Fruity Guacamole with Cinnamon and Sugar Tortilla Chips

As I mentioned last week, I was able to attend evo conference.  I was able to attend a fun dinner sponsored by the California Avocado Commission that included quite possibly the most delicious avocados I have ever eaten in my life.  (I brought some home with me.)

Before a cooking demo by THE Too Hot Tamales, we all participated in a bit of good-natured competition in the form of an Iron Chef-like Guacamole Fest.

Susan and Mary Sue with Jan LeBaron using her phone’s flashlight app.

All the guac after judging.

We were directed to a long table with a crazy mix of ingredients to choose from to make a unique guacamole that the judges would go wild over.  There was everything from pine nuts to ponzu sauce to chile peppers to diced fruit.

I was in a fun group of ladies that included my friend Allison and a new friend, Carissa.

Carissa deemed our guac “Wacky Guac-y.”  I asked the group if they’d be up for a sweet guacamole–inspired by my husband’s Brazilian roots.  In Brazil, they don’t like their avocados salty or spicy.  He usually eats them with lemon and sugar.

We added a little diced fruit, then decided we need some heat.  In went some diced jalapeno and minced shallot.  Then I added a good dose of sugar and fresh lime juice.  For crunch we added pine nuts.  And because Carissa loves rice wine vinegar so much (who doesn’t?) we sprinkled a bit on top along with sea salt, and gave the judges instructions to dip their guac-topped chip into the little bowl of vinegar.  It sounds a little strange, but it was surprisingly good.

We didn’t win, sadly.  But we sure did make a good guacamole.  I’ll tell you more about the dinner another day because today it’s all about this Fruity Guacamole, and the dinner deserves its own post.

I came home with a few California avocados–Hass avocados to be exact.  I wanted to make the recipe again for my family and see what they thought.

They thought is was wacky, but I think they enjoyed it.  My kids especially loved the crispy cinnamon and sugar tortilla chips I made to go with it.  I figured we needed some sweet chips to go with the fruity guacamole.  I ate mine with corn chips and it was just fine.  Actually, I ate it with a spoon and it was fine.

So if you’re daring, you’ll have to give this a try and check out all of the other recipes from the other gals at the dinner.  See below for the links to their sites.

Fruity Guacamole with Cinnamon and Sugar Tortilla Chips

original recipe

Ingredients:

For cinnamon and sugar tortilla chips:

8-10 flour tortillas, cut into 8 wedges each
1 quart canola oil
1/2 cup sugar
1-2 tsp. ground cinnamon

For guacamole:

2 ripe California avocados
2-3 scallions, finely chopped or 1 large shallot
1/4-1/2 cup each:  diced banana, diced fresh pineapple, diced fresh mango
juice of 1 large lime
juice of 1/2 an orange
1 Tbsp. sugar
pinch salt
optional–a few tablespoons diced jalapeno

Instructions:

For cinnamon and sugar tortilla wedges:

Mix sugar and cinnamon together and set aside until ready to use.

Heat oil in a 2 quart saucepan until very hot and fry the tortilla triangles, in batches, until golden.  Drain on paper towels and sprinkle liberally with cinnamon and sugar.  Serve warm or room temperature.

For guacamole:

Mash avocado, leaving some larger pieces.  Stir in the other ingredients and taste, adjusting salt and sugar according to your preference.

Serve with cinnamon and sugar tortilla wedges.