Flag Product

Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen: Capturing the Vibrant flavors of a World-Class Cuisine

Add to my list

Send to friend

Compare prices

Shop for it: (added from 1 site)

Buy itamazon.com

See more products from this brand »

Added by

dkfour

Rate this:

0 Ratings

0 comments about it Add Comment

Description:

`Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen' is restaurateur / PBS show host Rick Bayless' second major book on Mexican cuisine in cooperation with his wife, Deann Groen Bayless, and the first with collaborator, JeanMarie Brownson. The... See more » `Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen' is restaurateur / PBS show host Rick Bayless' second major book on Mexican cuisine in cooperation with his wife, Deann Groen Bayless, and the first with collaborator, JeanMarie Brownson. The primary point of view which distinguishes this book from both his earlier `Authentic Mexican' book and his later PBS tie-in, `Mexico, One Plate at a Time' is that it deconstructs major aspects of Mexican dishes by breaking them down into `Essential' recipes and recipes which use these essential preparations as an ingredient. This has a lot in common with Ming Tsai's technique in his latest book, `Simply Ming', with the difference that while many of Ming Tsai's preparations were of his own devising, Senor Bayless is presenting us with the fact that the Mexican cuisine by its very nature, lends itself to this `modularization'. Almost all of the essential recipes are sauces and salsas. As Rick explains, the notion of a salsa is much broader to the Mexican mind than it may be to us gringos looking at the notion from the outside. The essential recipes are: Simmered Tomato-Jalapeno Sauce Roasted Tomato-Jalapeno Salsa from the Stone Mortar Chopped Tomato-Serrano Salsa Chopped Tomato-Habanero Salsa Simmered Tomato-Habanero Salsa Quick Cooked Tomato-Chipotle Sauce Simmered Tomatillo-Serrano Sauce Roasted Tomatillo-Serrano Salsa Roasted Tomatillo-Chipotle Salsa Sweet and Spicy Ancho Seasoning Paste Sweet and Smoky Chipotle Seasoning Salsa Bold Pasilla Seasoning Paste Simmered Guajillo Sauce Roasted Poblano Rajas with Seared White Onions and Herbs Garlicky Achiote Seasoning Paste Corn Tortillas I reproduced all these titles here to give you the best possible sense of what is at the heart of this book. Like the Italian cuisine and its preserved meats, cheeses, pasta and vinegars, the great variety of Mexican cooking is based on a few essential ingredients and the most important ingredient family, the dried chile and corn flour, came about, like Italy's meats and cheeses, from the need to preserve important ingredients from spoilage. If this book were nothing more than these recipes plus the dishes which can be built from them, it would be a great book of recipes, but not quite the `IACP Cookbook of the Year' winner from the Julia Child Cookbook Awards. Each recipe is presented with a variety of different methods, mostly based on alternatives between using the Mocajete (volcanic stone mortar), using the food processor, or using the blender. I give enormous credit to Bayless for not encouraging us to immediately going out and ordering ourselves a Mocajete since they are both rather expensive and (authentic versions are) difficult to find. While I am something of an atavistic cook, I may have been inclined to search one out anyway, but Bayless confession that the modern appliances are quite satisfactory in most applications leaves me satisfied with the equipment I already have. In addition to the richly detailed and annotated recipes, there are terrific sidebars on ingredients and methods. This is the first place I have read that there is an important difference in taste between the yellow and the white onion, and that the white onion is preferred for Mexican dishes, unless otherwise specified. Senor Bayless also makes it clear that the Habanero and the Scotch Bonnet are two different plants, and identifies those features that distinguish one from the other. Note that the level of heat is NOT one of the things that separate the two fruits. The remainder of the recipes fall into all the usual categories, with a few Mexican specialities. These are: Salads and Other Starters Light and Hearty Soups Tacos, Enchiladas, and other Casual Fare Vegetable, Bean, Rice, and Egg Dishes Classic Fiesta Food Main Dishes Desserts Wine and Margaritas As egg dishes are one of my favorite criteria for judging a cookbook, I looked at these more carefully than the others and found more than just your usual omelets, scrambles, and fried eggs with Mexican sauces and Fritos. Mr. Bayless' version of Huevos a la Oaxaquena gives us an egg See less »

Join the conversation:

Not a Kaboodler? Join Now, It's Free!

Email:	We will never share your email with anyone, ever.
Screen Name:	For public display. Between 3-25 characters.
Password:	6 or more chatacters.
Birthday:	Why do I need to provide this?
	I have read and agree to the Terms of Service
	Remember me on this computer.

Kaboodle will send you a newsletter and updates from your friends. You can unsubscribe at any time. Kaboodle does not sell or share your email address or personal information with anyone.

Cancel Already a Kaboodler?