Fiesta style by a master of Mexican

It's been a whirlwind year for Rick Bayless, who's been in the food business for more than three decades turning out amazing Mexican fare and whose seventh cookbook was recently released - Fiesta at Rick's: Fabulous Food for Great Times With Friends (W.W. Norton & Co.).

The chef/owner of Chicago's Frontera Grill, Topolobampo, and XOCO not only cooked at a White House state dinner for the president of Mexico in May but also consulted and designed the menus for the recently opened RED O Restaurant in Los Angeles.

You might also recognize Bayless as the winner of Bravo's first Top Chef Masters television competition, in which he took the $110,000 top prize in August.

In this, his first party book, written with his wife, Deann Groen Bayless, he shares 150 fiesta-style recipes for guacamoles, libations, small and large plates, street food, and sweet inspirations.

The book is an outgrowth of Season 6 (Season 7 is airing now) of his PBS series, Mexico - One Plate at a Time, which featured fun parties in his back yard, showcasing Bayless' take on "blow the lid off" celebrations.

While recipes are authentic and comfortable, he's added his own touches. For a party, "the guacamole luxury bar is really a show stopper," he notes. "Make a simple guacamole and add toppings from chopped bacon, crab salpicon, salsa Mexicana . . . and you can literally customize your every bite!"

His cooking style - "straightforward, full of flavor, soulful - authentic Mexican cuisine that is contemporary and always evolving" - is evident throughout. So is his emphasis on seasonal, fresh, high-quality (local) ingredients that "are a huge part of the experience here in Chicago," where he's built relationships with local farmers.

"We began our Frontera Farmer Foundation seven years ago (Bayless is a cofounder) - and to date have given out over $750,000 in capital improvement grants to sustainable farms in the Midwest." His cash prize won on Top Chef Masters went to the foundation.

When it comes to presentation, "I don't plate food with a lot of architecture, as it isn't representative of Mexican cooking."

Designed for all levels of cooks, his newest cookbook includes recipes for the adventurer ("dig your own pit, anyone?") along with recommended large and small party menus that capture the festive spirit of Mexico with timelines, music playlists, and setting/serving ideas.

"While there are dishes in the book that don't require a lot of time to make, a good number of them (all embellished with a party vibe) do involve forethought or dedication. Planning, crafting, and splurging are the essential building blocks of a real fiesta. The mole party will set you back a few days! It's near and dear to me - mole means celebration and the drama of having it in a huge cazuela over an open fire - your guests will love it."

His easily prepared Bacon-and-Tomato Guacamole "is a perfect Mexican-American fusion of smoky, bright, creamy, fresh, and satisfying." An attention-getting Impossible Cake can be made two or three days in advance. Coat a cake pan with Mexican caramel called cajeta from a jar, spread with chocolate cake batter, and top with liquidy custard. Once baked, the chocolate cake ends up on top with the custard underneath (but you invert it to serve).

About cooking at the White House, Bayless, who has been attracted to the foods of Mexico since a trip there at the age of 14 and when he lived there for five years after college, notes that although it was fun, grueling, and nerve-racking, "it was truly one of the highlights of my career. We were there for two days prior to the event. We are now serving the menu at Topolobampo" (you'll find it at www.rickbayless.com. Go to restaurants, Topolobampo, menu).

Bayless is heavily involved in Los Angeles' RED O. Owners Mike Dobson and Rick Teasta and the RED O team approached him last year to design the menu and help train key staff.

"I felt that I had something that I could offer to the restaurant community there - something a bit different."

Bayless is still hands-on at his popular Chicago dining spots. "I am here every day and try to limit my travel to two days at a time," he notes. No doubt that accounts for his success, as does the terrific food - with his Frontera Grill, opened in 1987, schedule to celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2012 (with a book in the works).

Competing on Top Chef Masters was "physically and emotionally draining - the hardest thing I have done ever. Period. But I don't regret a thing. It really opened up my audience. I got a wonderful opportunity to show off how amazing Mexican cuisine is - and to beat out French and Italian!? Crazy!"

When Bayless and his wife cook at home, it's "simple food" and usually something picked from the garden. "We cook outside (when we can!)."

Bayless urges home cooks to stock their pantries with canned chipotles and shop at local farmers' markets. "Mexican markets are amazing. Don't be intimidated to go in and look around," he advises.

"Give yourself enough time to shop and cook. I think there is a huge misconception that Mexican food is simple - it is quite complex and can be labor-intensive."

Makes 8 to 10 servings

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5 strips medium-thick bacon (full-flavored smoky bacon)

3 medium-large (about 1 1/4 pounds) ripe avocados

1/2 medium white onion, chopped into 1/4-inch pieces

2-3 canned chipotle chilies en adobo to taste, removed from canning sauce, stemmed, slit open, seeds scraped out and finely chopped

1 medium-large round, ripe tomato, cored and chopped into 1/4-inch pieces, squeeze out juices and seeds if really ripe

1/4 cup (loosely packed) coarsely chopped fresh cilantro (thick bottom stems cut off), plus a little extra for garnish

Salt

1-2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

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1. In a large (10-inch) skillet, cook bacon slices in a single layer over medium heat, turning occasionally, until crispy and browned, about 10 minutes. Drain on paper towels, then coarsely crumble.

2. Cut around each avocado, from stem to blossom end and back again, then twist two halves apart. Dislodge pit. Scoop flesh from skin into a large bowl. Using an old-fashioned potato masher or a large fork or spoon, mash avocados into a coarse puree.

3. Scoop onion into a small strainer and rinse under cold water. Shake off excess water and transfer to bowl, along with chipotle chilies, tomatoes, cilantro (save out a little for garnish if desired) and about 2/3 of bacon (to ensure crisp bacon texture leave this out and stir in just before serving if planning to make a bit in advance). Gently stir to combine ingredients. Taste and season with salt, usually about 1/2 teaspoon, and enough lime juice to add a little sparkle.

4. Cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface of the guacamole and refrigerate until ready to serve. (Stir in 2/3 of bacon, if you didn't before.) To serve, scoop guacamole into a serving dish, sprinkle with remaining 1/3 of bacon (and cilantro if you have it). Serve with tortilla chips.

Per serving (based on 10): 236 calories, 5 grams protein, 10 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams sugar, 21 grams fat, 16 milligrams cholesterol, 261 milligrams sodium, 6 grams dietary fiber.EndText

Makes 6 servings

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6 large garlic cloves, unpeeled

4 fresh serrano or 2 fresh jalapeno chilies, stemmed

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil, plus more for steaks

Salt

6 rib-eye steaks about 1 inch thick (about 10 to 12 ounces each)

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1. In a small ungreased skillet, roast unpeeled garlic and chilies over medium heat, turning occasionally, until both are soft and blotchy black in places, 5 to 10 minutes for chilies, 10 to 15 minutes for garlic. Cool, then peel garlic.

2. Place garlic and chilies in a food processor along with lime juice and oil. Process until mixture is as smoothly pureed as possible. Season highly with salt, usually about 11/2 teaspoons. Smear mixture over both sides of steaks, cover and refrigerate up to 1 hour.

3. Light a charcoal fire and let coals burn until covered with gray ash; position grill grate and let it heat for a couple of minutes. Spray or brush steaks on both sides with a little oil. Lay on grill grates and cook 3 or 4 minutes, until grates have seared beautiful grill marks into the meat - don't attempt to move the steaks until you can see nice marking. Flip steaks and cook until as done as you like (typically about 2 to 3 minutes longer for medium-rare). Let steaks rest a few minutes (on a cool part of the grill, on a grate suspended over the back of the grill or on a rack over a baking sheet in a very low oven) before serving to allow meat to reabsorb all juices. Serve with "lazy" salsa or another salsa or hot sauce of your choice.

Note: The marinade can be made a day or two ahead. Don't marinate steaks for more than hour or so or the meat can lose its color and surface texture. And don't grill steaks until you're almost ready to eat. They will hold (in fact, they have better texture when held) up to 30 minutes in a very low oven on a rack set over a rimmed baking sheet to catch juices.

Per serving: 707 calories, 57 grams protein, 2 grams carbohydrates, trace sugar, 51 grams fat, 150 milligrams cholesterol, 248 milligrams sodium, trace dietary fiber.EndText

Makes 6 generous servings

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4 medium-small, red-ripe round tomatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds)

1 medium onion, cut in half

3 or 4 jalapenos, stemmed

4 garlic cloves

Salt

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1. Light a charcoal fire and let the coals burn until they are covered with gray ash; position the grill grate and let it heat for a couple of minutes. Lay on tomatoes, onion halves, jalapenos, and garlic. (To keep the garlic from dropping through and to make cleanup easy, lay a perforated grill pan on grill grates, heat, then lay on vegetables.) Grill ingredients, turning occasionally, until they are well charred, about 10 minutes for garlic, 15 minutes for chilies, and 20 minutes for tomatoes and onions. As they are done, remove to a rimmed baking sheet. Let cool. Peel garlic. Pull charred skins off tomatoes, if desired.

2. In a food processor, combine garlic and chilies. Pulse until coarsely pureed. Add tomatoes and any juices that have collected on baking sheet and pulse until roughly chopped.

3. Chop onion and place in a bowl. Stir in tomato mixture, along with a little water (usually about 2 tablespoons), to give salsa an easily spoonable consistency. Taste and season with salt, usually about 1 teaspoon.

Per serving: 28 calories, 1 gram protein, 6 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams sugar, trace fat, no cholesterol, 102 milligrams sodium, 1 gram dietary fiber.EndText

Makes 12 generous servings

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For the cake pan:

Softened butter and some flour

1 cup homemade or store-bought cajeta (goat milk caramel), store-bought Coronado brand Cajeta Envinada in the squeeze bottle works well

For the cake:

5 ounces (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons) butter, slightly softened

1 cup sugar

1 egg

2 tablespoons espresso powder dissolved in 1 1/2 tablespoons hot water or 3 tablespoons espresso

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup cake flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder (regular, not Dutch process)

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk

For the flan:

1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

4 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla, preferably Mexican vanilla

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1. Prepare the cake pan. Generously butter bottom and sides of a 10-inch round cake pan that's 3 inches deep; sprinkle with flour, then tip pan, tapping on the side of the counter several times, to evenly distribute flour over bottom and sides. Shake out excess. Microwave cajeta 30 seconds to soften, then pour over bottom of pan, tilting pan to coat bottom evenly. Place a kettle of water over medium-low heat. Set out a deep pan that's larger than your cake pan (a roasting pan works well) that can serve as a water bath during baking.

2. Make the cake batter. With an electric mixer (use the flat beater, if yours has a choice), beat butter and sugar at medium-high speed until light in color and texture. Scrape bowl. Beat in egg and espresso. Sift together all-purpose and cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cocoa. With the mixer on medium-low, beat in about 1/2 of flour mixture, followed by 1/2 of buttermilk. Repeat. Scrape bowl, then increase speed to medium-high and beat 1 minute.

3. Make the flan mixture. In a blender, combine both milks, eggs, and vanilla. Blend until smooth. Scrape cake batter into the prepared cake pan and spread level. Slowly, pour flan mixture over cake batter. (it's easiest to pour mixture into a small ladle, letting it run over onto batter.) Don't be alarmed if some of cake batter begins to float up through the custard - it'll come out fine in the end. Pull out oven rack, set the cake into the large pan, then set both pans on the rack. Pour hot water around cake pan to a depth of 1-inch. Carefully slide pans into the oven.

4. Bake on a rack in the middle of pre-heated 350-degree oven about 50 to 55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into cake comes out dry. Remove from water bath and cool to room temperature, about 1 hour. For easiest unmolding, refrigerate cake several hours or overnight.

5. To serve, carefully run a thin-bladed knife around edge of cake/flan to free edges. Invert a rimmed serving platter over cake pan, grasp two tightly together, then turn upside down. Gently jiggle pan back and forth several times to ensure that cake/flan has dropped. Remove pan, scraping any remaining cajeta from pan onto cake.

Note: The cake can be made 2 or 3 days ahead, cooled, tightly covered with plastic - still in the pan - and refrigerated. Unmold the cake a couple of hours before serving and leave it at room temperature.

Per serving: 424 calories, 11 grams protein, 54 grams carbohydrates, 39 grams sugar, 19 grams fat, 139 milligrams cholesterol, 306 milligrams sodium, 1 gram dietary fiber.EndText

Makes 8 drinks

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Finely grated zest (colored rind only) from 1 lime

1 cup fresh lime juice

1 cup Cointreau (orange flavored liqueur)

1 cup silver tequila (El Tesoro and Partida preferred)

Superfine sugar, if needed for sweetness

Coarse (kosher) salt, for serving

1 lime, cut in half, for serving

1 bottle (750 milliliters) Champagne or other sparkling wine

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1. In a pitcher, combine lime zest, lime juice, Cointreau, tequila and sugar (if using). Cover and refrigerate until cold, at least 1 hour.

2. Just before serving, strain mixture to remove zest and pour enough salt into a saucer to cover the bottom. Rub a lime half over the rim of each champagne glass and upend into salt to crust lightly. Pour about 3 ounces of tequila mixture into each glass, fill the rest of the way with Champagne or sparkling wine and hand to one of your lucky guests.