Homemade tortilla chips are the perfect compliment to this tasty guacamole.
(photo by JJenn Harris)

After all my years of eating countless bowls of guacamole at Mexican restaurants, stands and trucks in California, Arizona, Texas and New York, I'd like to think I'm a bit of a guacamole expert.  I don't know how much weight I can really put behind that statement, being a half-Asian girl with no real talent for making Mexican cuisine of any kind, but I know when I taste good guacamole.  The dip is a staple at any and every restaurant that serves Mexican food, but what separates the good ones from the mediocre ones, and most importantly, the ones that should be avoided at all costs?

In my opinion, simplicity is key.  I've tried guacamole with chipotle peppers and roasted red peppers and all sorts of odd things like corn, tofu and cinnamon.  All these extra flavors just took away from the heart and soul of guacamole: the avocado.  I like chunky guac, with whole pieces of avocado running through.  You should know you're eating avocado and not just dunking your chips into a runny green substance or blob of green and brown mush.

When making the dip you really only need seven key ingredients: avocados, onion, cilantro, tomato, lime, garlic and jalapeno.  Guacamole needs lime juice for flavor and aesthetic reasons.  The juice adds a nice citrus bite for an extra layer of flavor and keeps the avocados a deep green color.  The onion and garlic create a good base flavor and, let's face it, if you add onion and garlic to just about anything it will taste good.  The tomato is sweet and mixes up the texture of the dip while the cilantro cuts in with a subtle hit of fresh herb.  Add a sliced jalapeno to the party and you get a creamy, light dip that leaves a lingering hint of spice on your tongue.

A couple years ago, my friends from college gave me a cookbook for my birthday: Best of the Best: The Best Recipes From the 25 Best Cookbooks of the Year.  In it there are recipes for everything from Sri Lankan beef curry to creamy Basque smoked cheese risotto, but more importantly, there is a recipe for the best guacamole I've ever tasted by chef Rick Bayless.  

Chef Bayless is kind of a Mexican/Tex Mex food god in the culinary world.  He approaches his food simply and deliberately, letting flavors shine through his dishes without any clutter.  This is the philosophy behind his guacamole, which consists of the magic seven key ingredients.  Pair it with some of my sister's homemade tortilla chips and you have the makings of a perfect dinner party starter, gameday snack or meal in itself for a guac lover like me.

Rick Bayless' Guacamole

makes 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients:

2 medium-ripe avocados
1 garlic clove finely chopped or crushed
salt to taste
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
1/2 jalapeno
1/4 white onion, finely chopped
1/2 medium tomato, chopped into bite-sized pieces

Directions:

Cut the avocados in half and remove the pit with a spoon or carefully with a knife. Scoop the avocado into a bowl and mash roughly with a large fork.  Leave large chunks of avocado.  Stir in the garlic, a pinch of salt, lime juice, onions, tomatoes and jalapeno.

Jessy's (my sister's) Homemade Tortilla Chips

Ingredients:

3 tortillas
Extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

Cut the tortillas into eight triangles.  Place the triangles on a baking sheet and using a pastry brush, brush a little bit of olive oil onto each side of each triangle.  A little oil goes a long way.  Bake the chips for 8 to 10 minutes in the oven at 400F until crisp and a little brown.