20 Things to Do with Leftover Guacamole

Is there anything sadder than guacamole and no chips? And yet, it happens. Instead of stashing the guacamole in the refrigerator, this list of ideas should get the green out of the bowl and onto your plate! Just remember to season to taste before serving your new creation...

1. On a baked potato instead of sour cream or butter
2. On a BLT as a sandwich spread instead of mayo
3. Whisked into a vinaigrette or ranch salad dressing
4. On toast with a fried egg on top
5. Layer on a sandwich with mozzarella and tomatoes (good hot or cold)
6. As a topping on chili
7. Dollop on top of pizza, really!
8. As a pasta sauce, combine with olive oil, season with salt, serve hot or cold
9. On top of crab cakes or potato pancakes
10. Cold guacamole soup, just combine with chicken broth and chill
11. Make chicken salad by combining guacamole with chunks of cooked chicken and chopped scallions
12. Use in place of mayonnaise to make guacamole deviled eggs or guacamole egg salad
13. Combine with canned tuna to make tuna salad
14. Puree with canellini beans to make a hummus like dip
15. Slather it on cornbread or corn muffins instead of butter
16. Make a salad by stirring it into a bowl of black beans, corn, diced tomatoes and peppers

The following ideas are sweet! A highly savory (salty, spicy or oniony) guacamole is not recommended. But a mild guacamole will work just fine. Simply puree the guacamole and use it in place of mashed avocado in the following recipes:

17. Guacamole ice cream try this one from Two Peas their pod or this one from Tabasco or this one from Yum or this one from Alton Brown.
18. Bake a guacamole pound cake or cupcakes
19. Guacamole frosting, combine pureed guacamole and powdered sugar to taste
20. Make a guacamole smoothie

What are your favorite ways to use guacamole when there are no more chips or crudités?

My thanks to the California Avocado Commission. They are sponsoring my attendance to Camp Blogaway 2012 and provided me with a shipment of fresh fruit. Note: They did not pay for this post, although they did inspire it...

Hot Chocolate Cookies Recipe

The drinks and dishes I tried on my trip to Avery Island inspired me to think about Tabasco in new ways. Of course you can use it in things like in guacamole or in a bloody mary, but how about something unexpected, for example, cookies?

I made François Payard Flourless Chocolate-Walnut Cookies twice during Passover this year and they were gobbled up so quickly that I didn't even get to snap a photo. After following the recipe closely, I decided to put my own twist on it. The cookies are mostly powdered sugar, cocoa powder and egg whites. They are crisp and crackly on the outside but moist and fudgy, almost like brownies on the inside. But perhaps not surprisingly, they are a bit sweet.

To temper the sweetness I added Tabasco and cacao nibs. The Tabasco gives just a hint of heat in the background. You'll barely notice it, but it definitely takes these cookies to the next level. While the toasted walnuts add crunch and a contrasting bitterness, unsweetened cacao nibs help to balance the sweetness even more. Though I wouldn't call these cookies spicy, they do remind me of hot chocolate. The original recipes calls for Dutch process cocoa, but I tested it with natural cocoa (Hershey's and Valrhona) and it worked fine. I make the cookies smaller than Payard does because I'd rather have two cookies than one, but feel free to make them whatever size you like best. You can also make a half batch.

Hot Chocolate Cookies (adapted from François Payard)
makes about 40

Ingredients

2 cups walnut halves
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup + 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (Dutch-process or natural)

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 egg whites
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons Tabasco sauce

2/3 cup cacao nibs


Instructions

Preheat oven to 320 degrees. Chop the walnut roughly, place on a parchment lined, rimmed baking sheet and toast in the oven for 7-10 minutes, just until they are golden and fragrant. Let walnuts cool slightly. In a large bowl, whisk the confectioners’ sugar with the cocoa powder and salt. Add the egg whites, vanilla and Tabasco and stir just until the batter is moistened (do not overbeat). Fold in the walnuts and cacao nibs using a spatula. Spoon a heaping teaspoon of batter onto the baking sheets (or make them as large as a tablespoon if you prefer) and bake for 15 minutes, until the tops are glossy and lightly cracked. Let cookies cool then peel off the parchment paper.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I created this recipe on behalf of Tabasco and I was compensated for it. The choice to post it here, was my own.

Learning about Tabasco

Tabasco sauce isn't just for dousing on eggs or doctoring your bloody mary. In fact it takes on a completely different character when used in cooking rather than as a finishing sauce. It's a surprisingly versatile condiment that can be used in a wide variety of dishes and drinks. There are seven different varieties of Tabasco sauce (actually there are a couple more as well that are not widely available). I learned all of this and more on a recent visit to Avery Island, home and birthplace of Tabasco sauce. The trip to Louisiana was with the inaugural group of Tabasco tastemakers. As one of the "tastemakers," I will be creating several recipes using Tabasco (for which I am being compensated).

During my visit I saw the pepper fields, the barrel room (where I tasted chili pepper mash), the factory (where I breathed in vinegar fumes), the lab, the bottling rooms and learned just how Tabasco is made. While almost 99% of the Tabasco chile peppers come from places like Latin America and Africa, all varieties of Tabasco sauce are made on Avery Island. The peppers are processed, made into a mash with salt, aged and fermented in bourbon barrels, then transformed into sauces.

At a dinner for the Tabasco tastemakers I was blown away by how chef Alon Shaya of Domenica restaurant in New Orleans used Tabasco in his cooking. Twice nominated for a regional James Beard award, Shaya cooks his unique version of Italian food using the best local ingredients he can find, and a good deal of restraint in a town where excess is generally taken to an extreme. He used Tabasco in everything from a simple yet intensely flavored handmade pasta with shrimp to a chocolate dessert.

Finally bartender Neal Bodenheimer of Cure used Tabasco in cocktails with spirits like Pimm's and rum and creme de banane. One of the drinks he made was a "cobbler" which traditionally is a drink made with wine or sherry, sugar and fresh fruit. His cocktails were both unexpected and amazing. Stay tuned for my first recipe...

Read more blog posts about the Tastemaker trip:

Comic strip of Camper English tasting pepper mash from Alcademics

Of Mash, Marsh and Memorable Meals from Food Orleans

Avery Island, part deux: boils, bottles, bloodies & boudin from Food Orleans

Tabasco taste test from Fritos and Foie Gras

Chef Alon Shaya goes Tabasco crazy from Fritos and Foie Gras

A Visit to Avery Island Louisiana Home of Tabasco Sauce from Recipe Girl

A Trip to Avery Island Louisiana from Eat, Live, Run

Top 10 Avery Island Louisiana from What's Gaby Cooking

Disclaimer: I visited Avery Island as a guest of Tabasco

Some of my Favorite People (and things)

Diane and Brian Campbell of The Candy Store

I feel like I was one of the first to discover The Candy Store because it's just a few blocks from my home. In fact I wrote a review of it almost five years ago, just months after it opened. And oh my, how far it's come since then! The store is compact, but carefully curated by the delightfully enthusiastic Diane and her husband Brian, a passionate burgeoning candy maker. Every time I visit the store there is something new and special to try from unusual Swedish candies to deluxe and nearly impossible to find chocolate bars made by a pastry chef. And that's in addition to the classics like wine gums, old fashioned marshmallow ropes, candy buttons, and more varieties of sours, licorice and gummies than you've ever imagined. Most recent accolades come from Target who chose their store as one of only five in the US for their store-within-a-store concept launching in May. Candy is one of the last great affordable luxuries, so visit their store on Russian Hill or this charming video featuring Diane, Brian and their store.

Daphne Mazarakis of Better Whey of Life Greek yogurt

Remember when Greek yogurt became all the rage? I did a review of all the ones I could find a little over three years ago. Since then, even more Greek yogurt brands have entered the market, but one in particular caught my attention. It was developed by Daphne Mazarakis, a Greek American, who used to work for Kraft but was looking for "a better way". Her yogurt has some real advantages versus most other brands. It is made from whey and has more protein, more calcium, more fiber, and is lower in sugar. But never mind all that, its most amazing benefit is how insanely creamy it is. The yogurt is low fat (only 1.5% fat) and yet tastes as creamy or creamier than other low fat varieties. There is no chalkiness and it's not too sour. I hope it will be more widely available soon, and in larger quantities. Right now you can find it in individual 6 ounce cups in just a few states.

Betty Teller of Betty's Amuse Bouche

I met Betty a few years ago at the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) conference in Chicago which is kind of funny since she lives not so far away, in Napa. Since then I've bumped into her in the Bay Area, but I feel like I am in touch with her on a more regular basis since I subscribe to her newsletter which is her column from the Napa Valley Register. Betty is a hoot; she's funny, chatty, insightful and a good cook. Her column/newsletter gives you a peek into whatever she is up to and her unique take on life up in Napa. Check out her columns online, if you enjoy them as much as I do, you'll want to subscribe to her newsletter so you can catch them all.


Cheryl Sternman Rule of Five Second Rule

I hate awards, I really do. But I am very happy for my colleague Cheryl Sternman Rule. For the past two years, Cheryl and Dianne Jacob and I have shared the stage at the Book Passage Travel Writers, Food Writers & Photography conference. Cheryl won the 2012 IACP award for best blog. She also has a new book out called Ripe all about the vibrant colors and flavors of fresh fruits and vegetables that I can't wait to check out. If you don't know her blog, do scurry on over to 5 Second Rule. She will also be at Omnivore Books on April 26th.

Michael Procopio of Food for the Thoughtless

Another pal of mine is Michael Procopio. We blogged at KQED's Bay Area Bites for years before I moved on to greener pastures. He has a truly unique voice that it seems the world is just now discovering--his writing is in the Best Food Writing of 2011 and he was recently featured in Bill Daley's article in the Chicago Tribune Dishing About Food Writing (one of seven writers your should know). His blog posts and recipes are always thoughtful, whether serious or silly and he is the only writer I know whose recipes are inspired by everything from the sinking of the Titanic to the candidacy of Rick Santorum. For a dose of dry wit, head over to his blog.

Cooking from another Culture

When it comes to cooking the food from another culture, the ingredients and techniques can be unfamiliar. Going to a foreign country and taking a cooking class is great, but not a readily accessible opportunity for most. Fortunately there are local cooking classes and cooking kits.

Recently launched Global Grub offers cooking kits with extremely well written instructions that will help you succeed in making things like sushi, or jerk chicken with coconut rice and beans. I used the tamales kit and was very impressed with the quality of the ingredients, the clear instructions and the wonderful results. My dad said the tamales were the best he'd ever eaten!

Kits include the dry and hard to find ingredients, and range in price from $13.99 up to $19.99 and for every kit purchased, Global Grub donates a meal to someone in need through their local food bank. Global Grub offers tutorial videos on their site, and the instructions with each kit are easily folded into a stand for easy reference as you cook.

I'm a big fan of La Cocina. I've volunteered with them, written about them and took a wonderful mole class at their Mission location. Now they are holding even more classes that you can take from cooks who are part of their culinary business incubator program. Classes are an "interactive cooking party" and also include a meal. The $65 class fee supports the non-profit programs at La Cocina.

Though I don't have any direct experience to report, I'm intrigued by Culture Kitchen. They are combining classes with home cooks, videos and cooking kits to get you up to speed cooking things like pad thai, masala chai and eggplant with garlic and mint. Each class costs $60 and includes a full meal, locations vary, kits are $34.99.

Note: I paid for the class I took at La Cocina, the tamales kit from Global Grub was a sample.

After Dark:Gastronomy

Photo credit: ©Intellectual Ventures/Modernist Cuisine

Are you curious about the modern techniques and ingredients often lumped under the controversial term "molecular gastronomy?" While I never ate at El Bulli or Alinea, and I don't have copies of Nathan Myhrvold's Modernist Cuisine I can't help but wonder if cutting edge techniques have the ability to make food taste significantly better. And although I've yet to invest in the equipment to cook sous vide, I have enjoyed reading Harold McGee's On Food and Cooking which has taught me a bit about food science.

This Thursday April 5th, the Exploratorium is hosting After Dark:Gastronomy from 6-10 pm. It will be a true hand's on experience for those with curiosity when it comes to the modern techniques and ingredients that utilize our understanding of science. Modernist Cuisine’s head chef and co-author Maxime Bilet and SeattleFoodGeek blogger Scott Heimendinger will demonstrate how tools such as centrifuges and homogenizers and ingredients like hydrocolloids and emulsifiers are used in culinary applications. Cooking for Geeks author Jeff Potter will also be on hand, and will demonstrate sous vide techniques with eggs.

Join me and lean how to make fruit juice “caviar," liquid nitrogen ice cream and find out if you are a “super-taster” (and if that's a good thing to be). Tickets are $15.

Exploratorium @
The Palace of Fine Arts
3601 Lyon Street
San Francisco, CA

Kitchen Upgrades

Non-stick pans, kitchen tools and storage containers. Your kitchen is filled with them, some good and some not so good. Sometimes your kitchen deserves an upgrade. Here are a few of my recent discoveries:

I've reviewed a lot of pots and pans over the years. I love the convenience for non-stick pans, but no matter what the brand or cost, eventually they flake. I like the ceramic non-stick, but they are a bit delicate and can chip if you're not careful, well, not the Earth Pan II from Meyer corporation. The non-stick surface is made from sand, and has no PTFE or PFOA and it can be used with high heat! It's stovetop safe up to 600 degrees. I've been using a 12-inch pan for several weeks and it is easy to clean, and shows no signs that it will chip and there is no coating to flake off. Of course, the true test is how it performs in the long term, but so far so good.



My old measuring cups were so ugly! They were stained and I hated looking at them, never mind using them. When someone from Trudeau offered to send me something of my choice from their line of kitchenware, I knew it would be their 5 piece measuring cup set. Each piece is a different color and the shape is particularly easy to use. I also got their can opener since my old one had melted from being to close to the stove one day. If you don't have a can opener that lifts the top rather leaving sharp edges this is a great upgrade. I already have and love the Trudeau pot clip spoon rests and one piece silicone spatulas (no wooden handle to burn or stain).



I just bought this Chef'n dual grater and I really like the design. It's coarse on one side, fine on the other, and it has little rubber feet so you can use it vertically or horizontally. It also takes up very little room when it's not in use. It's a really smart design and it was relatively inexpensive. I had another one from Microplane that I liked, but it broke. Eventually they also lose their edge and need replacing. The best Microplane product I have is the zester. If you don't have one, I highly recommend you get one.




My last recommendation is to ditch your plastic storage containers. Oh you can use them for dry things like sugar and flour, but don't use them to store cooked food or to reheat. They stain and they get scratched and they might just be leaching chemicals into your food. A much better choice is glass. I've just purchased a set of Boroseal, Borosilicate glass stroage containers and while they aren't cheap, I expect them to last for a very, very long time. They have airtight plastic tops and can be used in the freezer, oven and microwave. Unlike plastic they will not stain or scratch or melt! Pyrex glass storage containers are less expensive and also get high ratings on Amazon, though I haven't personally used them.

My thanks for Meyer for providing a sample of the EarthPan and Trudeau for the measuring cups and can opener. All other products mentioned I purchased.