Southwest

Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill Cookbook: Explosive Flavors from the Southwestern Kitchen

You've got to hand it to Bobby Flay. He opened his first restaurant, the inventive "new southwestern" Mesa Grill, in 1991--and he's still celebrating the sweet, hot and spicy at that Manhattan outpost, not to mention on his TV shows and in other cookbooks like Boy Gets Grill and Bobby Flay's Bold American Food. Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill Cookbook offers 140-plus recipes for a wide range of new "signature dishes," such as BBQ Duck Filled Blue Corn Pancakes with Habañero Sauce; Chile Rubbed Short Ribs with Creamy Polenta and Cotija Cheese; and Grilled Red Snapper with Tomato-New Mexico Red Chile Sauce. He also includes idiosyncratic takes on old favorites, like Whipped Potatoes with Cilantro Pesto, and desserts including Milk Chocolate-Peanut Butter Crème Brûlée, and Caramel Apple Shortcakes. Even drinks get the Flay treatment.

His food (at least in moderation) is difficult not to like. Cooks will find the recipes eminently doable if they're willing to cull the necessary ingredients--there's a fine ingredients glossary--and put aside a bit of time. This is great "occasion cooking" and should appeal to dyed-in-the-grill Flay fans, as well as those whose curiosity has been tickled by his winning culinary hegemony. --Arthur Boehm

Smoky, earthy, fruity, and spicy, the flavors of the Southwest have intrigued Bobby Flay ever since he was a young chef, eventually serving as the inspiration for the menu at his first restaurant, Mesa Grill. Now sixteen years later, Bobby’s bold and vivacious take on this cuisine has made him a fixture on America’s culinary scene and turned Mesa Grill into a veritable institution. In Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill Cookbook, the celebrity chef invites you to join him in the kitchen of his famous restaurant to learn the secrets of his of his signature contemporary Southwestern cuisine.

Here are 150 recipes for the drinks, appetizers, soups, salads, main dishes, sides, sauces, desserts, and brunch dishes that have earned Bobby his reputation for creating innovative combinations and big, rich flavors, including:

- Grilled Asparagus and Goat Cheese Quesadillas with Tomato Jam and Cilantro Yogurt
- Queso Fundido with Roasted Poblano Vinaigrette
- Sweet Potato and Roasted Plantain Soup with Smoked Chile Crema
- Grilled Shrimp Brushed with Smoked Chile Butter and Tomatillo Salsa
- Seared Tuna Tostado with Black Bean Mango Salsa
- Coffee-Rubbed Filets Mignons with Ancho-Mushroom Sauce
- Spicy Coconut Tapioca with Mango and Blackberries

Complete with a guide no tequila lover should be without, a list of must-haves for the Southwestern pantry, menu suggestions for festive occasions with friends and family, Bobby's pointers on basic cooking techniques, and 100 full-color photographs, Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill Cookbook helps you re-create the fun and flavors of Mesa Grill in your own kitchen.

The Pastry Queen: Royally Good Recipes from the Texas Hill Country's Rather Sweet Bakery & Cafe

Texas accent and all-American flavor, even pitching in to help her put a fresh coat of paint on the porch of her Main Street shop. Rather takes the best of the Lone Star State—pecans, peaches, pralines, chiles, dulce de leche, German sausage—and turns out treats that taste like home, only better than anything homemade ever tasted before. There are the Bacon-Cheddar Scones, the Texas High Hairs Tarts (the only big hair Rather has ever had!), Fourth-of-July's Fried Pies, Turbo-Charged Brownies with Praline Topping, pillowy Kolaches (yeasted buns with savory fillings), dulce de leche, German sausage—and turns out treats that taste like home, only better than anything homemade ever tasted before. Self-taught, Rather's 150 utterly original recipes reflect her made-with-love-from-scratch philosophy and are guaranteed to get everyone fixin' to bake.

The Tex-Mex Cookbook: A History in Recipes and Photos

Join Texas food writer Robb Walsh on a grand tour complete with larger-than-life characters, colorful yarns, rare archival photographs, and a savory assortment of crispy, crunchy Tex-Mex foods.

From the Mexican pioneers of the sixteenth century, who first brought horses and cattle to Texas, to the Spanish mission era when cumin and garlic were introduced, to the 1890s when the Chile Queens of San Antonio sold their peppery stews to gringos like O. Henry and Ambrose Bierce, and through the chili gravy, combination plates, crispy tacos, and frozen margaritas of the twentieth century, all the way to the nuevo fried oyster nachos and vegetarian chorizo of today, here is the history of Tex-Mex in more than 100 recipes and 150 photos.

Rolled, folded, and stacked enchiladas, old-fashioned puffy tacos, sizzling fajitas, truck-stop chili, frozen margaritas, Frito™ Pie, and much, much more, are all here in easy-to-follow recipes for home cooks.

The Tex-Mex Cookbook will delight chile heads, food history buffs, Mexican food fans, and anybody who has ever woken up in the middle of the night craving cheese enchiladas.

101 Things to Do with a Tortilla

101 Things to Do with a Tortilla takes this delicious and nutritious staple of so many countries and brings it into the mainstream with family-friendly recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and more. Tortillas are a no-fail recipe ingredient, and Stephanie Ashcraft and Donna Kelly show that tortillas aren't just for Mexican food anymore!

A Gringo's Guide to Authentic Mexican Cooking (Cookbooks and Restaurant Guides)

Popular TV host and author Mad Coyote Joe takes the foreign out of Mexican cuisine and replaces it with genuine, mouth-watering dishes. Featuring more than 100 of Joe's favorite recipes, this is the real enchilada.

Stop and Smell the Rosemary: Recipes and Traditions to Remember

There is nothing amateurish about Stop and Smell the Rosemary, which won first prize in the McIlhenny community cookbook competition for 1996. (McIlhenny are the folks from Louisiana who bring you Tabasco sauce.) The theme of this handsome book is food suited to today's style of entertaining. Dishes are classy and simple. Most are familiar, but with a twist that works. It's hard to go wrong with Ginger Shrimp Toast, any of the fine roasts and stews, or desserts like Pecan Chocolate Chunk Brownies. Recipes are supposedly quadruple-tested and it looks like the Houston Junior League has a passel of good cooks based on the useful hints and technical tips they pass along in side notes. There are recipes with local character, like Texas White Chili and Fried Okra, and distinctive dishes like $10 Hamburgers and Mangaspacho. Think of this book when you need to give a gift.

Legends of Texas Barbecue Cookbook: Recipes and Recollections from the Pit Bosses

Welcome to Texas barbecue. They love to make it. They love to eat it. And they love to argue about it-igniting as many feuds as fires from Houston to El Paso. Legends of Texas Barbecue Cookbook delivers both a practical cookbook and a guided tour of Texas barbecue lore, giving readers straightforward advice right from the pit masters themselves. Their time-honored tips, along with 85 closely guarded recipes, reveal a lip-smacking feast of smoked meats, savory side dishes, and an awesome array of mops, sauces, and rubs. Their opinions are outspoken, their stories outlandish and hilarious. Fascinating archival photography looks back over more than 100 years of barbecue history, from the first turn of the century squirrel roasts to candid shots of Lyndon Johnson chowing down on a plate of ribs. A list of the best barbecue joints and a month-by-month rundown of the most influential statewide cook-offs round out this glorious celebration of barbecue found deep in the heart of Texas.

Southern Living Slow-Cooker Cookbook (Southern Living)

The slow cooker has made a fast comeback in recent years, and why wouldnt it? You get to serve great tasting, home-cooked meals that demand minimal preparation, require only a single pot, and deliver maximum family- or crowd-pleasing fare. All with little oversight on your part. And no one does slow cooker cooking better than Southern Living. This new volume features more than 200 recipes that show you how to maximize this essential appliance for successful make-ahead cooking. Features n All-new slow cooker recipes focused on simplicity, dependability, and versatility n Handy resources like 15 Minutes or Less, Kids Love It!, Freeze It, or Southern Living Classic n Quick Menu tip boxes throughout help you enhance your slow cooker meals with no-cook or easy-cook side dishes

The Border Cookbook : Authentic Home Cooking of the American Southwest and Northern Mexico

Over 300 recipes explore the common elements and regional differences of border cooking.

Los Barrios Family Cookbook: Tex-Mex Recipes from the Heart of San Antonio

Since 1979, Los Barrios restaurant in San Antonio, Texas—the heart of Tex-Mex cuisine—has been serving up casero, or home-style, cooking that has charmed food critics and earned an impressive following. Founded with a small investment and a lot of spirit, Los Barrios built its reputation on the authenticity of its cuisine. The Los Barrios Family Cookbook offers these reputation-making recipes—from simple but impressive traditional Mex-ican dishes, many of which have been handed down and perfected through the generations, to modern Tex-Mex favorites—to fans of Southwest cuisine across the country.

Included are recipes for Mexican essentials: Homemade Flour Tortillas, Tamales, and Pico de Gallo; Barrios family specialties, such as Mama Viola’s Chicken Rice Soup and Acapulco-Style Ceviche; and the classics—Chiles Rellenos, Chalu-pas, and Enchiladas Verdes. All the recipes contain easy-to-find ingredients, and special cooking tips will help you prepare dishes at home that will be as delicious as those served in the restaurant. The Los Barrios Family Cookbook is a comprehensive and indispensable resource for food that explodes with flavor. ¡Buen provecho!