Thursday, December 31, 2009

Recipe Reviews for Mexican Everyday by Rick Bayless

For the holidays in 2005, I asked my parents for a Mexican cookbook (and gave them a number of choices of books I've heard recommended). They bought me:
Mexican Everyday by Rick Bayless with Deann Groen Bayless 2005 W. W. Norton & Company Buy from: Amazon, Frontera Grill (Bayless's company)
Below are the dishes I've cooked so far, by category, by star rating (out of five) within each category. Within each star rating, the ordering is arbitrary -- it doesn't mean anything. Click on the dish's name for a review. A list of what I've cooked most recently appears on the right side of the blog under the heading "Recent Dishes." Salads
Picture
Name
Rating
Roasted Poblano-Potato Salad with Flaked Tuna
5 stars
Smoky-Chipotle-Vinegar Dressing
4 stars
Roasted Mushroom Salad with Spinach and Chorizo
3.5 stars
Jicama Salad with Watercress, Romaine, and Lime-Cilantro Dressing
3.5 stars
Skirt Steak Salad with "Wilted" Greens, Tomato, and Lime
3 stars
Soups
Picture
Name
Rating
Mushroom-Potato Crema with Roasted Poblanos
4.5 stars
Red Chileatole with Mushrooms, Chicken, and Zucchini
4.5 stars
Classic Tortilla Soup with All the Trimmings
4 stars
Red Chile Seafood Soup
4 stars
Creamy Corn Soup with Ham and Poblano Chile
4 stars
Salsas
Picture
Name
Rating
Smoky Chipotle Salsa with Pan-Roasted Tomatillos
5 stars
Toasty Arbol Chile Salsa
4 stars
Roasted Fresh Chile (Jalapeno) Salsa
4 stars
Chunky Fresh Tomato Salsa
3 stars, but could easily be 4
Main Courses
Picture
Name
Rating
Snapper (well, actually halibut) with Zucchini and Toasty Garlic Mojo
5 stars
Red Chile Chicken and Rice with Black Beans
5 stars
Mexican Beans with Chorizo and Greens
5 stars
Tomatillo-Sauced Enchiladas with Spinach and Mushrooms
5 stars
Jalapeno-Baked Fish (halibut) with Roasted Tomatoes and Potatoes
5 stars
Chipotle Shrimp
4.5 stars
Seared Salmon with Spinach and Creamy Roasted Peppers
4.5 stars
Salmon in Luxurious Green Sesame Pipián / Pipian
4.5 stars
Chicken in Oaxacan Yellow Mole with Green Beans and Chayote
4.5 stars
Zucchini-Mushroom Tacos with Chorizo
4.5 stars
Crusty Black Bean-Chorizo Subs (tortas)
4.5 stars
Toasty Arbol Chile Salsa in Spicy Baked Chicken with Mango
4.5 stars
Tomato-and-Jalapeno-Sauced Enchiladas with Sour Cream and Aged Cheese
4.5 stars
Chipotle Chicken Salad Tacos with Avocado, Red-Skin Potatoes and Romaine
4 stars
Bistec a la Mexicana
4 stars
Smoky Chipotle Salsa Sauteed with Chicken and Onion
4 stars
Pork Tenderloin (actually top loin) a la Mexicana
4 stars
Chicken in Tangy Escabeche of Caramelized Onions, Carrots, and Jalapenos
4 stars
Chipotle Beef or Chicken Tacos with Caramelized Onions
4 stars
Quick-Seared Poblano Beef Tips
4 stars
Chicken with Roasted Peppers and Salsa Verde
3.5 stars
Trout with Macadamias, Serrano and Green Beans
3.5 stars (4 star fish, 3 star mixture)
Seafood Salad Tacos with Tomato, Radish and Habanero (salsa)
3.5 stars
Chorizo, Potato and Mushroom Tacos
3 stars, maybe 4 stars with salsa
Red Chile Enchiladas with Chicken and Melted Cheese
3 stars
Green Chile Chicken Soft Tacos
3 stars
Red Chile Steak with Beans
3? stars
Rub for Meat / Grilled Dishes
Picture
Name
Rating
Garlicky Ancho Chile Rub
4 stars
Side Dishes
Picture
Name
Rating
Classic Mexican Red Rice
3 stars
Fried Beans
3 stars (but made without the pork/bacon fat)
Desserts
Picture
Name
Rating
Skillet Fruit Crisp
4 stars
Pineapple Skillet Upside-Down Cake
3 stars
Techniques
Name
Rating
Reheating Corn Tortillas in the Oven
5 stars
Reheating Corn Tortillas on the Stovetop
5 stars
Reheating Corn Tortillas in the Rice Cooker / Steamer
5 stars
Reheating Corn Tortillas in the Microwave
4 stars
Questions? Comments? Thoughts? Post a comment to the relevant page for the particular recipe (or this page itself) or e-mail me: my first initial followed by pearson42 AT yahoo.com. My name is Mark. Additional keywords: review, reactions, thoughts, changes, revisions, change, revision, descriptions, kitchen, cook, cooking, recipes, Mexican food.

10 comments:

Unknown said...

I also have this book and cook from it often. I enjoy your blog! My favorite recipe from the book so far is the Salmon in Luxurious Green Sesame Pipian. You should check it out if you haven't already :) Keep cooking and posting!

Anonymous said...

I love Rick Bayless. I especially love his show. He's really knowledgable. And it's great that he has restaurants for all price levels. Check out my mexican recipes if you get a chance.

Anonymous said...

MexGrocer is great online store for authentic mexican food recipes.....!

Anonymous said...

I read about your blog in the Wall Street Journal. What an awesome idea!

Mike Willis said...

Great blog, Mark - thanks for putting the recipes to the test and posting the results!

Anonymous said...

I just discovered your blog and linked you from my page. I'm looking forward to reading more as I am a huge Rick Bayless fan.

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email:4yourtastebuds@gmail.com

nathan smith said...

Hi, I would like to request a copy of your smoky chipotle salsa with pan-roasted tomatillos. And would it be possible if I could get the toasty arbol chile salsa recipe and the classic red rice recipe also? But if you wont give me them two recipes thats cool but I would really appreciate it if you did. Thanks!

elizabeth said...

great blog

Anonymous said...

I just wanted to say thank you! This is awesome. You have inspired me to do the same. I am about to head to the store to go pick up this book and start dinner tonight! Wish me luck.
Mexican food delivery Chicago, IL