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Rolly

May 21, 2010, 8:21 AM

Post #1 of 15 (5888 views)

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Rick Bayless' recipe for mole at the State Dinner

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http://www.kansascity.com/...ecipe-for-state.html

Rolly Pirate

(This post was edited by Rolly on May 21, 2010, 8:24 AM)

chinagringo

May 21, 2010, 8:58 AM

Post #2 of 15 (5875 views)

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Re: [Rolly] Rick Bayless' recipe for mole at the State Dinner

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Considering the fact that Rick was not allowed to bring ingredients from his restaurants and had to depend on the White House to order everything, that had to be a high stress period of preparation! Combined with Oregon Wagyu beef, one can only imagine just how good this dish was.
Regards,
Neil
Albuquerque, NM

Manuel Dexterity

May 21, 2010, 12:08 PM

Post #3 of 15 (5853 views)

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Re: [chinagringo] Rick Bayless' recipe for mole at the State Dinner

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My sister in law and husband from here in Guadalajara were in Chicago to visit friends. They were invited to one of this guy's places and were not at all impressed.

Give me the recipe of Doña Eduwiges from la mixteca oaxaqueña. That is probably where he got it.

Hound Dog

May 21, 2010, 12:43 PM

Post #4 of 15 (5846 views)

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Re: [Manuel Dexterity] Rick Bayless' recipe for mole at the State Dinner

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He gives credit in his book to Abigail Mendoza of Teotitlan del valle. It is supposed to be her recipe . Patricia Quintana also has a recipe for the Teotitlan mole from the same woman, not exactly the same recipe.... I bet you Abigail never gives the real recipe away or changes it as she goes.
The funny part is that Gourmet and many other reviews have gone on and on about Abigail´s mole, which is the most expensive in Teotitlan´s only fancy restaurant Tlalmanalli but by far not my favorite in that village.

oops...Vichil

(This post was edited by Hound Dog on May 27, 2010, 8:14 AM)

esperanza

May 21, 2010, 1:45 PM

Post #5 of 15 (5830 views)

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Re: [Rolly] Rick Bayless' recipe for mole at the State Dinner

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I wonder if I am the only person in the world who thought it a little odd that the White House opted to feed Pres. Calderón and the rest of the assembled a meal of Mexican food. IMHO, the decision was a breach of something--not protocol, I suppose, but maybe good sense. Two outcomes seemed possible: (1) Bayless's meal was truly excellent Mexican food, in which case it was a put-down of Mexico and its cooks; or (2) Bayless's meal was mediocre, in which case it was a put-down of the USA. Either way, it sounded like a no-win scenario to me.

Seemed like to me that the White House might have served something regional from the USA that Pres. Calderón et al had never experienced. Mexican he can get at Los Pinos, served forth by any of a long list of superb Mexican chefs. Chefs Alicia Gironella, Daniel Ovadia, Patricia Quintana, Ricardo Muñoz Zurita, Enrique Olvera, and Margarita Carrillo come immediately to mind.

http://www.mexicocooks.typepad.com

Hound Dog

May 21, 2010, 4:35 PM

Post #6 of 15 (5812 views)

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Re: [esperanza] Rick Bayless' recipe for mole at the State Dinner

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Funny , I told Bob the same thing, it is a lose lose propositon. Rick Bayless cannot compete with the top Mexican chefs so what is the point. Most of the Bayless recipes are local recipes he learned while in Mexico . Why give a copy when you can give something original.

Some good regional US food would have been promoting US Chefs and I bet would have been more interesting to President Calderon and his wife.

(This post was edited by Hound Dog on May 22, 2010, 3:50 PM)

Manuel Dexterity

May 21, 2010, 4:38 PM

Post #7 of 15 (5810 views)

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Re: [esperanza] Rick Bayless' recipe for mole at the State Dinner

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Actually I thought the same thing.

I wouldn't be bragging on Quintana though. We had a terrible meal at her restaurant in Mexico City. And my daughter who lived and worked en the DF and like many Mexicans loves to dine out, concurs. A case resembling that of Bayless and other "celebrity" chefs. They know a lot about food but they don't know food. They are better at self promotion than food preparation.

chinagringo

May 21, 2010, 5:04 PM

Post #8 of 15 (5809 views)

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Re: [esperanza] Rick Bayless' recipe for mole at the State Dinner

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In one article I read, this invite for Rick Bayless to prepare the meal for this State Dinner was a payback of sorts for when they asked him to prepare something for another function on short notice and he already had a prior commitment. While I don't claim to know Rick Bayless personally, my guess at his personality from watching his shows on TV and having a couple of his cookbooks, I bet he was one nervous chef and probably humbled by the entire experience.
Regards,
Neil
Albuquerque, NM

esperanza

May 21, 2010, 9:57 PM

Post #9 of 15 (5791 views)

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Re: [Manuel Dexterity] Rick Bayless' recipe for mole at the State Dinner

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Yeah, that's what I have often thought about Rick Bayless.

I was at Quintana's restaurant about six years ago--the food was superb--but I haven't been back since. From what others have told me, Quintana hit the top of her mark right about then.

For my money, it's Ricardo Muñoz Zurita and his two restaurants on the UNAM campus, all the way. He's a fabulously talented chef, and his books are classics.

http://www.mexicocooks.typepad.com

tashby

May 21, 2010, 11:05 PM

Post #10 of 15 (5789 views)

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Re: [esperanza] Rick Bayless' recipe for mole at the State Dinner

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I also thought it was an odd choice as soon as I heard about it.

Probably well-intended, but feeble.

Like Diplomacy sometimes?

Peter

May 21, 2010, 11:59 PM

Post #11 of 15 (5783 views)

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Re: [tashby] Rick Bayless' recipe for mole at the State Dinner

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I wonder what Felipe's real thought were about his dinner. The best mole is the recipe Abuelita used to prepare.

I used to like a couple items at Hotel Casino's restaurant but felt it took a downturn about three years ago. Later I heard they had a new chef who took over about then but who now has her own menu and the restaurant now carries her name.

After having a couple more people rave about that restaurant this past week I decided to give it a try once again. Having tried the Aporreado at Fonda Marceva earlier in the week and finding it excellent I decided to try the same at Lu's this evening.

I plan to go out for comida again this coming week. I am really anxious to try the Carne Cerdo con Chile Verde at Fonda Marceva. Their Aporreado just lit up my tastebuds and was a treat, whereas Lu made some that tasted like dried beef with chopped tomatoes. Apparently it appeals to some people.

La Isla

May 22, 2010, 3:16 AM

Post #12 of 15 (5781 views)

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Re: [esperanza] Rick Bayless' recipe for mole at the State Dinner

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Esperanza, where are Chef Muñoz Zurita's two restaurants located on the UNAM campus?

TigerTonio

May 22, 2010, 8:01 AM

Post #13 of 15 (5761 views)

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Re: [La Isla] Rick Bayless' recipe for mole at the State Dinner

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To Bayless' credit, he's brought a level of respect to Mexican food that otherwise didn't exist among many norteamericanos. I lived in Chicago for some years before moving to Morelia and the D.F. and generally speaking, I enjoyed his food, and the fine atmosphere at his Topolobampo venue added to the experience. Not everything was to my liking but occasionally, he would have a menu special that pleasantly surprised me. But with Chicago's Mexican Pilsen neighborhood at close proximity, equally good food was available at much lower prices, minus the atmosphere. He also put a "modern twist" on some of his dishes, something that Quintana also does to some extent. I think, like many who have regional Mexican preferences, it's different strokes for different folks. (OT: But for a truly wonderful "modern Mexican" dining experience, I recommend a visit to Jaso in Polanco. Exquisite!)

esperanza

May 22, 2010, 9:31 AM

Post #14 of 15 (5747 views)

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Re: [La Isla] Rick Bayless' recipe for mole at the State Dinner

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The original Café Azul y Oro is in the Centro Cultural, upstairs over the bookstore in the building next to the Sala Nezahualcóyotl. It's open for desayuno y comida.

The second Café Azul y Oro is in the Torre del Instituto de Ingeniería, ground floor, across from CELE. It's also open for desayuno y comida.

Read more about Ricardo Muñoz Zurita here: http://www.ricardomunozzurita.com/.

http://www.mexicocooks.typepad.com

TigerTonio

May 27, 2010, 1:49 AM

Post #15 of 15 (5640 views)

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Re: [esperanza] Rick Bayless' recipe for mole at the State Dinner

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CNN report on the State Dinner: http://edition.cnn.com/...te.dinner/index.html

(This post was edited by Rolly on May 27, 2010, 6:30 AM)