Ask Bookie
Fiesta at Rick's : Fabulous Food for Great Times with Friends
Overview
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.
Customers Also Bought
- 1
Details
- ISBN-13: 9780393058994
- ISBN-10: 0393058999
- Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
- Publish Date: July 2010
- Dimensions: 10.4 x 8.5 x 1 inches
- Shipping Weight: 3.05 pounds
- Page Count: 352
Related Categories
You May Also Like...
- 1
Emeril goes emerald
There’s a green sheen on Emeril Lagasse, as there is now on most cookbook authors, restaurateurs and anyone else talking publicly about food. His new book, Farm to Fork: Cooking Local, Cooking Fresh, is this kick-it-up-a-notch celebrity chef’s nod to the current requirement to pay homage to fresh and local foods. Take Emeril at his word: He buys only the best ingredients, knows his purveyors, focuses on the super-seasonal and wants you to do the same. Freshness philosophy understood, it’s Emeril’s recipes—over 150, with their detailed instructions and fun, informative headers—that make this a really worthwhile new source. Check out the herb oils, Pickled Green Beans and easy, non-canned Peach Freezer Jam. And don’t miss the Cantaloupe and Pancetta Cream Sauce for Pasta (sounds like a weird combo, but it’s really good), Toasted Garlic Romano Beans, and Apricot Clafouti. Emeril, tinged with green or not, is always a good bet.
DINING WITH DONNA LEONTo Commissario Guido Brunetti, the appealing Venetian detective who stars in Donna Leon’s celebrated mystery series, eating well, in a way that provides “as much physical pleasure as possible,” is fundamental to living a happy life. Brunetti solves crimes, muses on the problems that beset Venice and savors the fabulous meals cooked by his wife, Paola. These succulent lunches and dinners have become so central to the series that fans have been clamoring for the recipes. Now nearly 100 Brunetti-inspired recipes by Roberta Pianaro, Leon’s dearest Venetian friend and gastronomic guide, have been gathered in Brunetti’s Cookbook, along with six original essays by Leon herself and book excerpts highlighting Brunetti’s favorite dishes. They range from antipasti to dolci—some familiar, such as Spaghetti all’Amatriciana, and others, like Rabbit with Olives and Walnuts, engagingly unfamiliar. One caveat: Roberta’s instructions are done in Italian style and assume some kitchen know-how and ease with ingredients. And some of these ingredients—Trevisio radicchio or cuttlefish eggs, for example—might be a bit difficult to find, but are well worth the effort.
COOKBOOK OF THE MONTHRick Bayless is the undisputed Big Enchilada of Mexican cooking north of the border. With his six previous cookbooks, PBS series, restaurants and product line, he has turned many gringos into avid aficionados of the real cocina Mexicana. This time around, Rick’s kicking back and having a party, and we’re all invited. To join the fun, open a copy of Fiesta at Rick’s: Fabulous Food for Great Times with Friends, pick a party, choose a few recipes and pour a few cocktails. Rick is a master at riffing on Mexican mainstays like guacamole (at least nine riffs), ceviche (six riffs) and margaritas (lost count while tasting), using his deep understanding of vibrant Mexican flavors to innovate and his cooking know-how to make his recipes totally doable in American kitchens. Want to have a Luxury Guacamole Bar Cocktail Party, with the added sparkle of Champagne Margaritas? No problema! There’s a menu, recipes and a game plan with serving strategies that tell you what to do and when. Same goes for a Summertime Seafood Cocktail Party or a Fall Fiesta. Buen provecho!
Emeril goes emerald
There’s a green sheen on Emeril Lagasse, as there is now on most cookbook authors, restaurateurs and anyone else talking publicly about food. His new book, Farm to Fork: Cooking Local, Cooking Fresh, is this kick-it-up-a-notch celebrity chef’s nod to the current requirement to pay homage to fresh and local foods. Take Emeril at his word: He buys only the best ingredients, knows his purveyors, focuses on the super-seasonal and wants you to do the same. Freshness philosophy understood, it’s Emeril’s recipes—over 150, with their detailed instructions and fun, informative headers—that make this a really worthwhile new source. Check out the herb oils, Pickled Green Beans and easy, non-canned Peach Freezer Jam. And don’t miss the Cantaloupe and Pancetta Cream Sauce for Pasta (sounds like a weird combo, but it’s really good), Toasted Garlic Romano Beans, and Apricot Clafouti. Emeril, tinged with green or not, is always a good bet.
DINING WITH DONNA LEONTo Commissario Guido Brunetti, the appealing Venetian detective who stars in Donna Leon’s celebrated mystery series, eating well, in a way that provides “as much physical pleasure as possible,” is fundamental to living a happy life. Brunetti solves crimes, muses on the problems that beset Venice and savors the fabulous meals cooked by his wife, Paola. These succulent lunches and dinners have become so central to the series that fans have been clamoring for the recipes. Now nearly 100 Brunetti-inspired recipes by Roberta Pianaro, Leon’s dearest Venetian friend and gastronomic guide, have been gathered in Brunetti’s Cookbook, along with six original essays by Leon herself and book excerpts highlighting Brunetti’s favorite dishes. They range from antipasti to dolci—some familiar, such as Spaghetti all’Amatriciana, and others, like Rabbit with Olives and Walnuts, engagingly unfamiliar. One caveat: Roberta’s instructions are done in Italian style and assume some kitchen know-how and ease with ingredients. And some of these ingredients—Trevisio radicchio or cuttlefish eggs, for example—might be a bit difficult to find, but are well worth the effort.
COOKBOOK OF THE MONTHRick Bayless is the undisputed Big Enchilada of Mexican cooking north of the border. With his six previous cookbooks, PBS series, restaurants and product line, he has turned many gringos into avid aficionados of the real cocina Mexicana. This time around, Rick’s kicking back and having a party, and we’re all invited. To join the fun, open a copy of Fiesta at Rick’s: Fabulous Food for Great Times with Friends, pick a party, choose a few recipes and pour a few cocktails. Rick is a master at riffing on Mexican mainstays like guacamole (at least nine riffs), ceviche (six riffs) and margaritas (lost count while tasting), using his deep understanding of vibrant Mexican flavors to innovate and his cooking know-how to make his recipes totally doable in American kitchens. Want to have a Luxury Guacamole Bar Cocktail Party, with the added sparkle of Champagne Margaritas? No problema! There’s a menu, recipes and a game plan with serving strategies that tell you what to do and when. Same goes for a Summertime Seafood Cocktail Party or a Fall Fiesta. Buen provecho!