Whether it's waking up at 1 A.M for breakfast class, or getting your knife stabbed into the ceiling by an “A La Carte” Chef, the Culinary Institute of America is full of awakening surprises.. When it came to my last kitchen class, the famous Bocuse Restaurant, the surprises did not fall short. Last class of any college course is suppose to be a breeze, right? showing up in sweats, hair half "did", eyes glazed over from three hours of sleep, morning breath with a hint of Smirnoff Vodka still present from the night before; walking into class 5 minutes late with nothing to take notes on but the sticky note still taped to your forehead that writes "PENIS". This act of ill behavior would be a downright sin at the C.I.A, and Escoffier himself would come back from the dead to swing a sauteuse at your head for even thinking of showing up to class. My last class at the C.I.A started at 1 P.M and usually ended at 1 A.M, Tuesday through Saturday (that's right, Saturday). The chef was very verbal... he enjoyed to throw around the "F bomb", no not the curse word, but " you FAIL" which he never really meant… I think?... While most college kids are lying on the floor intoxicated from ten shots of deer blood at 1 A.M, my Saturday nights consisted of removing everything from the walk-in, and cleaning it from top to bottom, and placing all the food, into a new clean containers.
So how does Guacamole tie into a french culinary school, in a french restaurant, with a french chef you might ask? I was on family meal duties in the Bocuse Restaurant which meant my partner and I were responsible for preparing dinner for all the students working in the restaurant; from back of the house, to front of the house, along with the chef, and sous chef. Everyday, my partner and I planned a different menu. One day could be Taco Tuesday, then the next day a shrimp boil. My class was the first class our chef had in the Bocuse restaurant, and was new to that restaurant. The chef was a classic Frenchman, cheese, wine, and bread for breakfast kinda guy. During his lectures he would talk about his childhood growing up in France, and how his parents raised cattle, and what region he lived in (which were all question on the final...). It was like being a child and listening to your grandfather talk about "when I was a kid".
One day my partner and I decided to have a "Taco Tuesday" with carne asada, ground beef tacos, rice, salsa verde, GUACAMOLE, and all the accouterments to a perfect, taco bar. That Taco Tuesday, would forever change the way I made that Latin sauce. The chef walked over as I prepared all the ingredients, cutting avocados, squeezing limes, chopping cilantro, then he said in his very french accent “you are doing it all wrong, don't you know the secret to a perfect guacamole?”. When it comes to guacamole everyone thinks.. they know the secret to keeping guacamole that bright effervescent green, wether it's lemon juice, putting the pit in the sauce, etc. My partner and i stood there scratching our toques, staring at him like deer in headlights. My partner replied, “ you put the pit in it chef!”. Chef glared at her for a second, then said“NO!”. Chef then looked my way.. with a smirk on his face, waiting, for me to say the wrong thing, and prove himself superior; it was as if tho he was a lion, praying on me, waiting to pounce on a helpless confused Giselle. I responded.. “acid chef, lime chef… it prevents it from oxidizing”, before i could even finish my thought, chef quickly respond with a “No”.
There was no time for pity, before my partner and I could even get our defeated faces out of our chests, chef zoomed into the walk in grabbing cilantro, lemon juice, ice and a jalapeno pepper, then ran off to the dish pit, grabbing a blender. He cut the jalapeno in half, removing the seeds and ribs of the pepper, squaws three limes, and threw in two handfuls of cilantro and one handful of ice all into the blender, and had at it. thirty seconds later, a bright green puree had been made. Chef then mashed the puree, in with avocados and diced white onion, adding a generous amount of salt, once he was done it was time to taste! The guacamole was amazing, creamy, rich a bit of texture with the white onions, perfect amount of acidity, and a slight heat to it at the end. Chef said “ This guacamole will last 4 days, and will not change color “. Chef wrapped the sauce up very tightly, and pressed a layer of plastic wrap on the surface of the guac to keep the top from oxidizing. Sure enough, the next day, it looked exactly the same, not a change in color, and tasted even better!
GUACAMOLE RECIPE
Ingredients:
1 Jalapeno, seeds and ribs removed
1/4 cup cilantro leaves.
2 (1 oz), ice cubs
1 clove of garlic (optional)
2 limes, juiced
5 hass avocados, pitted, skin removed, large dice
1 medium white onion, small dice
salt and pepper to taste
Equipment:
blender
mixing bowl, or mortar and pestle
fork, or large cup (to mash avocados)
Method:
Place jalapeno, cilantro, ice, garlic, and lemon juice in a blender. Blend ingredients on high for 30 seconds, or until ingredients are a smooth, puree. Place diced avocados, and onions in a mixing bowl, then pour pepper puree, over top. Mash with a fork till puree is fully incorporated, but chunks of avocado still remain. salt and pepper to taste. Store in air tight container, and place thin layer of plastic wrap over surface of sauce. Can be stored for up to five days.