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Rick Bayless is chef of Frontera Grill and Topolobampo in Chicago, creator of Frontera gourmet foods, cookbook author and host of Mexico - One Plate at a Time.


From the Kitchen of Chef Rick Bayless

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From LaVonne :

Rick,
On one of your shows, you suggested grinding your own cinnamon to insure a fresher taste than spice bought pre-ground. I don't recall what you used to crush or grind it well. I would appreciate your help on the method. Thanks.
LaVonne

Hi LaVonne,

If you're using true Mexican cinnamon (canela), depending on the consistency you're looking for, you can crush it by hand, in a small food processor or a spice grinder.

Deb

From Charlene Henry:

A while back I wrote to ask if you have a source for purchasing chilhualces chilis. I am waiting to receive your answer before I attempt Oaxacan Black Mole.

Thank you,
Charlene

Hi Charlene,

To my knowledge it's not.  However, in the headnote to that recipe (Mexican Kitchen), Rick gives you a substitution. 

6 ounces mulato

2 1/2 ounce pasilla,

1 ounce guajillo

1 chipotle

Hope this helps.

Deb

From stephanie:

Would like to attend the Farmers Market Fiest and possibly the Dinner Like No Other but the newsletter and the Frontera Farmer Foundation page does not give the details of the event such as where it is to be held. Thanks for any additional information you can provide.

Hi Stephanie,

Both events are held in our restaurants.  Hope you can attend.

Deb

From marty:

In mexican chhile ice cream if i can not find chile negro what will work instead?

Hi Marty,

You can also use ancho or pasilla chiles.

Deb

From Lu:

How do I get the recipes from the show we seen on Saturday April 2nd 2011.Liquid Gold! One plate at a time. Thank You Lu From Minnesota

Hi Lu,

Those recipes are on the web site under the Television tab - Season 7 recipes.

Deb

From Melita:

Hi Rick,
I recently had lunch at Frontera downtown, and we loved the house coffee. In fact I bought a package to take home. Can you tell me what kind of coffee it is and where can I purchase it. No more starbucks for me. I live in Libertyville is there anyplace closer where I can buy it.

Hi Melita,

The coffee at Frontera is a custom blend that is made for us by Intelligentsia.  You'll need to come back down to the restaurant to buy more.

Deb

From sharon bell:

can i make barbocoa without a pit

Hi Sharon,

Rick has two other methods for preparing barbocoa.  In Mexico One Plate at a Time cookbook, he has a grill method and in Mexican Everyday, there's a slow cooker/dutch oven method.

Deb

From Mark Thanghe:

HUGE fan. So, how about putting the date on the FAQs, so we can see how old they are. Also, what about updates. Example: "Is there any update on Rick finding a new manufacturer for the Rick Bayless Pepper Roaster Griddle?" NTS, there seems to be a lot of people looking for this item

Hi Mark,

Thanks for the suggestion.  I keep that page updated, so all the information is current.  At this point, we still haven't found a manufacturer for the chile roaster. 

Deb

From Mike Lovegreen:

Rick,
Long time viewer of One Plate. Before leaving Ixtapa/Z this year,your posters were all over town. We've been here the last 11 years, late Feb. When will it air.
I have a second question, I received
a Mexican mortor and pestal, I need to know how to season it.

Mike Lovegreen

Hi Mike,

Rick is participating in the Ixtapa Food and Wine Festival at the end of March.  It's not part of his TV show.  In terms of a molcajete that's carved out of basalt stone, you can cure it by grinding dampened raw rice to a powder in the bowl several times, until the powdered rice no longer looks dirty. 

Deb

From Robert Seaney:

Last year (and previous years, I gather), there were several wine dinners in the basement of Frontera with Rick (and staff) preparing an appetizer in the upstairs test kitchen. That was one of the most wonderful meals I've ever partaken of. Are there plans to do more of those again this year?

Hi Robert,

We do three wine dinners every year, once a month, usually in February, March and April.  We pick the dates in December and the dinners sell out very quickly.  Your best bet is to give us a call in December to find out when reservations will be available.  There are two dinners left this year, but there are already waiting lists.

Deb

From Amy:

Hello, I am inquiring about a Tortilla press (not sure if that is the proper name?). Can you reccommend one for me to purchase? I looked on the websites you refer to for cookware and did not see one listed. Can you tell me what would be a good one for me to purchase?

Thank you, Amy

Hi Amy,

We recommend a tortilla press made out of cast iron and 7 to 8-inch in diameter.  Amazon, MexGrocer and Sur La Table sell the cast iron ones to name just a few.  If there are any Mexican grocery stores in your neighborhood, you can also find them there.  Hope this helps.

Deb

From Luis Holguin:

On an episode last week, Chef Bayles used a lead-free cazuela for his mole sauce. Is there a particular company that you'd recommend purchasing that from? We also intend to use it as he did outside on an open flame.
We would appreciate your advice and are huge fans of the show and recipes!

Hi Luis,

We purchase this cazuela from Melissa Guerra's web site, but she's no longer selling it.  At this point, I don't know where else you would find a cazuela that size.  I did a quick search of the internet and didn't find anything that approached that size.  Sorry I can't be more help.

Deb

From John McGovern:

Can I make an online reservation?

Hi John,

You can make a reservation for Topolo thru Open Table.  We take a limited number of reservations for Frontera and those can only be booked over the phone 1-312-661-1434.  We don't accept reservations for XOCO.  Hope this helps.

Deb

From Fred:

I want to order Fiesta at Ricks but I also want to get it signed by Rick. How can I do that?
By the way...best cooking show ever!

Hi Fred,

You can either send an email to info@fronterafoods.com with your request or call (800) 509-4441 ext 120 - Monday through Friday from 9am to 5pm CST.  Anna will be happy to assist you in getting any of Rick's cookbooks autographed. 

Deb

From Deb:

Sharing your Food Memories

This was a suggestion that came to me from one of our newsletter subscribers.  I wanted to share it with all of you.

From Jeanne:  I wanted to share something I created three years ago in memory of my mom and dad which was called IN MOM'S KITCHEN.  Our mother was an artist in the kitchen, and our father was the recipient of that wonderful food for over 60 years. Food memories and recipes were gathered from her three children and their spouses plus the seven grandchildren.  Photos of family celebrations plus photos of our mom and dad when first married and the last photo of them together accompanied the text.  I had it professionally copied and bound and gave every family member a copy for Christmas.  The gift was a hit.   Thanks for suggesting the idea to others.

From Deb:  My sister had a similar idea.  She took 15 of the favorite family recipes that her mother-in-law was famous for, shot pictures of each of the finished dishes, plus photos of her mother-in-law cooking each of the recipes, and created a family cookbook which she gave to each of the grandchildren.  It celebrated her mother-in-law's 90th birthday.

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