Thanks to Williams-Sonoma at the Maine Mall and to everyone who joined us for our “Weeknight Grilling” demo and culinary instruction class. We had a wonderful time and enjoyed meeting everyone. Here is our guacamole recipe from the session. We like to use the “Molcajete” mortar and pestle from Williams-Sonoma for our preparation. It’s made of volanic rock and gives the guacamole a somewhat rustic texture – as well as being great for the presentation. You can use a marble or ceramic mortar and pestle if you have one. If not, you can improvise. Below the recipe, you will see a video of Chef Shanna preparing her guacamole on the Holland America Cruise Ship, ms Maasdam. The ship didn’t have a mortar and pestle and you can see how we improvised.
Related Articles: “Weeknight Grilling” Culinary Demonstration & Cooking Techniques – June 2013, Photo Gallery from “Weeknight Grilling” Cooking Class & Culinary Demonstration at Williams-Sonoma
- 4 each - Avocados, ripe
- 1 each - Red Onion, small dice
- 1 each - Jalapeño, minced
- 2 tablespoon - Cilantro, chopped
- 8 each - Cherry Tomatoes, quartered
- Season with Kosher Salt
- 1 teaspoon - Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Place ¾ of the diced onions, jalapeños, and cilantro in mortar and pestle with 1 teaspoon of salt and process in a paste
- Add chopped avocado, olive oil, the ¼ remainder of diced onions, jalapeños, cilantro, and extra virgin olive oil
- Mix together and add the cherry tomatoes, check seasoning, reserve
We served as guest chefs on Holland America Lines’ ms Massdam and prepared our guacamole. The ship wasn’t equipped with a mortar and pestle – and it’s not something you want to pack in a suitcase when you are flying to meet the ship. (Imagine the overweight bag fees!) See how we improvised in the video below. You can adopt a similar technique if you don’t have a mortar & pestle at home. (It’s at the 9:20 second mark. You can drag the time slider to the right until you reach the 9:20 mark, or you can use this link to load the video on YouTube where it will start at the correct spot.)