Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill Cookbook: Explosive Flavors from the Southwestern Kitchen by Bobby Flay, Sally Jackson and Stephanie Banyas (2007, Hardcover)

AA+

Very nice quality, 276 page hardbound first edition cookbook copyrighted in 2007, with many quality color photographs of the finished recipe.

Book contents; Introduction, Southwestern Pantry, Guide to Fresh and dried Chiles, Mesa Kitchen Basics, Drinks, soups, salads, appetizers, shellfish and fish, poultry, meat and game, sides, relishes, sauces and vinaigrettes, desserts, brunch, a list of sources, and a detailed index.

There is a helpful glossary of the "building blocks of flavor" for southwestern cooking which Flay describes as his 27 "go to" ingredients, info about 14 different fresh and dried chiles and the scoville heat/pungency rating of each.

There is a section describing the cooking methods Flay uses including; blanching, cold-smoking, roastings peppers and chiles, toasting dried chiles, making chile puree, pan-roasting, roasting corn, roasting garlic, reducing sauce to consistency, making simple syrup, toasting nuts seeds and spices, and indoor grilling.

A Tequila guide is also inside with recipes for several margaritas, a Mesa Grill "Smokey Floater" and for a "Spicy Bloody Mary."

This cookbook was copyrighted 16 years after Mesa Grill Restaurant opened, and in my opinion is a good addition for cooking enthusiasts!

If you have ever been to the Mesa Grill restaurant, you'll be extremely satisfied 10x over because it contains way more recipes than on the menu, with REALLY nice full color pages, and so many unique and creative dishes! My favorite is the bbq duck in the blue corn pancake (I recommend doing that one first!!)

Long before Food Network crowned Iron Chef Bobby Flay "the king of the grill," he had his own restaurant called the Mesa Grill and finally after fifteen years has put the restaurant's recipe secrets in a book. Most have been the classics on the menu since the beginning and a few new ones added on later. There are 150 recipes, all extremely tempting and most of them with a Southwestern kick. He imparts plenty of "chef secrets" into this book....like how not to overcook fish and shellfish and the right herbs and spices, relishes, vinaigrettes, glazes and sauces and more to maximize the flavor of food. If you are a Bobby Flay fanatic, then this is your cookbook!

Who doesn't LOVE Bobby Flay?! This is a fabulous book. He begins w/ a list of his "building block" ingredients w/ an explanation of each, including the different chilies he uses (very helpful for me). These are recipes from his famous restaurants. The ingredients are not hard to find, however, some may not be what you are used to looking for. The ingredients are not lengthy for each recipe & not time-consuming to prepare. Most dishes have WONDERFUL glossy color pictures that make your mouth water! The glossy pages are great...ever get discouraged with a cookbook w/ no pics & dry/rough pages??? This is a winner. It MIGHT intimidate a new beginner though. I would say the intermediate cook would be very comfortable with it. A+++++!!!

Bobby Flay is the master of southwest rubs, sauces and flavors. We had borrowed this book from the library, tried and few of the recipes, and HAD to have our own copy. It will not disappoint. His dishes take a bit of prep but they are well worth it. The book itself if a pleasure to read through, colorful and appetizing. Thanks to ebay we got a good price.