I spend my life entertaining people with Latin food and drink.
I OPERATE RESTAURANTS ALL OVER THE WORLD, and while they all share the exciting, palate-tingling cuisine and heady spirits of Latin America, they are also mostly distinct from each other. However, they all have one big common element: People go to them to have a good time. In New Latin Flavors, I will show you how to entertain your guests the same way that I entertain my guests.
Over my entire career, I have used bold flavors to create food that makes the diner sit up and take notice. In this book, you will learn about new tastes, such as unusual chilies and Japanese-influenced Peruvian cuisine. You'll find my versions of some favorite Mexican dishes, and together we'll travel throughout the world of Latin-inspired cuisine. From Mexico to Spain, and many places in between, this book pays homage to wherever Spanish is spoken and delicious food is cooked.
The value of being a good host was impressed upon me at an early age. My parents divorced when I was quite young, and my father's parents in Acapulco, Mexico, helped bring me up. My grandfather Felipe was a banker, and he hosted a lot of corporate parties, exquisitely run by my grandmother Maruca. I remember how she would carefully orchestrate every detail. I can still see her attending to the lush flower arrangements, tasting the food prepared by the cooks in the kitchen, and making sure that the table was perfectly set with silver and crystal. Back then, Mexico was fairly isolated, and there wasn't a lot of imported food. However, my grandparents were able to mail-order special French cheeses to share with their guests. At one gathering, the cheese was Gruyère, and the guests oohed and ahhhed over its nutty flavor as they slowly nibbled their way through the precious chunk. Similarly, opening a bottle of fine wine was more than a prelude to drinking-it was an event.
These days, my entertaining is much more casual, but my early love of sharing food, drink, and good times with friends and family remains an important part of my life. I use "the lesson of the French cheese" at my parties now-serve interesting food and the entire party is elevated. The food doesn't have to be fancy, but intriguing flavors will spark lively conversation as your guests are exposed to new tastes.
Of course, food is just one element of a party. Without the right drinks to fuel the feast, you may as well not send the invitations. In a world where flavorless vodka is still at the top of the list of Americans' favorite liquors, I am on a mission to popularize the much tastier spirits of Latin America-Mexican tequila and mezcal, Peruvian (or Chilean) pisco, Brazilian cacha?a (even though Brazil speaks Portuguese, it shares many flavors with the Latin kitchen), and Caribbean rum, as well as some beer, wine, and nonalcoholic cocktails.
Offer your guests an interesting alternative from their usual drink, and the unexpected change will be another way to bring excitement to the party. I share cocktail recipes not only for new libations but also for the classics, because some of the old favorites are incredible when they are properly prepared. For example, I'll show you how to make a margarita with homemade sweet-and-sour mix, and you will never use the store-bought stuff again.
Even though I serve many of these dishes at my restaurants, they were reconceived and simplified for the home cook and tested in a home kitchen. In addition to recipes for dinner parties, I also suggest ideas for weeknight suppers, weekend brunches, and leisurely lunches-all with Latin soul. I have provided make-ahead instructions, too. And there is a complete ingredients glossary (see this page) to help you become familiar with the new flavors that I am encouraging you to enjoy.
New Latin Flavors is really about having a good time. This journey began in my grandmother's kitchen, and now I bring my cooking to yours.
