Synopsis A collection of elegant Mexican recipes featuring the inimitable chile (or chili, as most Americans spell it). It is the backbone of Mexican cooking--from the smoky chipotle to the fiery habañero. Recipes include Chicken in Pueblan Green Pumpkinseed Sauce and Mexican Chocolate Cake Roll with Crimson Prickly Pear Sauce.
| Details | | Publication Date: | 1996-10-01 | | Edition Description: | Illustrated |
| Size | | Length: | 448 pages | | Height: | 9.5 in | | Width: | 8.3 in | | Thickness: | 1.2 in | | Weight: | 36.8 oz |
Publisher's Note In this book of more than 150 recipes, award-winning chef, author and teacher Rick Bayless provides the inspiration and guidance that home cooks have needed. With a blend of passion, patience, clarity and humor, he unerringly finds his way into the very soul of Mexican cuisine, from essential recipes and explorations of Mexico's many chiles to quick-to-prepare everyday dishes and pull-out-the-stops celebration fare. Bayless begins the journey by introducing us to the building blocks of Mexican cooking. With infectious enthusiasm and an entertaining voice, he outlines 16 essential preparations - deeply flavored tomato sauces and tangy tomatillo salsas, rich chile pastes and indispensable handmade tortillas. Fascinating cultural background and practical cooking tips help readers to understand these preparations and make them their own. Each recipe explains which steps can be completed in advance to make final preparation easier, and each provides a list of the dishes in later chapters that are built around these basics. And with each essential recipe, Bayless includes several "Simple Ideas from My American Home" - quick, familiar recipes with innovative Mexican accents, such as Baked Ham with Yucatecan Flavors, Spicy Chicken Salad, Ancho-Broiled Salmon and Very, Very Good Chili. Throughout, the intrepid Bayless brings chiles into focus, revealing that Mexican cooks use these pods for flavor, richness, color and, yes, sometimes for heat. He details the simple techniques for getting the best out of every chile - from the rich, smoky chipotle to the incendiary but fruity habanero.
Industry Reviews "[A] volume that fastens somewhat less on authenticity and anthropology and more on making true Mexican food user-friendly for Americans....but there is no dumbing-down of the cuisine. His approach has the relaxed inventiveness that comes from decades of experience." New York Times - Florence Fabricant (10/23/1996)
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