Baja or The Huckleberry Cookbook

ЎBaja!: Cooking on the Edge

Author: Deborah M Schneider

"On the byways of Baja, there isn’t a burrito in sight. Any day, in any town, you can choose from a vast array of made-to-order tacos and salsas, fresh-from-the-ocean seafood cocktels, grilled corn, succulent fruits skewered with lime and chili powder, vivid fruit juices, piping-hot cinnamon churros, neon-bright candies that stick in your teeth, and frozen treats with names like Angel’s Kiss…and that’s just the beginning."

--from Chapter 1

Join acclaimed chef and seasoned Baja traveler Deborah Schneider for an intriguing and appetizing journey through the Baja California region of Mexico, from the dusty towns south of the U.S. border all the way down to breezy Cabo San Lucas at the peninsula's southern tip.

Featuring more than 150 tantalizing recipes as well as vivid stories and images, this deliciously unorthodox cookbook transports you to the real Baja, with all its vibrant flavor and brilliant color, a place still largely undiscovered by los turistas.

The famous Baja fish taco is here, of course, in a mixture of authentic recipes and Schneider’s own Baja-inspired dishes—ingenious creations for which Bon Appétit magazine named her "the reigning queen of San Diego chefs."

No matter how far north of the border you may be, with Schneider’s easy-to-follow recipes, now you can feast on uniquely Baja delights like Clams in Tequila Butter, One-Pan Paella, Garlic Cilantro Steak, and Chocolate-Jalapeño Truffles. Enjoy.

 

Publishers Weekly

Schneider delivers on her subtitle with kicky prose and more than 150 authentic recipes that evoke a sense of place and introduce home cooks to the cuisine of this peninsula. There's an entire chapter devoted to street food such as Fish Tacos, Carne Asada Tacos and Tamales with Shrimp "Chorizo" and Fresh Corn. Within that chapter, there's a section dedicated to salsas, which includes a chili primer (and the author's own fun chili reaction scale-a habanero, she says, will make you "burn, cry, gasp, gulp beer, run from room"). The seafood chapter features Fisherman's Sashimi, Campfire-Grilled Chorizo with Orange Chipotle Glaze, and Clams in Tequila Butter. Plenty of dishes in the book are worthy of dinner parties-such as the Sauteed Pork Tenderloin with Caramelized Fennel, Olives, and Dried Fruit; the Peppered Lamb Loin with Figs in Port Wine and Orange; and the Pan-Roasted Duck with Green Olives and Raisins. Sweets like Churros and Mexican Chocolate Bread Pudding with Apples round out the assortment of options. (June) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

Schneider, now a chef in San Diego, has been traveling to Mexico's Baja California-the narrow peninsula extending south from Tijuana-for more than 20 years. Although parts of Baja have recently been discovered by tourists, much of it is still a "truly wild place," and this is the first cookbook to focus on the region. It begins with a chapter on street food called "Barbecued Iguana," with delicious recipes for Baja's distinct fish tacos and zesty salsas, followed by "Cooking from the Coast." Because there are more than 2000 miles of coastline, fish and shellfish dishes are a major part of the cuisine. "Mi Tierra" features vegetable dishes, and "Cocina Nueva in the Wine Country" showcases more contemporary recipes from chefs and others. Schneider feels passionately about preserving "the natural treasure that is Baja," and she includes valuable information on sustainable fishing and other ecological concerns. There are also dozens of boxes on culinary topics of all sorts. Schneider's text is both informative and entertaining, and her recipes are thoroughly written and mouth-watering. Highly recommended. Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Book about:

The Huckleberry Cookbook

Author: Alex Hester

Tourists frequently travel to the northwestern states for one reason: to pick huckleberries. It is a huge industry in the Rocky Mountain states, especially Montana, Oregon, and Washington, where the weather is perfect for producing beautiful dark berries. This gift-sized cookbook is printed in huckleberry purple and includes recipes such as Huckleberry Sourdough Pancakes and Huckleberry Cheese Pie. Few berries merit a dedicated cookbook, but if you’ve been to Montana in the summer, you know this book will be an instant hit.