I spent the majority of last week on the sofa, overcome by a very, very unenjoyable virus. I like to think I can handle sickness well, but this one beat all willpower out of me. I really do not enjoy being sick, I hate how it forces life to come to a halt, and as nice as sitting on the couch watching Netflix all day sounds, I tire of laziness after about four hours.
I forced myself up last Tuesday and made these popsicles in between bouts of sickness, and then crashed for another day and a half.
The moment I could stomach normal food again, there was only one thing on my mind - bacon.
I feel that it is necessary for me to provide some sort of disclaimer. Bacon is overused, overdone, and overrated, in my humble opinion. I roll my eyes when I walk into stores and see shelf upon shelf of bacon merchandise. Apparently, Americans will buy and consume anything that either contains bacon, or some manner of sketchy bacon derivative.
With that being said, bacon - true, quality bacon, is a thing of beauty. It’s like butter, but in animal form. Weird? Maybe. Delicious? Absolutely!
AND, it adds a deliciously rich, crispy texture to the otherwise mushy texture of guacamole.
As with most edible things in this world, avocados are a hit or miss for me. I go through seasons where I cannot get enough of their green, butter-like flesh, and then I hate them for six months. This confuses my fiancé, and my mom, and pretty much everyone aside from my grandmother who understands because I get this perpetual-fickleness from her.
Right now, I think I am slowly re-entering the infatuation stage. For whatever reason, I was possessed to make guacamole, so here we are. A big bowl of delightfully trashed up avocados just waiting to be smashed and slathered unto an obscene number of corn chips.
Are you a yellow corn or white corn chip kind of person? Or are you my sister who insists that blue corn is best?
I’ll always go for the yellow corn - all the way, all the time.
Is it strange that we are loading up corn chips with more corn? Nah, I’ll put corn on anything this time of year, even atop more corn.
When it comes to guacamole-making, there are few secrets, but if there ever was one it would be this: you can never, ever, ever have too much lemon/lime juice.
Avocados beg for acid. It brightens up their flavor and cuts through the fattiness, so please do not skimp on the lemon juice.
I know lime juice is traditional, but I like changing things up.
I am a texture person. When it comes to guacamole, I prefer a partially smooth/chunky (I do not like that word) texture.
The corn to avocado ratio is nearly even, but in my mind that's just perfect. If you do not love grilled corn as much as I do, you could back off a little. I just really love the sweet bursts of flavor and texture that they bring to this chip and dip party.
My sister has been begging me to throw a taco party, so I figured this was a start. Next, I'm going to conquer the drink. I am dreaming up some sort of salted watermelon and lime situation... More to come.
This is my "get back into life" food. It's salty and creamy and crunchy and there's bacon.
All good vibes here.
I can't believe I just wrote that. Ugh, what is happening to me?
Sincerely,
Pedantic Foodie
Charred Corn & Bacon Guacamole
- 3 ears fresh sweet corn
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 rashers good quality bacon, diced
- 3 medium ripe Hass avocados
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon or lime juice (you may want to increase this amount if you like your guacamole on the more acidic side)
- 3/4 teaspoon fine salt
- corn chips, for serving
Set grill to medium high heat.
Brush corn with olive oil and place on the grill. Grill for 5-7 minutes, turning often, until all sides of the ears are evenly charred. Allow the corn to cool while you cook the bacon.
Place bacon in a nonstick frying pan and set over medium heat. Cook until crisp and remove from heat.
Cut avocados into cubes and place in a medium serving bowl. Season with lemon juice and salt. Use a whisk or potato masher to roughly mash the avocados.
With a sharp knife, strip the corn kernels from the ears. Add the corn and bacon*, along with the grease, to the mashed avocados; stir to combine.
Taste and adjust the salt and lemon juice to taste. Serve alongside corn chips. Enjoy!!
*You can make this guacamole in advance, but I suggest adding the bacon just before you plan on serving it so that it will stay crisp.
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