Customer Reviews

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

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I'm mexican and a lover of good food. I can say that Rick Bayless knows about Mexican food more than most Mexicans. His deep understanding of Mexican culinary culture amazes me given that he wasn't born in Mexico. I have cooked many recipes from his cookbook and found them very detailed and easy to follow. In addition, having tasted authentic Mexican food (as opossed to the American version of Mexican food) duting all my life, I can attest that Rick's recipes really go to the heart of Mexican cooking. His recipes are a manual for authentic Mexican cooking techniques, to a level I have not seen in cookbooks written by native Mexicans. I travel frequently to Chicago and always enjoy eating at one of Rick Bayless' excellent restaurants (I like them so much that I have repeteadly arrived several times when it's closed on Mondays). Like another reader, I would have liked more color photographs, however, Rick Bayless' superb prose more than compensates for this omission.

`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 cooking method which I have not seen in any French cookbook, although the result is not too different from scrambled eggs cooked hard rather than the French preferred moist result.

One section that caught my eye was the recipes for moles (in Classic Fiesta Food). The first two recipes required 28 and 27 different ingredients respectively and the procedures for both took three pages of text. Fortunately, aside from the stock, none of the ingredients required a lot of additional preparation, but, I can easily see why moles are relegated to recipes for special occasions.

I wish I could say that Mr. Bayless' books, especially this award winning volume, were the best sources for Mexican recipes, but he has strong competition from Ms. Diana Kennedy. I have reviewed several of her books, and I suspect that if you simply want good Mexican recipes, Ms. Kennedy may have the edge, but go with Mr. Bayless if you have an interest in what it is that makes the Mexican cuisine tick.

You may have noticed Mr. Bayless little trade paperback on Salsas, which have a strong resemblance to some of the material in this book. Some reviewers believe the salsa book is lifted from this volume. This is not true. The approach is the same in both books, but the names of the salsa recipes in the two books do not exactly coincide. And, the salsa book has the added feature of giving the same recipe in several different sizes, which is simply great for entertaining and a real Mexican food junkie.

This may be the best of Mr. Bayless books to get first. His writing is better than in `Authentic Mexican' and he covers more dishes than in `One Dish at a Time'.

Hats off to Bayless, this is one of the best cookbooks I have ever come across - regardless of culinary topic. He really does provide everything you would want in a cook book...he reveals the story behind the food with valuable insight, provides a good balance between finished dishes and understanding the raw materials and techniques, and he provides you with great sources for deeper research.

Its interesting that I was hesitant about Bayless's book in the beginning because my only previous experience with him was watching a few episodes of his show. From what I saw, I thought he spent way too much time on Antojitos...and that was definitely not what I was interested. See, I was born in Mexico City, and have dined on most of the regional cuisines of Mexico so what I craved were the incredible savory, complex dishes that I could not even dream of finding in California, where it is relatively easy to find authentic Mexican "junk" food.

To that end, this book really delivers. I have successfully prepared the Barbacoa, utilized his method of simmering chicken straight in a rich sauce, his basic sauce recipes answered a few lingering questions that allowed me to perfect my own recipes. In addition, I am exclusively dry roasting garlic on a griddle, and rinsing chopped onions which has improved just about every dish I prepare. Finally, he has given me valuable insight for deeper research on Mexican cuisine...such as identifying a Mexican cookbook that is entirely devoted to Mexico's wild mushrooms & truffles.

And those who don't think the foods he presents are traditional are completely wrong. If anything, he steers clear away from Contemporary trends in Mexican cuisine. As a matter of fact, if I would suggest any changes, it would be to add a chapter on the recent fusion cuisines of Mexico....Italian-Mexican, Japanese-Mexican, Thai-Mexican; and a chapter on the trendy insect dishes....escamoles (ant eggs), gusano de maguey (agave worm), chapulines (crickets) etc.,

It is not often that an introduction written in a cookbook captures your attention, and most people probably don't even read them yet the one in Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen really sets the tone of this book. The publication claims over 150 recipes but with Bayless's 'variations and improvisations' section after almost every recipe, there are many more possibilities to choose from. True Mexican cuisine jumps from each page and each menu item also contains words from the heart, giving history to each. Recipes include: Shrimp Seviche with Roasted Cactus, Ripe Plantain Turnovers with Fresh Cheese Filling, Mexican-Style Sweet Roasted Garlic Soup, Spicy Yucatecan Beef "Salad" Tacos, Smoky Braised Mexican Pumpkin with Seared White Onion, Chipotle Shrimp, Lamb Barbacoa from the Backyard Grill and Modern Mexican Chocolate Flan with Kahlua. A lot of heart and soul as well as time went into this book. Most recipes not only contain variations and improvisations, but also include some shortcuts and many with advanced preparation ideas to help today's busy cook. With 150 recipes in over 420 pages these recipes were written in complete detail. Ingredients are almost all available in regular grocery stores with only a few at specialty stores. Mexican Kitchen is definitely a cookbook to add to your collection. Mexican Kitchen by Rick Bayless is published by Scribner Publishing. Exceptional recipes written with a lot of passion and love for food. A good book to add to any shelf

Coming from LA I grew up with great Mexican food. Now living in NZ I miss it. Rick Bayless's book turned our home into the best Mexican food spot in the country. I highly recommend this book to any lover of Mexican food....and especially those who do not have easy access to Mexican restaraunts. The recipes are simple to follow and, in most cases, not too time consuming. I now pre-make many of the basics and keep them on hand so a Mexican meal is only minutes away.

Have made the Mango Trifle (a real antique -- he found it in the notebooks of a nun circa 15th century) the Plantain Pie (he basically takes a pumpkin pie and substitutes plantains, revising the ingredients to match the strong flavor), chili-glazed country ribs, sweet potatoes glazed with chili & cinnamon, red ancho chili rice, lamb stew w/ swarthy pasilla sauce, refritos, etc. & so far I plan to make everything in here! I read this book a couple of times a week, it's so interesting, full of information and guidance. After reading the negative reviews here, I had to speak up. I've made authentic Mexican food with Mexicans and Mexico is all about improvisation -- no matter what anyone at Gourmet Magazine will tell you! In fact, the mole sauces that are so famous, are just sauces where their creators put everything (including the kitchen sink) into the sauce, in the hopes of a splendid creation! It's in their history g-dmmit! And if you've ever been in the kitchen with a Mexican guy, he'll put all kinds of things together. Despite what his Grandma does. [In my experience, the only thing they don't seem to mess with is Chocolate. They will laugh their head off if you so much as ask for a moccachino!] And Rick tells you all that in here -- if you want to make the traditional dishes, get his other book. This is for those of us who want to pick up some chilis, some beans, and have a good time! [the only recipe that didn't work out was the chocolate pecan pie .. it was obviously untested. just use a larger pie plate (9.5" or 10") -- do NOT make it a 9" deep-dish -- and roll out the crust accordingly. I tried to make it a deep-dish as he says, and it didn't cook evenly.]

I have a passion for ethnic foods but I especially have a warm spot for Mexican cooking. Of all the ethnic cookbooks I own (you don't even want to know how many), this is by far my favorite. My appreciation for this book goes beyond my love for the food. It is simply put--beautifully written and arranged. It's a journey through the Mexican culture via its food, ingredients, techniques and equipment all expertly explained throughout the book's sidebars and prefaces to the recipes. The recipes themselves are easy to read and execute. Some of the ingredients may be a bit difficult for some folks to find (but hey I love a good treasure hunt, how about you?)Dare I say that I have substituted canned chiles when I have been in a pinch with the end results being more than satisfactory. Great way to travel without leaving your kitchen!!

Leaving aside the question of how 'authentic' these recipes are--though it is worth observing that something is not unauthentic simply because it does not conform to what a reader may have been told was Mexican food while growing up in the U. S.--this book is full of delicious, easy-to-follow recipes that would be a welcome addition to any cook's bookcase. I have other books on Mexican cooking by Diana Kennedy and Elisbeth Ortiz, yet it is Bayless' books that I reach for time and again. Check this one out--you won't be disappointed!

It is not often that an introduction written in a cookbook captures your attention, and most people probably don't even read them yet the one in Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen really sets the tone of this book. The publication claims over 150 recipes but with Bayless's 'variations and improvisations' section after almost every recipe, there are many more possibilities to choose from. True Mexican cuisine jumps from each page and each menu item also contains words from the heart, giving history to each. Recipes include: Shrimp Seviche with Roasted Cactus, Ripe Plantain Turnovers with Fresh Cheese Filling, Mexican-Style Sweet Roasted Garlic Soup, Spicy Yucatecan Beef "Salad" Tacos, Smoky Braised Mexican Pumpkin with Seared White Onion, Chipotle Shrimp, Lamb Barbacoa from the Backyard Grill and Modern Mexican Chocolate Flan with Kahlua. A lot of heart and soul as well as time went into this book. Most recipes not only contain variations and improvisations, but also include some shortcuts and many with advanced preparation ideas to help today's busy cook. With 150 recipes in over 420 pages these recipes were written in complete detail. Ingredients are almost all available in regular grocery stores with only a few at specialty stores. Mexican Kitchen is definitely a cookbook to add to your collection. Mexican Kitchen by Rick Bayless is published by Scribner Publishing. Exceptional recipes written with a lot of passion and love for food. A good book to add to any shelf

The recipes are great, but you need to be careful because of what may be publishers errors. I made the "Red Chile Braised Chicken with potatoes & greens" (p314). While preparing it, I noticed there was nothing in the "Essential Sweet-and-Spicy Ancho Seasoning Paste" to make it sweet. I checked another recipe (one of our FAVORITES), the "Chile Glazed Country Ribs" (p380) and saw it contained sugar & honey. I added sugar & honey, adjusting for volume and made a great sweet & spicy seasoning. Definitely try this book for great tasting meals.