Gaby Dalkin - Absolutely Avocados

Copyright 2013 by Gaby Dalkin. All rights reserved.
Photography copyright 2013 by Matt Armendariz. All rights reserved.
Prop Stylist: Dani Fisher
Food Stylist: Adam C. Pearson
Assistant Food Stylist: Alexis Hartman
Assistant Food Stylist: Gaby Dalkin

For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to Permissions, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 215 Park Avenue South, New York, New York 10003.

www.hmhbooks.com

Cover Design: Suzanne Sunwoo
Author Photograph: Marla Meridith
Interior Design: Joline Rivera

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Dalkin, Gaby, 1986

Absolutely avocados / Gaby Dalkin; photography by Matt Armendariz.
pages cm
Includes index.

ISBN 978-1-118-41211-4 (cloth: acid-free paper), ISBN 978-0-544-17733-8 (ebk) 1. Cooking (Avocado) I. Title.

TX813.A9D35 2013
641.64653dc23

2012023283

v1.0413

I loved writing this book. It was pretty much my dream cookbook project! I ate approximately 4 pounds of avocados a day for the months that I spent recipe testing, and I loved every last second of it. I could not have done this without a handful of people to whom I owe a huge thank-you!

Thomas, my husband and chief recipe tester, who tasted each and every recipe, until he turned avocado green. You rock.

My sister and best friend, Anya.

Matt Armendariz and Adam C. Pearson, who performed double duty as the brilliant photography and food styling team behind this book and by being two of my best friends.

Dani Fisher, the most glorious prop stylist ever, and Fifty One and a Half for making us custom props and ceramics for the photography.

My editor, Justin Schwartz, who guided me through the entire process and gave me the space to showcase my obsession with avocados, and my agent, Stacey Glick, for working with me throughout the whole book.

Lillian Kang and Laura Bellinger, my trusty recipe testers who tested each and every recipe in this book. They were an absolute pleasure to work with, and I trust them immensely.

All my awesome, fabulous, supportive, and funny Whats Gaby Cooking readers. You guys keep me going, and, this book is for you!

My friends, food blogging friends, mentors, and coworkersyou guys know who you are!

And last, my mom and dad for being the most wonderful and encouraging parents in the whole world. I wouldnt be where I am today without your guidance, love, and support.

thank you!

Hi, my name is Gaby, and I love avocados. Yup, its true. Im 100 percent avocado obsessed. Addicted. Completely in love. There is rarely a day that goes by that I dont eat avocado in some way, shape, or form.

I grew up in Arizona, which means we ate boatloads of guacamole. When it was on the menu, it was never a question of were we going to order guacamole, but simply a question of how much?

Eventually I wound up in Los Angeles. Looking back, I like to think that this was a strategic decision, since I ended up being so close to many avocado farms and have year-round access to big, beautiful avocados. From there I started my Web site, www.whatsgabycooking.com , and jumped right into the wonderful world of food blogging. After completing culinary school, I started working as a private chef. I love that my life is focused on food and that I get to play in the kitchen each and every day. Ive been blessed to work with some phenomenal clients whom I adore. I never in a million years imagined that food blogging would become what it is today, but I love being able to share my favorite recipes with my readers.

I truly enjoy feeding people and bringing my friends and family together for a meal, with avocado of course! I like my food to be simple yet flavorful and not fussy. My cooking style is an eclectic mix of California casual with a Southwest flair and a dash of sass. There is a healthy balance of light and clean food like my .

So, after 419 avocados, many months of recipe testing, and countless days of avocado for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert, Im so excited to finally share all these mouth watering avocado recipes with you! I hope they find their way into your kitchen and your hearts.

cheers!

There are hundreds of avocado varieties all over the world. And while the Hass is most commonly known and used, there are a few other varieties you should know about.

The Hass avocado is the most common of all avocados. Its produced year-round in different climates that support avocado growth. This avocado has a dark, bumpy skin and darkens to a purplish black color as it ripens.

The Fuerte avocado has a much different skin from that of the Hass. Its a lighter green color and much smoother. This avocado will stay green, rather than darkening, as it ripens. Fuertes have a rich and creamy flesh and are harvested in late fall through early spring. If you find a Fuerte, be sure to pick it up. Its one of my favorites!

The Gwen avocado is similar in appearance to the Hass but with smaller bumps on the skin. This avocado will darken as it ripens, like the Hass. The Gwen has a creamy golden flesh when cut open.

The Bacon avocado is a late fall to early spring varietal and has a smooth, thin, green skin. The Bacon has a rich and creamy flavor, although its not quite as oily as other avocados, and also has quite a large pit.

The Pinkerton avocado has a rough, pebble-like skin and a slightly rich and nutty taste. Pinkertons are great because they have relatively small pits and thus will have a more useful fruit-to-seed ratio.

The Nabal avocado is a large, round, softball-shaped avocado. It has a greenish gold flesh and a hard skin that looks like it has freckles. Nabal avocados are hard to come by and quite expensive, but the expense is totally worth it if you can find one.