docsconz

And I thought his weakness was for chenin blanc! Seriously, While I am not acquainted with all the places Busboy has recommended, those that I am familiar with I entirely agree with so that I would definitely trust the others as well. Hell, based on his track record, i would trust them anyway

Hot Tamales! That evening we met Ricardo Munoz Zurita for the first time for his lecture demonstration on tamales. He is the author of the much acclaimed, sought after and rare Diccionario Enciclopedio de la Gastronomia Mexicana. He is also the Chef-Proprietor of the popular cafe Oro y Azul on the UNAM Campus in Mexico City. Tamales (tamal for only one) are an ancient and important component of Meso-American cuisine. Basically they consist of corn dough with or without other fillings wrapped within an outer leaf, most commonly corn husks. Banana leaves are also common depending on the geographic origen of the tamal variety. These stuffed leaves are then steamed to completion and typically served with a sauce. Ricardo and his assistant Maximiliano prepared a few different varieties for us including Tamales de Rajaas (Tamales with Chile Strips), Tamales de Frijol Negro (Black Bean Tamales) from central Mexico, Tamales de Chaya (Swiss chard) from Tabasco. The first two were made with corn husks while the latter banana leaves. Ricardo steaming a roasted chile to facilitate peeling. Working with the masa. Stuffing the Tamal with chile strips and red salsa. Folding a tamal. Trying my hand at one. The Bean Tamales were cut from a roll. The masa was spread, flattened and filled with the beans. This was then rolled up and sliced into portions before filling the corn husk. Black Bean Tamales awaiting steaming. The banana leaves treated over heat to prepare them for stuffing. The banana leaves were stuffed with chicharron and chard. Ricardo showing a steamed Tamal de Chaya Maximiliano and Ricardo with their tamales. Tamal de rajas with the mole The Tamal de Chaya with a red tomato sauce and Chiappas cheese. The Raja tamal in its husk. The tamales were of course delicious. My favorite was the Chaya. The banana leaf gave it a very pleasant perceptable flavor. Ricardo himself was extremely, articulate, personable and charming. This evening and the rest of his time with us was something to value. I can't wait for his and Marilyn Tausend's book. Speaking of Marilyn, I would like to add a few words about her in this trip. She is a luminous figure in bringing the world of mexican cooking to the rest of North America in her own right. Her Mexico: The Beautiful cookbook which she co-wrote is indeed beautiful and an excellent source. She has been leading culinary trips to Mexico for some time and along with her assistant ana Elena Martinez vital to making this trip happen. On the trip itself she was more of a logistical leader than a forceful culinary personality, although she often provided a quiet counterpoint during discussion. With the other culinary players on board she was happy to play a supporting role and did so admirably. I would not hesitate to take another trip under her guidance.

Here's a photo of Classic Mexican White Rice made for the same cena. The plantains, an optional component to the recipe, made this an outstanding rice dish in my opinion. The green herb is parsley. The rice is a medium-grain that was initially fried in oil. The initial cooking of this dish is much like for a risotto except that once the broth is added tthe rice is slowly simmered rather than continuously stirred. Fresh lime juice provides an additional component along with onion and garlic. The fried and caramelized plantains are added at the end. We have since made this at home. So long as we can get good plantains, this will be a regular.

Joe, That is left over lime paste used to make nixtamal from the dried corn. It is used here to season the comal's porous earthenware.

Actually Mike, I think you made a lot of sense. I think you captured the essesnce of the subtle differences of what is acceptable and what is not. It is no longer Chef Robin that is being discussed (at least not by most), but the concepts involved. The situation from his restaurant merely provides what seems to be a clear example. Personally, I would prefer that neither his name nor that of any other individual come up again in this topic.

I will soon be able to see this for myself. We finally got a reservation. Alas, no Cyrus this trip!

Squash Blossom Quesadillas Tortillas made directly from fresh masa were used to make these delicious squash blossom and string cheese quesadillas. Pressing the masa into a tortilla. Laying on the hot comal. Placing the cheese. Placing the blossoms. Folding it over and letting it cook. Hot off the comal. Ready to eat.

Salsa Verde Chopping tomatillos (tomates) There are green chiles (either jalapeno or serrano in here as well) Adding chopped white onions to the tomatillos that were more finely chopped in the Vitamixer. Sprinkling chopped cilantro on top. Voila. The final product. Delicious

The difference Robert is that those dishes were probably identified as homages. The issue isn't so much that the dishes are copies, but that they appear to be claimed as originals in a context in which most people are not likely to aware that they are not. ← Doc, I haven't been following the thread, so maybe I didn't make the point in the right context; the point being that these copycat chefs ought to be honest and gracious enough to say that they liked a colleague's work so much that they want to share it with those who might otherwise not have the opportunity to taste it. Agreed. I don't think I would go that far.

I think you will be fine. You can order some things from the tasting menu a la carte if you find something particularly interesting.

Mole, Mole Mole! After a little bit of time exploring the beautiful old town of Tlaxcala (pronounced sort of like To LaScala - at least that is how I remembered it) we came back to the base for Rick's first full scale cooking demonstration. He would show us a salsa verde, Mexican white rice a fava bean soup and squah blossom and cheese quesadillas made with Mexican string cheese that was very much like mozzarella. In addition he would show us an approachable way to make a true Mole Poblano. At this point I will cut right to the chase and show the mole. I will not show all the detailed steps of the process though. Mise en place for the mole. This mole had 16 different ingredients not including the chicken that was enrobed in the sauce. Mole means "sauce". In Mexican haute cuisine the sauce is the reason for the dish. People order or perhaps more commonly make for a special meal "mole with chicken or whatever" rather than "chicken or whatever with mole". The same is true for pipians and other sauces. The protein is secondary to the sauce. In certain respects that reminds me of classic French cuisine that relied much more heavily on sauces than modern French cuisine does. Well with sauces like moles, why not? Not only are they delicious, they are also quite nutritious as they are full of vegetables, vitamins, minerals and fiber while being relatively low in fat. While still fairly labor intensive Rick's demonstration made the process accessible. Indeed later in the week one of the groups made a fantastic red pipian with guidance from Rick and Richard James. More on that in a later post. Nevertheless, my wife and I came away from there feeling that the process is indeed do-able. Many people equate mole poblano with chocolate and yes there is chocolate as an ingredient - typically mexican style granular chocolate with cinnamon and perhaps other ingredients such as vanilla. Even so we learned that a mole is not a "chocolate sauce". Indeed it is not a sauce of any one thing. It is a new entity built of the some of its parts. It was said that if the individual components of the mole can be readily identified that the mole is not a good one. A mole is a symphony on the plate without a defined solo. Richard James saucing the chicken with the mole prior to replacing the chicken back in the oven. The Final Product. The mole was fabulous! It was dark, rich and complexly delicious. Indeed this was a sum of its parts working in unison and not a conglomeration of clashing dissonance (not there is anything necessarily wrong with that!). As good as it was fresh, we had the opportunity to taste the sauce several more times over the next few days although not as much as we would have liked as a good portion of it was accidentally spilled The mole, as many great sauces and dishes do, continued to evolve with even greater depth and complexity. If I had to choose one culinary highlight of this trip it would have to have been the mole. The supporting elements of that afternoon's cena weren't so bad either. I will attempt to post more on them soon.

Nice article, Bryan. The only thing I might have added was a mention of the European roots of the movement, but then I have been sensitized by the discussion on food, influences and plagiarism. Nevertheless the discussion from some of my favorites like Wylie and Will was well done with very nice quotes. I especially likeed Wylie's comments about working in the present and not the future - an interesting perspective on what to many appears to be futuristic cuisine. The future is now.

I predict this thread will be a footnote to culinary history. The man is quite talented. I feel very fortunate to have been able to participate even if just once.

I remember some Australian Shiraz worked well at Amma, but not which one, although I had several different ones there. As for Rick's pairings I will be mentioning some specific wines we tasted in my thread on the trip my wife and I were on with him. However, whenever dining at Topo I would let them recommend the specific pairings. They have a dynamite wine program.

Interesting thought. I had totally assumed avian eggs. Still I was curious if the full pre-Columbian traditions had held sway. Thanks for your thoughtful answer.

I'm very interested in that remark, because in a fairly recent visit to Mexico City I tried and tried to pair Mexican wines with alta/nueva cucina, and I just couldn't make it work. I consistently found the foods too rich for the reds (the way Indian food is), and too hearty for the whites. I'd love to hear what you've done. ← It isn't at all what I have done. It is what Rick and his crew have done. After several meals at Topo and time with Rick in Mexico I can attest that not only is it possible, it can be startlingly good. This is particularly true for the more sophisticated cuisine. By the way I found excellent pairings with Indian food at Amma when Suvir Suran and Hemant Mathur were there. In possibly one of my biggest omissions so far I have yet to dine at Devi. I will have to correct that.

The difference Robert is that those dishes were probably identified as homages. The issue isn't so much that the dishes are copies, but that they appear to be claimed as originals in a context in which most people are not likely to aware that they are not.

Lucy, I have always enjoyed the truly Mexican cuisine I have had, which is one reason my wife and I took this trip, but I never realized just how ignorant I was. I am now by no means an expert, but you are right my level of appreciation is exponentially higher than it was. Mexico is a marvellous country. If there weren't so many other places in the world I also wish to get to know I bit I could see making it a frequent habit to visit there. As it is I can't wait to return and explore other areas as well as the places I have already been to.

Great, mouthwatering list. I imagine the eggs used in this dish in pre-Columbian times were turkey. Do you know what kind of eggs are most commonly used today?

Katie, it would be my pleasure! Kouign, The differences were perceptible, but subtle and hard to describe. I think the situation would be like wine in that the more experience one has the easier it is to differntiate and describe. To be honest I'm not sure that most people would be able to discern much of a difference let alone a preference. The idea though is that again like wine, some varieties are better suited for different purposes and accompaniments. I could not begin to go into these, however, as you discovered the extent of my knowledge of this area a couple of weeks after the encounter!

Food in the Art of Tlaxcala Food apparwently has always been an important component of Mexican culture, especially corn. In the government palace thee is a beautiful large Riveraesque mural called Mural of the conquest of Tlaxcala by Desiderio Hernandez. Xochitiotzin. It is a rather large compositon that is still not completely finished even though the artist is now in his 80's. here are a few pictures of some of the food related detail: And here is an ancient food related mural from the archealogical site of the Pyramid of Cacaxtla: In lieu of corn arising from the stalks are human heads. Corn was considered the lifegiver. The murals at cacaxtla date back to around 650 AD.

Perfectly summarized and stated, Jeff. Thanks for setting it up and now finishing it. It was an evening to remember.

Sounds good! I'm already going to Moto on my June trip, looking for a second place the night before, was thinking Spring or Kevin, may have to consider this place now. ← I would advocate Schwa, Alinea and Moto for any visitor coming to Chicago for an introduction to CHicago's finest and newest culinary talents. Spring is also an excellent choice. Try the very best fine dining sites you can afford! This choice will also guarantee a magnificent dining experience. Schwa will NOT break the bank and is an amazing value in CHicago. So is Spring which is more expensive than Schwa. Now Moto and Alinea can be more expensive. You can ultimately dine at the best of both. If you have one meal at both establishments is it worth it?? YES!! Yes without qualification. Your tab will be in excess of $200. Judith Gebhart ← I certainly would not argue against those restaurants, but Topolobampo has always been on my to do list in Chicago because it is so difficult to find truly great Mexican haute cuisine anywhere else outside of Mexico. I felt that way even before my recent trip with Rick Bayless. Not to take anything away from the other restaurants that Judith mentions, but I wouldn't sell Topo short. I do not disagree with her recommendations, it is just that I include Topo on my list with them. If you do go try their pairings with Mexican wines. They work surprisingly and amazingly well with the food.

Nice review, Simon. For what is worth I was at Alinea and El Bulli last year and both were amongst the very best meals of my life so far. I think one helps appreciate the other even more. Enjoy!

Almuerzo: A Celebration of Local Corn with Amado Ramirez Leyva After we returned from la molina , it was time for almuerzo. Corn is the basic staple of Mexico and few people have come to know more about it and its many varieties than Amado Ramirez. He is also a dedicated preservationist. Although trained as an engineer he has devoted his life to preserving the biodiversity of corn, especially in Mexico. Here is a link to a BBC article about him and what he is up against. If anyone should be a candidate for a Slow food Award in the Defense of Biodiversity it should be Sr. Ramirez Leyva. When NAFTA was passed there was a lot of concern in the US about its potential adverse effects on the US economy. It is therrefore somewhat ironic that Mexico is being effecte by very cheap prices of US corn and beans, so much so that the indigenous varieties are having a very difficult time competing on an economic basis. Black beans from Michigan were about half the price of those from the various areas of Mexico. This is putting a huge strain on the continued existence of those varieties. Corn is much the same. Sr. Ramirez came up from Oaxaca where he owns several restaurants by the name of Itanoni specializing in the variety of corn. Ramirez and Itanoni were also mentioned in the book 1491, that I mentioned elsewhere. He had prepared a degustation of toasted tortillas for us made from various types of corn. These were served with beans, several styles of cheese including my first taste of the wonderful chiappas, chicken "tinga" with chile chipotle sauce and crema, the Mexican creme fraiche. In addition several types of antojitos including "titelas" and one with hoja santa that was translated as "this one" were made on the comal. Chicken "Tinga" with chile chipotle sauce. Rolling up "this one" to cut and serve. After our Almuerzo we explored the surrounding area of Tlaxcala with a guide. Up next are photos of same amazing murals with an emphasis on indigenous food and Rick makes a mole poblano.