Rick Bayless is chef of Frontera Grill and Topolobampo in Chicago, creator of Frontera gourmet foods, cookbook author and host of Mexico - One Plate at a Time.


From the Kitchen of Chef Rick Bayless

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From doreenmcrow:

We recently enjoyed brunch at Frontera (1/21)- fabulous, particularly delicious was the house coffee - can you tell me the brand you use?
Thanks for a great brunch!
For years we've worked with Intelligentsia coffe, creating a blend that is mostly fair-trade, organic coffee from Oaxaca in southern Mexico. We blend in some beans from Indonesia to add a wonderful rich complexity and some beans from Africa for robust earthiness. But it's mostly Oaxacan beans.

Sincerely,
Rick
From Michael:

Rick, your home garden is amazing. It is wonderful to see you grow and pick produce from your own backyard. I live in New England and I'm planning for this year's growing season. Can you recommend a seed supplier for authentic Mexican peppers and vegetables not found in the local grocery store? Do you have any tips for growing hot peppers in the northern latitudes? You should consider writing a gardening book on growing traditional Mexican produce?
Thanks for the comments about the garden. It is my pride and joy. You can find a lot of great Mexican produce options at Johnny's Seeds (johnnyseeds.com) and the organic company called Seeds of Change (seedsofchange.com). There are lots of other seeds catalogs that have a few offerings but those two can get you a long way. For the Mexican-style zucchini, plant Ronde de Nice or Tatume. Zapotec pleated are a good tomato. For chiles, just be sure to start the plants indoors, then transplant them to the hottest, sunniest part of the garden (or plant them in large containers); don't over-water them. Each year do a few new varieties to see what works well in your garden and climate. It's all a fun adventure!

Sincerely,
Rick
From dolores:

About a week ago I asked you, if you can tell me how to make the spicy carrots that come in with the jalapaneos in the can, but of course I gave you the wrong address, this time it's the right one. Can you please give me that recipe. Thank you, Dolores

This is how I make pickled jalapeos (which, of course, includes the carrots; if you want more carrots, just replace some of the jalapeos with carrot): Saute 5 whole peeled garlic cloves in a little oil until browned; remove and set aside. Add 1 medium onion (peeled and sliced on bias), 6 ounces jalapeos (about 12 medium) and 1/2 medium white onion (sliced); stir until onion softens. Add 1/2 cup cider vinegar, 1/2 cup water, 2 bay leaves, a little Mexican oregano, a little ground black pepper and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Simmer over medium-low for about 10 minutes. Cool and refrigerate.


Sincerely,
Rick
From Adobe bowl one two three:

Good Morning Rick,
I always try to catch your show on KOCE. Your passion for ingredients is refreshing and very educational.
I have an odd question for ya. The wristwatch you wear on your programs is very stylish. It has a black band and a rectangular white face. I've been shopping for one that looks like yours but I can't find anything that looks good.
Can you tell me the watch maker and what style it is?
Where are they sold?

Thank you for your time and continued success with your show.

Greg Kempton
My watch was my 25th wedding anniversary present from my wife.  It's from Tiffany's.  Yeah, pretty nice gift.

Sincerely,
Rick
From Jon:

Rick,
I saw you on Chefs Story today on PBS. I am interested in growing a small garden like you described you have at your home. Any good books or websites you can point me to?
Thanks!

Jon
A lot of it is trial and error, because intensive gardening like I do relies a lot on the particular soil, the amount and angle of the sun and the varieties you're growing.  I learned a lot by reading everything John Jeavons has written.  He's the master of intensive gardening. Check out http://www.johnjeavons.info/.  A little easier to grasp on a smaller scale is Mel Bartholomew's square foot gardening (http://www.squarefootgardening.com/).

Sincerely,
Rick
From Guerita:

Dear Rick,
Mexican Everyday is the only cookbook that I use frequently enough to warrant it falling apart - thanks! My husband is from Espita in the Yucatan, and I have been learning to make some traditional dishes from our satellite Mayan family living here in San Francisco. I notice that often meat is boiled - I am assuming a reminder of the days before refigeration. I am hoping that grilling the meat will add to the flavor, but do I need to adjust anything to compensate for moisture/texture?
Thanks,
Shelley
Many places in the world, meat is customarily cooked--boiled, stewed, braised--until it is well done. Cooks are accomplishing two things: they're ensuring that the meat is safe to eat (prolonged exposure to higher temperatures will eliminate most health concerns)and they're ensuring tenderness (even tough meat usually yield to tenderness after a long gentle simmer).

When the meat you're cooking with is both tender and safe to eat less than well done, you can adjust the recipe. Just know two things: the sauce that's created during the simmering will need to be made with a good broth (to replace the delicious flavor left behind by long-simmered meat) and the meat needs to be either browned in a skillet or grilled. Usually, rather than just grilling the meat and serving it with the sauce, I put the meat in the sauce for a few minutes to create a more harmonious flavor. Hope this helps.

Sincerely,
Rick
From smaguro:

Now that I've found a nearby mexican grocery where I can get chorizo and lard I need to know how to store them. (The lard and chorizo that is...not the grocery.) The lard comes in qt. containers. Way more than my husband and I will be able to quickly use up. How long will it last in the frig? Same with the chorizo...and can it be frozen?
The answers to your questions are easy: Lard will last in your refrigerator for several months (after 6 months it's still edible, but will begin to taste old). But you can easily freeze it. Depending on exactly how the chorizo is made, it should last a couple of weeks in the refrigerator. It, too, can easily be frozen, and probably should be if you know that you're not going to get to it right away.

Sincerely,
Rick
From saksun1:
Hi Rick and Happy New Year! Will you be hosting the Wednesday night menu dinners again this year? Due to our schedules, my fiance and I couldn't attend any last year. We really hope you'll be offering them again in 2008! Oh and we finally found that delicious Mezcal locally! Thanks! Sharon
Yes! Of course we will be doing our Wednesday Wine Dinners--they are so popular that we continue to do them at the beginning of each year. Check out our home page news item at www.rickbayless.com and you can get the dates, prices and all the info that you will need to make your reseravtions. Don't forget that I will be doing a demonstration prior so plan to get to the restaurant by 6pm. See you then!

Sincerely,
Rick
From Chris:

Rick, When does your new season 6 air for this year, 2008 ? I don't see it on PBS at all, it only shows repeats. Also, do you have any other appearances scheduled? Thanks.

Season 6 will begin rolling out nationwide in March of this year.  Until then, PBS is showing repeats of Season 5.  This coming season we are focusing on parties--inspired by Mexico and shot in Chicago. 

As far as other appearances--I just got back from San Francisco where I did an appearance at our newest Frontera Fresco in the Macy's at Union Square.  I will try to list my appearances in the NEWS section on the home page.

 

Thanks again!



Sincerely,
Rick
From kirsten:

Hi Rick,
What brand of blender do you use on "One Plate at a Time"? I noticed it was really powerful when you made a salsa and I need to replace ours soon. Thanks!

The blender that I am totally in love with is the Vita-Mix (Professional Series) with variable speed. It is unbelievable when it comes to making difficult-to-grind mixtures for mole. And because of the variable speed option, you can use it for small batches of salsa (being able to adjust to a slower speed gives you more control with small batches). It also comes with a blender jar and stir-stick that allows you to grind dry ingredients and spices--though you'll need to do fairly large quantities of both to get an even grind. And it--unfortunately for most of us--comes with a pretty high price tag. In our restaurant, we use the Turbo-Blend version, which doesn't have the variable speed, since we're always working in the larger quantities; they are much less expensive. Check out the offerings at amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/104-4644254-3286303?url=search-alias%3Dgarden&field-keywords=vita-mix



Sincerely,
Rick
From Eddie Arias:

Rick,
In your episode on taking on food outside the resorts you were in Puerto Vallarta, My family's hometown. How in earth did you happen to find all my favorite street vendors? The shrimp burgers and al pastor location "el carboncito" are two locations I never miss going to when I visit and here you are eating there. You rock!!!!

Keep up the good work. You are taking our cuisine beyond the taco and burrito culture in america.
To find those locations (since I am not native to the area, like you), I did what I always do: I asked people working in shops, restaurants and hotels where they eat tacos, etc. If you speak Spanish and if you talk with them long enough--especially if you're talking to a couple of people at a time--they usually get really excited that you're looking for the real food of the area. And they tell you everything. Usually with huge smiles on their faces. That's when I know I've got the good stuff. I'm glad you liked the show!

Sincerely,
Rick
From cm-oak:

Rick - I have seen your video on the FiveStar website demonstrating their sealed 21K burner range. We are looking for a 6-burner 36" rangetop with sealed burners and a large sear-to-simmer range. My wife seems to be locked on to Wolf, admittedly an impressive product with a reputation for reliability. The FiveStar, however, shares many of the same design features while theoretically providing superior cooking potential with 6 higher-output burners that can all hold a simmer. I realize you have an endorsement arrangement with FiveStar, but I wanted to know if you could candidly comment on the cooking capabilities, ease of use, and reliability of their range. Although there are dealers here in the SF Bay Area who carry FiveStar, no one has the new ranges or rangetops on display, and really no one seems to know anything about them. Thanks for your reply which I would be happy to take directly if think that posting them to the website might compromise your relationship with FiveStar. Regards...Chris
I have owned a FiveStar Range for 12 years, long before they chose to underwrite our Public Television series. I bought it because, after researching for some time, I thought it had the most to offer. Mostly in terms of burner temperature range. What I learned later is that FiveStar is the "gourmet" division of a moderately small, family-owned company in Tennessee, and that those ranges are very carefully and lovingly designed and hand-built (I've seen the plant). I've never regretted my original purchase. Though I've had a couple of problems with temperature regulation in one of the ovens over the years, I have always been able to get repairs done easily. As to the closed vs. open burners: I have had both and, while the closed burners are certainly easier to clean, it has been my experience that the closed burners don't go quite as low as the open burners and don't have quite as even heat distribution. But I quibble. I love my FiveStar range.

Sincerely,
Rick
From Mexman:

Hi, just wondering what kind of bread you use at frontera fresco at macy's,it is unbelieveable! It is a very light yet airy/crispy bread and was wondering if you could be kind enough to point me in the right direction on where to find something similar. Thanks Rick!
I wish I could tell you exactly where to find it, but we're having it made specifically for us by Labriola bakery, the wonderful artisinal bakers on the south side of Chicago. They're not doing that bread (and certainly not that traditional telera shape) for anyone else. But if you ask really sweetly--and we have enough of a supply--I'm sure you can buy a few. PS I'm wild about that bread, too, especially the way it crisps when we make the tortas!

Sincerely,
Rick
From travis takahashi:

Aloha Chef,

What ingredients do you use when making Churros??? Some recipes that I have seen call for eggs, some don't.

Mahalo,

Travis Takahashi

The street vendors in Mexico don't use eggs in the recipe. Try this recipe for that style.

In a small saucepan, combine 1 tablespoon oil, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil, add 1 cup flour and stir until everything comes together into a smooth ball.

That's it. Cool it down and press it through a churro press into hot oil and you've got golden churros.



Sincerely,
Rick
From Ida:

Hi Rick: I live in Miami but I enjoy your show very much. While in Chicago last summer I visited your restaurants. Any plans to expand to other locations?
Yes, we're expanding ... But only by a few feet.  In the fall we're opening a little place on the corner of our block--simple and quick, built with all green materials and LEED certified.  It'll feature Mexican-style hot chocolate (made from chocolate that's ground right in front of you--won't that smell good?), espresso drinks,  fresh-made crisp-crunchy churros, those Mexican sandwiches they call tortas (warmed and crisped in a wood-burning oven) and homemade ice creams. Name still to be determined.

Sincerely,
Rick

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