Review: For Those Who Love To Cook
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 22, 2014
Tex Mex From Scratch does exactly what it says: breaks down Tex Mex food into all the recipes you will need to make a variety of dishes. It is written for the complete novice - someone who has rarely or never really experienced true Tex Mex (e.g., Europeans) and so it provides great substitutions for those who may not have border staples such as tomatillos or the smooth white soft Mexican cheese (queso ranchero) readily available.The book breaks down as follows: the basics of Tex-Mex, breakfast, antojitos, tacos, barbecues, desserts, and drinks. So yes, tacos, margaritas, tortillas, enchiladas - the basics are there. But because we are talking Tex-Mex, there is a lot of German influences in the dishes, such as spicy potato salad.These are dishes you will prepare over time, lovingly, and without a thought to calories. From slow cooking a chicken in a smoker (half filled with water, half with mesquite), to deep fat frying tortillas for taquitos. Note: t23here are recipes which will need certain ingredients from a Latin American food store (e.g., that Taquitos recipe does recommend you get very thin corn tortillas from a Latin American shop or specialist deli).There are plenty of pictures of the author, friends, smokers, and of course the dishes.  The book is beautifully laid out, easy to follow, with clear directions and ingredient lists.  The back features an index for the recipes.This is definitely a book for those that love to cook and want to get past the terrible packaged 'tex-mex' in stores or often gringo-ized tastes at so-called Mexican restaurants. So be prepared to do a lot of hand work to make the best food possible.Reviewed from an ARC.