Irresistible Recipe for Sweet Corn Guacamole

My reaction to guacamole has always been indifferent, until my friend convinced me to try the guacamole with sweet corn and black beans from California Pizza Kitchen.  It was a revelation.  Chunky, not mushy, with a vibrant lime tang and kernels of sweet corn that contrasted amazingly with the salty chips.  It was perfection.  

I set out to recreate the experience, but none of the recipes I found online seemed quite right to me.  Too fussy, too many ingredients.  I decided to simplify it and just concentrate on the major flavors and textures that had captivated me so to make this amazing sweet corn guacamole.

I served my guacamole in a traditional molcajete (mortar and pestle), but since I wanted a chunky texture, didn't actually make it in the molcajete.  If you like a creamier guacamole, there's nothing like making it by hand in one of these!

Sweet Corn Guacamole Recipe

• six to eight ripe avocados
• 1 t minced garlic
• Juice of 3 limes
• 1 bag of frozen sweet corn, defrosted
• 2 T fresh cilantro
• 1 T salt
• cayenne pepper, to taste

First, cut the ripe avocados in half, and remove the seed.  Remove flesh of the avocado from the skin.   It's pretty easy to do this using a spoon, but you can also cut the avocado into quarters and peel away the skin pretty easily.  Dice avocado into approximately 1 cm cubes, and place in a large bowl.

As you're dicing the avocados, periodically squeeze the juice of half a lime over the cubed pieces and give a quick toss to cover.  This will help keep the avocado from browning as you're making the guacamole.

Once the avocados are diced and the limes have been juiced, add the defrosted sweet corn.  I'm sure this would be remarkable with freshly cooked corn taken from the cob, but I've been so delighted with Trader Joe's brand frozen sweet corn that I've never wanted to experiment with hit-or-miss ears of corn.  The Trader Joe's corn is consistently sweet and delicious.  And inexpensive.  And seriously easy.  I haven't been inclined to mess with a good thing.

Add the salt, garlic, cilantro, and cayenne pepper, and mix gently until well combined.  The avocados will begin to break down, creating a creamy, cohesive mixture, but retain their wonderful chunky texture.  Serve with nice, salty tortilla chips and be prepared to make guacamole converts.  This is an amazing side dish or appetizer to go along with blackened chicken tacos. 

Where do you fall on the chunky or smooth guacamole debate?