Fiesta at Rick's: Fabulous Food for Great Times with Friends [Hardcover]

Rick Bayless (Author), Deann Groen Bayless (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 5, 2010

Entertaining made easy, with Mexican-inspired recipes and handy tips from the celebrity chef and winner of Bravo’s Top Chef Masters.

Whether you’re hosting a casual get-together with friends or throwing an outdoor shindig, no one can teach you the art of fiesta like Rick Bayless. With 150 recipes, Bayless offers you the key to unforgettable parties that will have guests clamoring for repeat invitations. There are recipes for small-dish snacking (Mushroom Ceviche, Devilish Shrimp), dynamic cocktails to get the party started (Champagne Margarita, Sizzling Mojito), and Bayless’s signature takes on Mexican street food (Grilled Pork Tacos al Pastor, Roasted Vegetable Enchiladas). Live-fire grilled fish and meat dishes like the “Brava” Steak with “Lazy” Salsa will draw friends and family to the glow of open flames. And if you’re going to throw a truly epic celebration, you’ll need a killer finale like Frontera Grill’s Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars or Dark Chocolate–Chile Ice Cream.

Fiesta at Rick’s offers 150 diverse preparations organized into easy-to-follow chapters. But it’s far more than a collection of recipes. With four complete, can’t-miss menus for parties ranging from a Luxury Guacamole Bar Cocktail Party for 12 to a Classic Mexican Mole Fiesta for 24, Bayless has all your friends covered. Each of these parties has a complete game plan, from a thought-out time line with advance shopping and preparation to a fiesta playlist. Whether a first-time entertainer or a seasoned veteran, anyone can learn from the helpful sidebars, which cover topics such as how to shuck oysters, the perfect avocado for guacamole, and the best way to pick out fresh fish for ceviche preparations. Bayless breaks down the timeless building blocks that make up authentic Mexican food, explaining the value of fresh tortillas and providing surprisingly simple instructions for making your own Mexican Fresh Cheese.

Bayless’s entertaining blueprint eliminates the guesswork, so you can let your inspiration run free. Companion to seasons six and seven of Rick’s Public Television series Mexico—One Plate at a Time, Fiesta at Rick’s is required reading for everyone who loves opening their home to friends and good times. Four-color photographs throughout

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Bayless has spent the past three decades eating his way across Mexico one plate at a time, as his PBS series proclaims. But for his seventh cookbook, he has switched modes from hunter-gatherer to home dweller, providing 150 recipes geared toward kicking back and relaxing with friends. Indeed, the attention paid to tequila in the opening chapter could easily lead to guests never leaving the sofa. A blood orange margarita and a Mexican mojito top the list, though Bayless also includes instructions for having a proper tequila tasting. Building up a thirst is no problem given the variety of hot, tangy, and pepper-filled dishes that are the author's stock in trade. Mango guacamole and chipotle-roasted almonds get things going. There are five different ceviches for seafood fans, tacos and tamales inspired by Mexican diners and street vendors, and an Oaxacan-style lamb pit barbecue for those who don't mind digging a hole in the backyard. To assure the proper fiesta atmosphere, there are song suggestions in a tropical party playlist. And for those who want to throw a really big shindig, there are several megarecipes that cover every detail of such ambitious efforts as a Mexican mole fiesta for 24 and a seafood cocktail party for 12. These include not just the menu items but also a time line of when to buy and prepare each item, serving strategies, and embellishments. (July)
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Review

“Rick Bayless is el mejor cocinero! His flavors are so intense and layered that each bite brings tears to your eyes and that’s not just the chili peppers! I love everything about Rick; I’m so happy he shares his knowledge of Mexican cuisine with all of us. He’s inspired many of my friends—every age, size, shape, male, female—as well as myself to have more fiestas!” (Rachael Ray )

“Rick Bayless is a Chef’s Chef if there ever was one. The food he cooks, the generous spirit in which it’s shared, the respect he honors Mexico with and the flavor. . . . Wow, the flavor he delivers is what we crave at the end of a long week in the kitchen. I am confident the end of your week will be much better with a table full of friends and Fiesta at Rick’s at hand. No one, in my lifetime, has captured better Mexico on a plate!” (Michael Chiarello, Bottega )

“There is Mexican Cuisine and there is Rick B. Mexican Cuisine. Rick is internationally renowned for his innovation and dedication in his culinary pursuits as a great teacher, TV host, and pioneer in his field. The delicious recipes in this trendsetting cookbook celebrate his best dishes, from the succulent Grilled Garlic and Orange Guacamole to the Champagne Margarita. It’s a taste of what’s to come in Fiesta at Rick’s. The ultimate collection of recipes shines at the dinner table when enjoying the fireworks of flavors with friends!” (Hubert Keller, Fleur de Lys )

“The hardest thing about using this book isn’t finding the ingredients (today, practically every small town has a great Mexican grocery), it’s keeping yourself from eating everything before the guests arrive.” (The New York Times Book Review )

“I was lucky enough to attend a fiesta in Rick Bayless’s backyard and fondly remember Rick’s amazing food. He made throwing a party look so effortless. My brother-in-law is a great cook, and I cannot wait to share my copy of Fiesta at Rick’s with him so he can re-create Rick’s magic for me and my family.” (Gary Sinise, actor, CSI New York )

“Rick Bayless, an American culinary treasure, has tirelessly taught us the fine art of Mexican cooking. He now invites us to a fiesta of flavors with recipes that have been created for entertaining. America loves Mexican food, and we love our Top Chef Master Rick Bayless. Thank you for inviting us to the fiesta!” (Art Smith, celebrity chef and best-selling author )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 348 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; 1 edition (July 5, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393058999
• ISBN-13: 978-0393058994
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 1 x 10.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #52,089 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #19 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Regional & International > Mexican

More About the Author

Rick Bayless has written six cookbooks, including "Mexican Everyday" and "Fiesta at Rick's." His product line of prepared foods is sold coast to coast. With his wife Deann he owns and operates Chicago's casual Frontera Grill, named "Outstanding Restaurant" by the James Beard Foundation, and the four-star fine-dining Topolobampo. XOCO, a Leed-certified quick-serve restaurant, opened in 2009. He is the host of the public television series "Mexico--One Plate at a Time."

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

48 of 49 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Lots of good recipes, good supplementary Mexican cookbook, not a first reference July 5, 2010

By Chris Hennes

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I view this book as a complement to Bayless's other books: once you are comfortable with Mexican cuisine, this book is a big help when you want to show off your skills for a crowd. He and his wife Deann (co-authur of the book) deal with the logistics of centering a party with various Mexican themes, from a "Luxury Guacamole Bar Cocktail Party for 12" to a "Classic Mexican Mole Fiesta for 24." Included are drink recipes, salsas, guacamoles (the roasted garlic and orange guacamole in particular is excellent), as well as many main dishes and desserts. Included are a surprising number of vegetarian options, important so that those guests don't feel left out of the party. The recipes also scale down well, if you aren't feeding 100 guests. Winners are the enfrijoladas, the guacamoles (not your typical guacs, these!), the Cochito Chiapaneco (grilled pork roast), the Tacos de Arrachera al Carbón, and his twist on Enchiladas Suizas. I didn't care for the Queso Fundido al Tequila, but so far most of the recipes have ranged from pretty good to great.

If you are looking for an introduction to Mexican cooking from a beginner's standpoint, I'd suggest either "Mexico One Plate At A Time" (by Bayless), or "The Art of Mexican Cooking" by Diana Kennedy. Either of those will provide you with the solid fundamentals that you need before you can get the most out of Fiesta at Rick's.

Pros:
* Detailed party-planning timelines
* Mostly good to excellent recipes
* Easy to follow and understand instructions

Cons:
* A few "clunkers" in the recipes
* Not a good Mexican cooking intro: the recipes make more sense if you are already familiar with Mexican cooking

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars If you like Mexican food you will like this book July 9, 2010

By Hubert Smits

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Rick has a way to pick his dishes, and to describe them in an appealing way, with clear instructions. I'm biased, sure, I love Mexican food, and I love cooking. Still, having cooked out of dozens of cookbooks I can recommend Rick's books. This one addresses parties, cooking for larger groups of people, in a way that helps you organize the cooking work (which is an art in itself), the selection of the dishes and drinks, and the actual cooking. You'll not over-commit to too complex dishes, or run out of time - your guests arriving with your mole still cooking.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A great book July 14, 2010

By A. Mefford

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is a great cookbook with a unique spin. Each section is broken up into an outline for a party from appetizers to main course, including group size and even a suggested playlist. If you want to throw your own Fiesta but arent certain where to start this is definitely the book for you.

Beyond the party blue print there are some great recipes in here. My wife's family is from Mexico and these recipes are very similar to the traditional recipes they use, the main difference is he provides details, something that has been very difficult to get with the traditional recipes. My mother in law did not measure anything using a measuring cup.

Finally the photography and printing in the book are excellent beautiful photographs of nearly every dish.