning with pepper and salt

Molcajete for Serving

Chopped tomatoes into fine chunks no larger than ¼ inch cubed discarding the seeds and watery portions.  Diced the onions, chopped the cilantro, crush and dice the garlic. Chopped a whole or half of a jalapeno pepper depending on how much heat you want.  Peel 3 large avocados. Combine all ingredients (except salt and pepper) by coarsely hand chopping but do not overly so.  The guacamole should be somewhat chunky. Correct the seasoning with pepper and SALT. Guacamole should not be salty as the chips usually are. Serve with chips of your choice.

The acid from the vinegar and lime helps prevent the guacamole from turning off-color. (Skip vinegar if serving right away.) If not serving the guacamole right away, cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.  The resting period will enhance the flavor of the dip and allow the garlic time to permeate the mixture.

Guacamole is useful as a garnish on any Mexican platter and is useful in burritos as a heat moderator for hot and spicy ingredients. Serve with fresh corn tortilla chips - homemade are the best.

Note:

1. Jalapeño peppers have moderate amount of heat while Serrano peppers a lot less in case you want to tone it down. Use green if you cannot find red ones. The white ribs inside the pepper provides almost all of the capsaicin which may be trimmed away to reduce heat.

Vichyssoise or Leek and Potato Soup

The culinary origins of Vichyssoise, if French or an American invention, is debated by chefs but generally if the soup is served cold it is referred to as Vichyssoise and warm as Cream of leek soup. No matter what it’s called, it is wonderful and one of my favorites. This is also a base soup from which many cream of  xxxx soup may be made.

4 medium Leeks, white sections, washed well

1 medium potato, peeled

Salt

White pepper

Pinch fleshly ground nutmeg

1 cup good clear chicken stock

2 tablespoons sweet butter

1 cup heavy cream

Use just the white portions of the leeks and cut lengthwise in half. Wash all traces of dirt away. Sauté the chopped white part of the leeks in butter. Cut up and add the potato, sauté gently for ten minutes, then add chicken stock. Cover and cook on low until the potatoes are just done (al dente) (15-20 minutes). Process the soup to smooth with a post blender. Add white pepper, pinch of nutmeg, and cream. Correct salt level.

Serve warm or cold with a sprinkle of very finely chopped chives.

Spiced Bananas Flambé

 This recipe is not unlike Bananas Foster which is made from bananas and vanilla ice cream, with the sauce made from butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, dark rum, and banana liqueur. The Café de Paris French dessert Crêpe Suzette, consisting of a crêpe with a caramelized sugar- butter sauce, was a precursor to Bananas Foster created almost 100 years later by chef  Paul Blangė at Brennan's - New Orleans. To make this more Caribbean (think Martinique where the French first grew bananas) use rum instead of Brandy and use Orange Curacao liqueur.  Have a match handy to ignite the alcohol.

2 Firm ripe bananas split length wise down the middle.

4 tablespoons of turbinado or Demerara sugar (natural brown sugar)

1/2 cup of Napoleon Brandy

3 tablespoons of sweet butter

Top each banana slice with a mixture of ground cinnamon, allspice and cloves

¼ cup Contreau or orange Curaçao or Triple Sec

Heat a frying pan on medium high. Cut bananas down their middle length-wise. When the pan is hot, add the butter, and, when melted, add the bananas cut side down on buttered surface. Sprinkle each banana with a tablespoon of sugar. When the bananas begin to clear, turn each slice over carefully so as not to break the slices. Again, sprinkle each banana with a tablespoon of sugar. Cook for several minutes then add Contreau and Napoleon brandy. Hold back your face from the pan and use a long match to ignite the fumes. If you have a microwave above your cook top, you may want ignite the fumes when the pan is away from the cook top. When the flames settle down, return the pan to the cook top. Cook to reduce liquids to a thick bubbly sauce. Use a spatula to carefully remove the bananas to the serving plates. Spoon some sauce over each banana.

Bananas and the resulting caramel sauce can be used to top a premium vanilla or pecan ice cream.