party guacamole.

my favorite thing.

i had posted a super lame-o, vague recipe for my signature guacamole several years ago, but i realized it was not very helpful at at all!

so even though i don’t usually measure the ingredients when i make guacamole, i got out all the measuring tools this time and wrote it all down - for the sake of consistency and for the sake of the folks whom are strict recipe followers. 😉

these avocados were seriously the creamiest and most perfect ones of my life. i do not take primo avo texture or ripeness perfection for granted! bless the avo gods for this most excellent batch.

i say that when you mince your red onion and jalapeño for this purpose or for fresh salsas - if you think you’re done chopping, chop it up again. and then one more time. you just want these components to be like flavor crystals within the creamy guacamole nebula, not distinct chunks to chomp into.

i do like to leave some chunkier bits of avocado left behind, however. more texture, please!

i used to add a scoop of fresh salsa to my guacamole. sometimes i will if it seems like it needs a flavor boost. but the goal is to keep it avo pure. i know cumin is a key ingredient in traditional guacamole, but i don’t really enjoy that flavor. add some to yours if you want!

i’ve made this guac zillions of times for zillions of parties or bbqs and it is always a hit. i know its a pretty straightforward recipe with no surprises, but this is just how i always do it, and the people of my life have spoken. they want to eat it on all the things - and i’ve seen it first hand…. nacho cheese doritos, cheetos, fritos, burgers, sliders, hot dogs, tacos, with breakfast, with vegetables, with cheese, with the strangest of crackers or chips…..

it is a surefire crowd-pleaser.

Quinn’s Party Guacamole

Serves 6-10

Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 6 extra large ripe avocados

• 1 3/4 - 2 tsp. kosher salt

• 1 cup finely minced red onion

• 2 medium jalapeños, seeded and finely minced

• 2 large limes (juiced + some pulp)

• 1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro, plus extra sprigs for garnish

• 1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

Instructions-

Wash and dry all fresh ingredients. On a large cutting board, halve the avocados and score the flesh carefully with a knife. Use a spoon to scoop out all the avocado from the peel into a large bowl. Pour the juice of 1 lime over the avocado with a good pinch of salt and mash well with a fork (or even a potato masher if you’re making a large batch of guacamole).

Super finely mince the red onion and jalapeño. Add them to the large bowl and mash everything together well. Add the salt and pepper and fold in with a spatula. Add the juice of the other lime as well. Continue to mash the avocado mixture until it becomes quite smooth, leaving some chunkier bits as you desire.

Chop the cilantro. Gently fold the cilantro into the guacamole. Add larger sprigs on top if you wish.

Add salt, pepper, and lime juice to taste!

Serve immediately. Store in the fridge in a sealed container with extra lime juice squeezed on top if you’ll be serving it later. Be sure to give it a good stir if any browning occurs on the top before serving. Enjoy within 1-2 days.

qp

apple, cheddar, broccolini & shallot galette.

i’m back with a deeeelicious recipe that i made back in october and was soo excited to share it then. but, i ran off and got married and went on some fun trips and have just been all around holiday season preoccupied!

but hot damn this is the little galette that could. i wish i had made two, because pete and i totally woofed this down for dinner that day.

i love all the flavors and textures going on - soft (but crisp!) juicy apples, melty sharp cheddar, hearty broccolini bits, tangy shallots all on the most flaky, buttery, tasty crust.

this pie crust/galette dough recipe reigns from kitchen queen alison roman’s cookbook, dining in.

when i saw “the only piecrust” as the title of her crust recipe i was like welp. look at that confidence. i trust this bish. and then the fact that it has apple cider vinegar quickly convinced me to use it for this apple galette that i had in mind.

fast forward to the end of october, i was in new york city with my friend whitney (again!), and we were enjoying the best pizza & wine at rubirosa on the lower east side. then in walks the alison roman herself. she was standing at the host station and we were at the bar, which are somehow right next to each other - she was in an arm’s reach of me on 2 glasses of red wine…………. aka the danger zone.

i had JUST made her piecrust recipe earlier that week and pete and i had been going nuts over it. so in classic quinn word vomit fashion, i tapped her on the shoulder and told her “HEY I LOVE YOUR PIECRUST.” lol.

somehow this did not alarm her in any way - she’s very recognizable and her cookbook has been the jam for the last year. i went on to tell her i made it that week and used it for a galette. she was very sweet and appreciative that i made her recipe and loved it!

loved it so much i just had to be a bugaboo in a restaurant about it. oh wellz. these are the days we’re living in, i guess. 🤷🏻‍♀️ ok to go up to a complete stranger and profess your love for their piecrust. the internet is weird.

so anyway holy moses this galette combination is so so so good.

and it’s really so simple. don’t be alarmed by the long prep time - it’s just that the dough needs to chill a couple hours before you roll it out and bake it.

galettes are so freaking versatile, but peter & i both loved this version that feels very fall/winter. also, apples & cheese and broccoli & cheese are just classic combos - put it all together with those zingy shallots on top and yum yum YUM.

also, galettes are supposed to be rustic. don’t fret about making them look perfect AT ALL. it is like pie’s lazy sista. the messy top bun of baked goods, if you will.

i have to rave one more time about alison’s pie crust recipe. i have made lots of versions of basic pie crusts from scratch - and this one is just as easy, but i think its all the ratios and the apple cider vinegar that sets it apart.

pleeeease try it!

i think i should arm our fridge with stacks of chilled-ahead disks of galette crust at the ready because once you make one, your brain will race with all the other combinations you can make.

sweet, savory, or sweet + savory!

galettes are also a great vehicle for clean-out-the-fridge/pantry days. random-potato here, rogue-onion there, gotta-use-that-peach here, getting-sad mushrooms there. not to mention cheeses that are lingering in your cheese drawer!

i dare you to just throw whatever’s in your fridge/pantry on this crust and not like it.

also have you even SEEN all the sweet galette recipe ideas topped with ice cream?? yeah.

Apple, Cheddar, Broccolini & Shallot Galette

Makes 1 Galette (Crust Recipe from Alison Roman’s ‘Dining In’ Cookbook, “The Only Piecrust” recipe - halved here)

Active Time: 25 minutes, Chill Time: 2 hours, Bake Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 3 hours (you can make dough in advance and refrigerate)

Ingredients:

For the crust:

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling

• 1 tsp. sugar

• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt

• 1 1/4 sticks unsalted butter (10 TB), cut into 1-inch pieces, chilled

• 1/2 TB apple cider vinegar

• 1/8 - 1/4 cup ice water

For the toppings:

• 1 large Fuji or Honeycrisp apple, cored & sliced thinly (I used more than half the apple)

• 1 heaping cup freshly shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese

• a few small heads of broccolini, cut into bite-sized florets

• 1 small shallot, sliced thinly

• 1 egg + 2 tsp. water, for crust eggwash

Instructions-

Make the dough/crust ahead of time to allow a couple hours to chill, or chill overnight:

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar & salt. Add the chilled butter cubes and toss to coat in the flour mixture, then use your hands to smash the butter between your fingers. Incorporate the butter into the flour mixture until it appears shaggy and flaky.

Combine the vinegar and the ice water and drizzle it over the flour + butter mixture. Run your fingers through the mixture to evenly distribute the water through the flour until the dough starts coming together.

On a lightly floured work surface, knead the combined dough a few times to gather up and incorporate any dry bits. It will not be smooth or shiny. Knead the shaggy mass with your palms a few more times, then pat into a flat disk about 1 inch thick. Wrap the disk with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Put it all together:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a piece of parchment on a baking sheet and lightly spray with cooking spray.

Roll out chilled galette crust on a lightly floured work surface until it’s about 1/8 inch thick, depending how big/small, thick or thin you’d like your galette to be.

Grate the cheddar cheese, slice the apple, cut up the broccolini and slice the shallot. In a small bowl, whisk one egg and add 2 tsp. water and whisk again. Set aside for egg wash.

Leaving about 2 inches around the edges of the galette crust so you can fold it over, add your toppings to the center of the dough. Start with sharp cheddar cheese, layers of thin apple slices, another layer of cheese, broccolini florets, and shallot slivers.

Gently fold over the edges of the galette inward. This step does not have to look perfect - just create a pocket to hold all the toppings in.

Using the prepared egg wash, brush the external crust edges until they’re evenly coated in the wash. Discard remaining egg wash. Top with another layer of sharp cheddar cheese all over and transfer the galette to the prepared parchment on the baking sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees F for about 25-30 minutes, until cheese is lightly browned and bubbly. Remove from oven and let cool a few minutes. Use a large knife to cut into triangles.

Serve immediately or same-day! This is a great appetizer for a gathering or dinner party.

qp