I first saw Boris Karloff films as a little girl on the "Horror Movie Matinee", which aired on Sunday afternoons. Seeing "Frankenstein", "Bride of Frankenstein" and "The Mummy" made a great impression on me. These horror films fired my imagination and fed my interest in all things Hollywood.
In spite of collecting celebrity recipes, I'm actually fairly new to actually MAKING things! I've been trying to do recipes that seemed fairly simple and straightforward. I figured that I couldn't go wrong with Boris Karloff's guacamole. I found this recipe online and I heard from a friend that it came directly from Forrest J. Ackerman's scrapbook.
Recipe
Ingredients
2 avocados
1 medium tomato, chopped fine
1 small onion, minced
1 tbsp. chopped canned green chiles
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp. sherry
Dash cayenne, optional
Salt, pepper
Directions
Peel and mash avocados. Add tomato, onion and chiles, then stir in lemon juice, sherry and seasonings to taste, blending well. Serve as a dip for tortilla pieces or corn chips or or as a canape spread. Makes 10 to 12 appetizer servings.
Special Guest
Once again Hollywood horror expert David J. Skal agreed to be my special guest. He has written so many outstanding books including "Fright Favorites: 31 Movies to Haunt Your Halloween and Beyond", "The Monster Show" and "Screams of Reason" . You can find out more about his extensive body of work on his official website. His books are a really a must for any film lover's personal collection. I recommend taking a look at his official website to find out more.
The guacamole proved to be very simple to make. I have to admit, I hesitated to add the sherry. I had no idea what it would do to the flavor. Perhaps the onion, chilies and cayenne pepper obliterated the taste, as I was unable to notice it. Besides, when Boris commands you MUST obey!
The Final Result
This is a sure fire crowd pleaser to bring to a Halloween party or any party for that matter.
I found some great examples online of ways people dressed this up.
I opted to serve it in my coffin shaped serving platter with a white skull dipping cup! Vincent Price had a guacamole recipe too, so when the pandemic is over I plan to have a Karloff v. Price guacamole smackdown with several horror fans on hand.
A few years back the Fine Arts Theatre in Beverly Hills showed "Bride of Frankenstein" in a stunning 35mm print! Boris Karloff's daughter introduced the film and met with fans like me in the lobby beforehand. She was very gracious and even brought along the Grammy that Boris won in 1968 for Best Children's Album for "Dr. Seuss: How the Grinch Stole Christmas".