ˇBaja! Cooking on the Edge [Hardcover]

Deborah M. Schneider (Author), Maren Caruso (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 13, 2006

"On the byways of Baja, there isn't a burrito in sight. Any day, in any town, you can choose from a vast array of made-to-order tacos and salsas, fresh-from-the-ocean seafood cocktels, grilled corn, succulent fruits skewered with lime and chili powder, vivid fruit juices, piping-hot cinnamon churros, neon-bright candies that stick in your teeth, and frozen treats with names like Angel's Kiss…and that's just the beginning."

--from Chapter 1

Join acclaimed chef and seasoned Baja traveler Deborah Schneider for an intriguing and appetizing journey through the Baja California region of Mexico, from the dusty towns south of the U.S. border all the way down to breezy Cabo San Lucas at the peninsula's southern tip.

Featuring more than 150 tantalizing recipes as well as vivid stories and images, this deliciously unorthodox cookbook transports you to the real Baja, with all its vibrant flavor and brilliant color, a place still largely undiscovered by los turistas.

The famous Baja fish taco is here, of course, in a mixture of authentic recipes and Schneider's own Baja-inspired dishes--ingenious creations for which Bon Appétit magazine named her "the reigning queen of San Diego chefs."

No matter how far north of the border you may be, with Schneider's easy-to-follow recipes, now you can feast on uniquely Baja delights like Clams in Tequila Butter, One-Pan Paella, Garlic Cilantro Steak, and Chocolate-Jalapeño Truffles. Enjoy.

 

 

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Schneider delivers on her subtitle with kicky prose and more than 150 authentic recipes that evoke a sense of place and introduce home cooks to the cuisine of this peninsula. There's an entire chapter devoted to street food such as Fish Tacos, Carne Asada Tacos and Tamales with Shrimp "Chorizo" and Fresh Corn. Within that chapter, there's a section dedicated to salsas, which includes a chili primer (and the author's own fun chili reaction scale—a habanero, she says, will make you "burn, cry, gasp, gulp beer, run from room"). The seafood chapter features Fisherman's Sashimi, Campfire-Grilled Chorizo with Orange Chipotle Glaze, and Clams in Tequila Butter. Plenty of dishes in the book are worthy of dinner parties—such as the Sauteed Pork Tenderloin with Caramelized Fennel, Olives, and Dried Fruit; the Peppered Lamb Loin with Figs in Port Wine and Orange; and the Pan-Roasted Duck with Green Olives and Raisins. Sweets like Churros and Mexican Chocolate Bread Pudding with Apples round out the assortment of options. (June)
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About the Author

DEBORAH M. SCHNEIDER, CEC, is the executive chef at Jsix in the stylish Hotel Solamar in San Diego. A seasoned food writer, chef Schneider regularly publishes articles in The San Diego Union-Tribune and regional magazines. She has lived and cooked on the border, in San Diego, California, for 22 years.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Rodale Books (June 13, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594862036
• ISBN-13: 978-1594862038
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #148,383 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #47 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Regional & International > Mexican

More About the Author

Deborah MacDonald Schneider, CEC


Deborah Schneider, CEC is a working chef based in San Diego, California, with over 30 years of professional cooking experience. She is partner and Executive Chef of SOL Cocina in Newport Beach, a waterfront restaurant inspired by the laid-back surf culture of Baja California, where she cooks wood-grilled meats and Pacific seafood. When not at the restaurant, she can be found in San Diego, Tijuana or Tecate, haunting taco stands and markets, or cooking up a storm at home.

Deborah has authored 4 cookbooks so far:
¡Baja! Cooking On the Edge (Rodale,2006) introduced cooks to the foods and wines of Baja California, and won numerous accolades, such as inclusion in Food & Wine Magazine's Best of the Best of 2006 and a prestigious Gourmand award.
Cooking with the Seasons at Rancho La Puerta (Stewart,Tabori & Chang, 2008) co-authored with Deborah Szekely, founder of the legendary fitness resort, was nominated for a James Beard Award.
Amor y Tacos (Stewart Tabori & Chang, May 2010) is a great little party book, full of inpired tequila drinks, tasty antojitos and fun, simple tacos with a modern twist.
Deborah co-authored and wrote the introduction for Williams Sonoma Essentials of Latin Cooking (April 2010.) She is currently at work on several more cookbooks inspired by the food and culture of Mexico.
Deborah's professional background includes 3 seasons with Premier Foods at Del Mar Fairgrounds and Race Track, where she oversaw dining for thousands at the annual Del Mar Thoroughbred Meet. She opened the popular Jsix/Jbar in downtown San Diego. She spent 6 years as Executive Chef of the four-star Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines. Other stops in her career include the venerable Grant Grill of San Diego's U.S. Grant Hotel, local Zagat favorite Dobson's Restaurant and La Gran Tapa, all in San Diego. She writes food features for as well as teaching at area cooking schools and private classes.
Deborah received her CEC ranking (Certified Executive Chef) in 2001 from the American Culinary Federation, recognizing over 20 years of professional cooking and other accomplishments.
Before donning whites, Deborah was Executive Editor of a specialty publishing house in Toronto where she designed magazines, wrote and edited copy, and oversaw production of souvenir books for clients as diverse as the Toronto Blue Jays, Canadian Opera Company, Stratford Shakespearean Festival and Winnipeg Jets hockey team.
In the early 1980's she spent 8 months with friends on a BMW motorcycle touring France, Spain, the Canary Islands, North Africa, Italy and Greece. While living in Athens, Deborah spent a year working as chef on a succession of luxurious charter yachts. She later worked as a yacht chef in Florida and the Caribbean before switching coasts and settling in San Diego in 1983.
Deborah resides in Pacific Beach, California with her husband Barry, an omnivorous and uncomplaining general contractor, and 2 teenaged children,one vegan, both of whom are promising cooks.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delicious! The Baja Recipes you've been looking for..., December 5, 2006

By 

Terry Morris "SailingKnitter" (Sailing South) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: ˇBaja! Cooking on the Edge (Hardcover)

As a native Southern California, and now cruising sailor of Baja and other Mexican locales, I've always wanted to get my hands on some of the recipes for the basic dishes that I enjoyed in Baja. Do you know the secret to making crunchy fish tacos? Have you ever wondered what was that white creamy sauce on fish tacos? Well, finally you can have the recipe for Mayonesa Secret Sauce on page 47!

This book also "spills the beans" about, well, the beans. I've now made several pots of mouth-watering mexican style beans that are actually better than what is served in the US resturants. No, I'm not a great cook - the recipes are simple.

All of the marinades and sauces that I've made from this book have been tasty and very easy to prepare. Using fresh ingredients is the key - no canned stuff. The tastes are "clean" and not heavy. The descriptions of chilis and what to make with them has made it so that I now can shop for these and make wonderful homemade dishes.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mouthwatering intro to Baja regional cooking, July 7, 2006

By 

Lynn Harnett (Marathon, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: ˇBaja! Cooking on the Edge (Hardcover)

Color photos of the landscape, the markets and the cooks illustrate this lively and innovative paean to the Mexican cooking of the Baja California region in California chef Schneider's first book.

Salsas and sauces sparkle throughout as Schneider leads off with street food and moves on to seafood from the coast, Nuevo cooking from the wine country, and vegetables from the farms. In addition to the numerous tomato, tomatillo, avocado and chile salsas, sauces marry unexpected ingredients in contrasty, complementary combinations, like the red wine sauce for duck that includes raisins and green olives.

Main dishes include Sautéed Pork Tenderloin with Caramelized Fennel, Olives and Dried Fruit; Fish Baked in Banana Leaves with Achiote and Sour Orange; and Chicken with Honey, Cumin and Red Wine Lentils. For dessert, try Coconut Macaroons or Cream Cheese Flan with Orange Sage Honey.

Strong flavors predominate in the vegetable dishes as well - Jicama with Lime, Salt and Ground Guajillo Chile; Spinach and Watercress Salad with Strawberries and Balsamic Vinaigrette; Pickled Jalapenos; Corn and Poblano Soup. There are a number of tacos (several versions of fish tacos) and quesadillas and a whole chart of suggested combinations.

Along the way Schneider shares her love of the place in boxed asides on the ingredients, techniques, customs and sights as well as personal anecdotes from her travels. This is a vivid, energetic book about a Mexican tradition long influenced by Indian and Asian influxes. It should appeal to anyone looking for innovation in traditional Mexican cooking.

--Portsmouth Herald

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Authenticity rocks!, August 15, 2006

By 

M. E. Reese "Cookbook Obsessive" (Oceanside, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: ˇBaja! Cooking on the Edge (Hardcover)

I collect cookbooks, and lately it's been hard to find anything new. I'm excited about Baja. It's authentic, and the quick and easy recipes use fresh ingredients. I live 50 miles from Baja, but I don't often go down there. I'm so glad that I can make these dishes at home now! Free yourself from repetive "Tex-Mex." Buy this book.