Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill Cookbook: Explosive Flavors from the Southwestern Kitchen

by Bobby Flay

Overview

Smoky, earthy, fruity, and spicy, the flavors of the Southwest have intrigued Bobby Flay ever since he was a young chef, eventually serving as the inspiration for the menu at his first restaurant, Mesa Grill. Now sixteen years later, Bobby’s bold and vivacious take on this cuisine has made him a fixture on America’s culinary scene and turned Mesa Grill into a veritable institution. In Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill Cookbook, the celebrity chef invites you to join him in the kitchen of his famous restaurant to learn the secrets of his of his signature contemporary Southwestern cuisine.

Here are 150 recipes for the drinks, appetizers, soups, salads, main dishes, sides, sauces, desserts, and brunch dishes that have earned Bobby his reputation for creating innovative combinations and big, rich flavors, including:

- Grilled Asparagus and Goat Cheese Quesadillas with Tomato Jam and Cilantro Yogurt
- Queso Fundido with Roasted Poblano Vinaigrette
- Sweet Potato and Roasted Plantain Soup with Smoked Chile Crema
- Grilled Shrimp Brushed with Smoked Chile Butter and Tomatillo Salsa
- Seared Tuna Tostado with Black Bean Mango Salsa
- Coffee-Rubbed Filets Mignons with Ancho-Mushroom Sauce
- Spicy Coconut Tapioca with Mango and Blackberries

Complete with a guide no tequila lover should be without, a list of must-haves for the Southwestern pantry, menu suggestions for festive occasions with friends and family, Bobby's pointers on basic cooking techniques, and 100 full-color photographs, Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill Cookbook helps you re-create the fun and flavors of Mesa Grill in your own kitchen.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780307351418
Publisher:	Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed
Publication date:	10/16/2007
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	401,255
Product dimensions:	8.35(w) x 10.28(h) x 0.97(d)

About the Author

Bobby Flay opened his first restaurant, Mesa Grill, in 1991 and quickly developed a following for his innovative Southwestern cuisine. The restaurant continues to get high marks in The Zagat Survey for its regional American cuisine and has spawned two offshoots, Mesa Grill in Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas and Mesa Grill Atlantis in the Bahamas. Bobby opened Bolo in 1993, Bar American in 2005, and Bobby Flay Steak in 2006. He is also the food correspondent for The Early Show on CBS and has hosted numerous popular cooking shows since his debut on Food Network in 1996, from the Emmy-nominated Boy Meets Grill to the Iron Chef America Series and Throwdown with Bobby Flay. This is his seventh book.

Read an Excerpt

Pan-Roasted Pork Chops with Yellow Pepper Mole Sauce
Serves 4

The yellow pepper mole may have lots of ingredients, but the result is a delightfully complex sauce. Golden raisins and white chocolate preserve the golden color of the roasted peppers, and while those may sound sweet, onion, garlic, and tomatillos keep the sauce savory, fresh, and never cloying. At the restaurant we give this a hint of smoked red pepper sauce and cilantro oil and garnish it with cilantro.


• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 2 (6-inch) yellow corn tortillas, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds
• 1 medium red onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 3 yellow bell peppers, roasted, peeled, seeded, and chopped
• 1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted, and chopped
• 2 tomatillos, husked, scrubbed, and chopped
• 3 tablespoons golden raisins
• 4 (10- to 12-ounce) center-cut bone-in pork chops
• Kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper
• 1/2 ounce white chocolate, chopped
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon


1. Heat the 1/4 cup oil in a medium saucepan over high heat until smoking. Add the tortillas and fry until crisp, about 1 minute. Remove to a plate.

2. Add the pumpkin seeds to the pan and cook until golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

3. Add the onion to the pan and cook until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the stock, yellow peppers, mango, tomatillos, and raisins and boil, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half, 25 to 30 minutes.

4. Transfer the yellow pepper mixture, the fried tortillas, and the pumpkin seeds to a food processor and process until smooth. Strain the sauce into a clean medium saucepan and simmer over medium heat until it reaches a sauce consistency, 15 to 20 minutes. Keep warm over low heat.

5. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

6. Heat the 2 tablespoons oil in a large ovenproof sauté pan over high heat until almost smoking. Season the chops on both sides with salt and pepper. Place the chops in the pan and cook until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes; flip the chops over and place the pan in the oven. Roast until medium, 8 to 10 minutes.

7. Remove the chops from the pan and let rest for 5 minutes before serving. While the chops are resting, add the chocolate, honey, cloves, and cinnamon to the sauce and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes. The mole sauce can be made up to 1 day in advance and refrigerated. Reheat before serving.

8. Ladle some of the sauce onto each of 4 large dinner plates and top with a pork chop.

Editorial Reviews

Flay is everywhere: overseeing six restaurants, appearing on four TV shows plus his own Web site and now assembling his seventh cookbook in 13 years. Flay preps the reader for culinary adventure with a tequila guide followed by four different margarita recipes, and then sets off on a whirlwind tour of flavorful dishes inspired by the American Southwest. Flay's trademark is flavoring a perfectly grilled or roasted hunk of protein with smoke or chili or fruit, exemplified by Pan-Roasted Venison with Tangerine-Roasted Jalapeño Sauce and the slightly tamer Coffee-Rubbed Filets Mignons with Ancho-Mushroom Sauce. Shrimp, snapper and tuna dominate the seafood section, though there is also the quintessentially Flayvian Grilled Swordfish with Pineapple-Mustard Glaze and Cilantro-Mint Chimichurri. A chapter on brunches turns up the heat with dishes like Egg and Aged Sirloin Tortillas with Three-Pepper Relish. Coming full circle by drawing upon recipes from Mesa Grill, his first eatery, Flay also slyly opens the door for a series of cookbooks based on his other properties. 100 color photos not seen by PW. (Oct.)

Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information

Publishers Weekly

Mesa Grill is Flay's flagship restaurant; he also has several other Manhattan restaurants as well as Mesa Grills in Las Vegas and the Bahamas. A Food Network star, Flay is the author of six other cookbooks, and many of his signature recipes appear in earlier titles; this one includes 150 of his favorite Mesa Grill dishes, from Shrimp and Roasted Garlic Tamales to Grilled Rib-Eye Steaks with Chipotle-Honey Glaze. There are color photographs throughout, a guide to chilies and another one to tequila, and a pantry section. For fans of Flay's restaurants and TV shows, this is recommended for most collections.

—Judith Sutton

Library Journal