Synopses & Reviews
Rick Bayless has been acclaimed widely as America's foremost proponent of Mexico's thrillingly diverse cuisine. In this companion book to his 26-part Public Television series, he takes us, with boyish enthusiasm, through Mexican markets, street stalls and home kitchens to bring us the great dishes of Mexico, one and#8220;plateand#8221; at a time.andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Rick Bayless has been acclaimed widely as America's foremost proponent of Mexico's thrillingly diverse cuisine. In this companion book to his 26-part Public Television series, he takes us, with boyish enthusiasm, through Mexican markets, street stalls and home kitchens to bring us the great dishes of Mexico, one and#8220;plateand#8221; at a time. And each and#8220;plateand#8221; Rick presents here is a Mexican classic. Take guacamole, for instance. After teaching us the essentials for a perfect, classic guacamole, Rick shows how to spin contemporary interpretations, like his Roasted Poblano Guacamole with garlic and parsley. Rick's cuisine is always lively, but rooted in strong traditions.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Always the teacher, Rick begins each and#8220;plateand#8221; with some never-before-found features: traditional benchmarks (Rick's idea of the best guacamole), when to think of the recipes (weeknight dinners or casual party food), and advice for American cooks (Rick's insight into the ingredients that make the dish). He rounds out each and#8220;plateand#8221; with suggestions for working ahead.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;To complete the journey into the Mexican mindset, Rick, with help from his testers, ends each and#8220;plateand#8221; with a question-and-answer section detailing just about everything a home cook might want to know: What are the best cuts of beef for grilled tacos? The best cheeses for quesadillas? Is one grill better than another? Rick draws from his years of living in Mexico, pulling us into the Mexican kitchen, to teach us how to create authentic Mexican dishes in our American kitchens.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Rick is an Indiana Jones of the stove, a Julia Child of Mexican cuisine in black jeans and a T-shirt. Rick's goal: to enable folks all across the United States to create dishes that weave in the rich tapestry of Mexican flavor with ingredients that are widely available. He always provides ingredients that make the dish authentic, but he also delivers with the right substitute if an ingredient is hard to find.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Experience food you can't wait to make in a new and user-friendly cookbook that contains the full range of dishesand#8212;Starters, Snacks and Light Meals; Soups, Stews and Sides; Entrand#233;es; Desserts and Drinks. Rick serves up such classic Mexican plates as Tomatillo-Braised Pork Loin, Quick-Fried Shrimp with Sweet Toasty Garlic, andlt;iandgt;Chiles Rellenos,andlt;/iandgt; Cheesy andlt;iandgt;Enchiladas Suizas,andlt;/iandgt; and Mexican Vanilla-Scented Flan.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;And for an exciting taste of the unexpected, try Rick's contemporary interpretations of the classicsand#8212;Crispy Potato andlt;iandgt;Sopesandlt;/iandgt; with Goat Cheese and Fresh Herbs, Grilled Salmon with Lemon-and-Thyme-Scented Salsa andlt;iandgt;Veracruzana,andlt;/iandgt; Broiled Flank Steak with Tomato-Poblano Salsa and Rustic andlt;iandgt;Cajetaandlt;/iandgt; Apple Tarts with Berry and#8220;Salsa.and#8221; Food and friends, food and family. Good cooking, for Rick, is the unspoken animator of friends and family as they gather to share a meal. Rick's recipes lend themselves to weeknight family meals or celebrations. Take part in a andlt;iandgt;tamalada,andlt;/iandgt; the andlt;iandgt;tamalandlt;/iandgt;-making party before the party, or the ritual of a andlt;iandgt;barbacoa,andlt;/iandgt; an earthy experience that Rick has made possible with a kettle grill in the backyard.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;iandgt;24 color photographs of finished dishes Photographs of Mexican location shots throughoutandlt;/iandgt;
Review
Ira Glass Host of Public Radio International's This American Life Rick Bayless is like the hero of some never-made Saturday morning cartoon for adults: cultural anthropologist by day, top flight chef at night. I hope in his next book he also starts solving crimes and playing in a pop band. That's all his protagonist needs to make the jump from PBS to HBO.
Review
Jean-Georges Vongerichten chef-owner of Jean-Georges, JoJo, Vong and the Mercer Kitchen, New York City, and Prime, Las Vegas I just love how Rick has given not only his contemporary recipes but the traditional as well. It's one of the best Mexican cookbooks I have seen.
Review
Gary Nabhan MacArthur Award-winning ethnobotanist and author of andlt;Iandgt;Coming Home to Eatandlt;/Iandgt; Rick Bayless has the depth and breadth of knowledge about Mexican food traditions that most food writers can only dream of. Bayless is as vital to the culinary exchange between the U.S. and Mexico as Carlos Fuentes is to our binational literature. Viva Ricardo!
Review
Sara Moulton host of Cooking Live with Sara Moulton Rick Bayless -- one of the greatest teachers I know -- has demystified Mexican cuisine for American home cooks. He demonstrates that there's much more to this great cuisine than nachos and burritos. Indeed, under Rick's tutelage it appears that Mexican cuisine is as vast and subtle as French or Italian.
Review
Jim Harrison author of andlt;Iandgt;Legends of the Fallandlt;/Iandgt; and andlt;Iandgt;The Road Homeandlt;/Iandgt; I have long admired the work of Rick Bayless. In andlt;Iandgt;Mexico One Plate at a Timeandlt;/Iandgt; he continues his passionate attempt to introduce us to a long-ignored cuisine. It is a splendid book and anyone who cares about world cuisine will want it in their library.
Review
Thomas Keller chef-owner of The French Laundry, Yountsville, California, and author of andlt;Iandgt;The French Laundry Cookbookandlt;/Iandgt; Rick's question-and-answer portion not only touches on the history of a particular dish, but provides personal tips for home cooks to successfully re-create the recipes in their own kitchens. This is definitely the kind of cookbook one returns to again and again.
Review
Daniel Boulud chef-owner of Restaurant Daniel, New York City, and author of andlt;Iandgt;Cafand#233; Boulud Cookbookandlt;/Iandgt; Rick Bayless has managed to make my mouth water and my mind leave New York (direction Mexico!), all in one book.
Review
Emeril Lagasse Rick Bayless's passion and thorough knowledge of authentic Mexican food has truly changed our minds and our palates! Great food!
Review
Scott Simon host of National Public Radio's Weekend Edition with Scott Simon, author of andlt;Iandgt;Home and Away: Memoir of a Fanandlt;/Iandgt; Rick Bayless sees in Mexican food the everyday personal celebration of life, art and friendship across a table. His recipes are lucid, allow for error and encourage innovation. I tried the andlt;Iandgt;chilaquilesandlt;/Iandgt; recipe as soon as I opened this book. The results were delicious, my friends were delighted and we laughed and lingered late into the night. I think that's what Rick likes to help bring about with this lovely and lyrical book.
Review
Jacques Pepin co-author of andlt;Iandgt;Julia and Jacques Cooking at Homeandlt;/Iandgt; In andlt;Iandgt;Mexico One Plate at a Time,andlt;/Iandgt; you will discover Mexican cooking as you've never had it in your life. Great dishes and easy techniques make this book a must.
Synopsis
Rick Bayless has been acclaimed widely as America's foremost proponent of Mexico's thrillingly diverse cuisine. In this companion book to his 26-part Public Television series, he takes us, with boyish enthusiasm, through Mexican markets, street stalls and home kitchens to bring us the great dishes of Mexico, one "plate" at a time. And each "plate" Rick presents here is a Mexican classic. Take guacamole, for instance. After teaching us the essentials for a perfect, classic guacamole, Rick shows how to spin contemporary interpretations, like his Roasted Poblano Guacamole with garlic and parsley. Rick's cuisine is always lively, but rooted in strong traditions.
Always the teacher, Rick begins each "plate" with some never-before-found features: traditional benchmarks (Rick's idea of the best guacamole), when to think of the recipes (weeknight dinners or casual party food), and advice for American cooks (Rick's insight into the ingredients that make the dish). He rounds out each "plate" with suggestions for working ahead.
To complete the journey into the Mexican mindset, Rick, with help from his testers, ends each "plate" with a question-and-answer section detailing just about everything a home cook might want to know: What are the best cuts of beef for grilled tacos? The best cheeses for quesadillas? Is one grill better than another? Rick draws from his years of living in Mexico, pulling us into the Mexican kitchen, to teach us how to create authentic Mexican dishes in our American kitchens.
Rick is an Indiana Jones of the stove, a Julia Child of Mexican cuisine in black jeans and a T-shirt. Rick's goal: to enable folks all across the United States to create dishes that weave in the rich tapestry of Mexican flavor with ingredients that are widely available. He always provides ingredients that make the dish authentic, but he also delivers with the right substitute if an ingredient is hard to find.
Experience food you can't wait to make in a new and user-friendly cookbook that contains the full range of dishes -- Starters, Snacks and Light Meals; Soups, Stews and Sides; Entrées; Desserts and Drinks. Rick serves up such classic Mexican plates as Tomatillo-Braised Pork Loin, Quick-Fried Shrimp with Sweet Toasty Garlic, Chiles Rellenos, Cheesy Enchiladas Suizas, and Mexican Vanilla-Scented Flan.
And for an exciting taste of the unexpected, try Rick's contemporary interpretations of the classics -- Crispy Potato Sopes with Goat Cheese and Fresh Herbs, Grilled Salmon with Lemon-and-Thyme-Scented Salsa Veracruzana, Broiled Flank Steak with Tomato-Poblano Salsa and Rustic Cajeta Apple Tarts with Berry "Salsa."
Food and friends, food and family. Good cooking, for Rick, is the unspoken animator of friends and family as they gather to share a meal. Rick's recipes lend themselves to weeknight family meals or celebrations. Take part in a tamalada, the tamal-making party before the party, or the ritual of a barbacoa, an earthy experience that Rick has made possible with a kettle grill in the backyard.
24 color photographs of finished dishes Photographs of Mexican location shots throughout
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 364) and index.
About the Author
andlt;Bandgt;Rick Baylessandlt;/Bandgt; has won our country's highest chef honors (James Beard Foundation's National Chef of the Year). He's also won our highest cookbook award for andlt;Iandgt; Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchenandlt;/Iandgt; (Julia Child/IACP Cookbook of the Year). His other cookbooks include andlt;Iandgt;Authentic Mexicanandlt;/Iandgt; and andlt;Iandgt;Salsas That Cook.andlt;/Iandgt; His famed Chicago restaurants, Frontera Grill and Topolobampo, have both won many awards, including the coveted Ivy Award. He lives in Chicago with his wife, Deann, and their daughter, Lane.
Table of Contents
andlt;Bandgt;Contentsandlt;/Bandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Introductionandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;1. andlt;Iandgt;Starters, Snacks and Light Mealsandlt;/Iandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Guacamoleandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Ceviche (Lime-Marinated Seafood)andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Queso Fundidoandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Sopes (Corn Masa Boats)andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Gorditas (Corn Masa Pockets)andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Quesadillasandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Tostadasandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Tamalesandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Taquerand#237;a Tacos with Grilled and Griddled Fillings (Tacos al Carband#243;n y Tacos a la Plancha)andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Home-Style Tacos with Casserole Fillings (Tacos de Cazuela)andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Enchiladasandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Chilaquiles (Tortilla Casserole)andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;2. andlt;Iandgt;Soups, Stews and Sidesandlt;/Iandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Mexican Chicken Soupandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Tortilla Soupandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Mexican Seafood Stewandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Pozole (Pork and Hominy Stew)andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Riceandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Beansandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;3. andlt;Iandgt;Entreesandlt;/Iandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Chiles Rellenosandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Turkey with Red Moleandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Chicken with Green Pipiand#225;n (Pumpkin Seed Sauce)andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Chicken Adobado (with Red Chile Marinade) andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Fish a la Veracruzana (with Tomatoes, Capers, Olives and Herbs)andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Fish in Escabeche (Brothy Vinaigrette with Herbs and Vegetables)andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Seafood in Mojo de Ajo (Toasty, Slow-Cooked Garlic)andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Pork in Salsa Verde (Tomatillo Sauce)andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Beef a la Mexicana (with Roasted Tomatoes and Green Chiles)andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Carne Asada (Mexican-Style Grilled Steak)andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Barbacoa (Slow-Cooked Meats, Pit-Style)andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;4. andlt;Iandgt;Desserts and Drinksandlt;/Iandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Flanandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Rice Puddingandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Cajeta (Goat's Milk Caramel Sauce)andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Mexican Chocolateandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;The Quintessentially Tropical Mangoandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Tequila, Margaritas, Beer and Wineandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Mexican Culinary Glossaryandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;An Internet Guide to Mail-Order Sources for Mexican Cookingandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Bibliographyandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Index