On Simplicity: Guacamole

FOUR Hass avocados? In this economy?

Happy Summer! The solstice is behind us, a heat wave is sweeping the Northeast, Cancer suns are throwing birthday parties. May we all embody the spirit of the Barefoot Contessa with our summertime entertaining: great food and drink, of course, and meaningful quality time with loved ones.

Thank you all for the positive reception to my inaugural post. It was a joy to share it with you! I hope I’ve inspired you to get cooking. Definitely get in touch and let me know how these recipes are working for you. I’d love to hear your thoughts as this project continues.

“Simplify! I feel supersonic!”

-The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

I love a party.

I always have. I was the little girl printing off custom greeting cards to welcome her whole first-grade class to her birthday party, the teenager hosting costumes-mandatory festivities on Halloween night.

In college, my party-girl impulses led me to places I wouldn’t return to with a gun, lured into shady basements like a fairy-tale ingenue to a gingerbread house, only with cheap spirits instead of life-size sweets.

Nowadays, my preferred parties have more natural light and less Natural Light (of course, the smooth pilsner with all-natural ingredients), less darty and more dinner. I love a theme and a carefully curated menu. There’s little more satisfying to me than successfully pulling off an ambitious party idea.

I’m a Type-A planner who sucks at delegating, which often leaves up to my ears floundering to execute on those ambitious ideas. I have wonderful friends who always ask what they can bring, but out of fear of sounding fussy, I often say “Just yourself!” when I need something particular.

As I’ve matured as a hostess, the number-one lesson I’ve learned—really, a gift to myself and my guests—is clarity and simplicity. There’s power in clarity, and it goes both ways. Whether you’re meticulous or spontaneous, Type A or B, host or guest, a simple plan will ensure a successful shindig.

Simple does not mean boring! To the contrary. In that spirit, I bring you the Barefoot Contessa’s gorgeous Guacamole, a staple of all my summertime get-togethers.

This recipe is featured in Ina’s inaugural publication, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, on several episodes of Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics, and on the Food Network YouTube channel.

Ina’s guac recipe may not be authentic—respectfully, it’s a Jewish lady from Connecticut taking on Mexican fare—but it’s an easy crowd-pleaser, so much so that she made it three times on her TV show. For my part, I’ve made this recipe easily a dozen times in the last five years. It’s a consistent hit, the perennial siren of summer, like yacht rock and cicadas.

While this guacamole is great when made to the letter, you can adjust the seasoning levels and add-ons to your preferences. I like to add the zest whenever a recipe calls for fresh citrus juice (zest first, juice second). Ina and I share a contempt for cilantro, so this recipe does not include it—if you’d like to do so, I am physically incapable of stopping you.

This recipe whips up in mere minutes and is best made fresh, but if you need to make it ahead, refrigerate it in an airtight container, topped with a paper towel soaked in lemon juice to minimize the risk of browning.

In the unlikely event of leftovers, this guac makes a fabulous topping for avocado toast. I enjoyed it on sourdough with a poached egg and a shake of everything bagel seasoning.

Please disregard the broken yolk. It’s meant to be delicious, not attractive.

Some useful tools for this recipe:

• Premium Microplane
  Once again, her. I use this, without exaggeration, every day. For this recipe, it came in handy for zesting lemon and mincing garlic. Just watch your fingers!

• Stainless Steel Heavy-Duty Potato Ricer
  Ina uses a knife to chop her avocados and create a chunky guac, but I prefer using this to yield a smoother result. Following the untimely demise of my mother’s heirloom masher (they truly do not make them like that anymore!), we found this replacement, which is highly durable for the price.

For more kitchen tools I can’t live without, visit my website!

Ina made this recipe when Faith Hill came to visit her Hamptons barn. I made it for my girl friends to enjoy while doing arts and crafts. Call that perpetual bliss.

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Thank you for joining me on another delicious adventure! Can’t wait to bring you along for the next one. Until then, stay cool!

Until next time,

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