Tamales 101: A Beginner's Guide to Making Traditional Tamales

Tamales 101: A Beginner's Guide to Making Traditional Tamales
Average customer rating:

GOOD BOOK

Best that's out there on the subject...I love this book!

Greatly disappointed

Good, but the definitive guide is yet to be written

Yes, you *can* become a tamalista!

Tamales 101: A Beginner's Guide to Making Traditional Tamales
Alice Guadalupe Tapp
Manufacturer: Ten Speed Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Baking | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1580084281

Book Description

Tamales 101

A Beginner's Guide to Making Traditional Tamales by Alice Guadalupe Tapp

Corn-husked bundles of fresh masa plump with wonderful combinations of sauces, meats, and vegetables—tamales are a simple and delicious staple of Mexican and Southwestern cuisine. Alice Guadalupe Tapp has perfected the art of tamale making, and in TAMALES 101 imparts her knowledge and passion for this comforting treat. TAMALES 101 will show beginners how to make masa dough as well as fold and steam tamales to perfection. Then, once you've mastered the basics, you'll be whipping up batches of Chicken Tomatillo, Chorizo Potato, Vegetable Curry, and Greek tamales in no time. With recipes for nearly 100 traditional, vegetarian, vegan, and specialty tamales and sauces, TAMALES 101 will send you on a culinary adventure that's sure to delight and impress your guests.

Customer Reviews:

GOOD BOOK.......2007-01-18

Saw book at Indio Tamale Festival and got it at Amazon cheaper

Best that's out there on the subject...I love this book!.......2005-01-05

I love this book. The author brings enormous experience from her own highly beloved tamalaria in S. Calif. and makes it possible to create excellent tamales on your own. Not as easy a subject as it might seem. I found her presentation thoughtful, with clear, thorough explanations and instructions that are well-presented. Her detailed description of the different types of masa and masa prep., of tamale wrappers and wrapping techniques, of ratio of filling to masa, of the tradition versus popular taste in saucing tamales, of all matters related to general preparation, cooking, storing etc. are all excellent, especially considering that it is a rather small book. Unlike another tamale book out now by a famous chef, these recipes are down to earth and wonderful, and span a wide range of tamales...including adaptations for vegetarians, special occasion tamales and much more. Great sauce recipes. Different versions of many recipes (such as mole sauces, chicken tamales, and much more). The author has a nice personable style, sharing customs and her own family lore along with her valuable insights from running a tamaleria in a trendy So. Cal beach town...and that is a really daunting challenge: to appeal to everything from a large solid Mexicano population to surfers to L.A.'s celeb-types etc. etc.

This is really a great recipe collection, well-presented for the experienced and novice tamale-maker (which I was...), and it is a really pretty publication - rich in colors and beautiful photos. I love this book...I have a very large cookbook collection that I use pretty extensively, and this little book has really endeared itself to me. I think it is a great value.

Greatly disappointed.......2004-10-04

I am an experienced cook and baker, and followed the recipe for Masa Harina Masa. I bought the correct dry corn flour from an hispanic market, and made some excellent chicken stock. The ingredients list called for 12 cups of the corn flour and 7 cups of stock, mixed in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. and when I placed these ingredients in the mixer and turned it on, it was too much for the mixer to hold. I emptied out the contents of the bowl into another bowl, mixed the contents with my hands to distribute the stock and corn flour evenly, and returned half of the ingredients to the mixer bowl and began to mix. The mixture never reached the "firm pudding" stage as described in the recipe. I had to add more than an additional 4 cups of stock to get to this stage. I don't think the author carefully measured the ingredients when she recorded the recipes. Since this is a recipe that many people will make (the masa is the main part of a tamale) she should have been more careful. However, when I made the Red Pork Chile Tamales the sauce was delicous and my family liked the flavor and texture of the tamales.

Good, but the definitive guide is yet to be written.......2004-03-12

This is a nice little book with lots of traditional recipes and the author is enthusiastic but her fat of choice is margarine, a fact I have trouble digesting, if you know what I mean.

Yes, you *can* become a tamalista!.......2003-12-21

A couple of weeks before Christmas, I found myself facing a luncheon for 15 foodie friends for which I'd promised fresh tamales--and my promised helper, the only person I knew who had made them before, came down with the flu! I was on my own.

Fortunately, I had Tamales 101 in hand. Got a few tips from a guy at the local Tamale Festival, but mostly I just devoured this book, took a deep breath, and started. My masa floated, the corn husks peeled off my tamales easily, and they were firm and delicious! I spent over three days cooking and ended up with a cornucopia of Red Chile Pork, Chorizo-Potato, Jalapeno and Cheese, and two kinds of dessert tamales, plus all the salsa and other trimmings. (I'd made enough to take to three other events, it turned out.) And I *enjoyed* myself doing it.

Making tamales is both harder and easier than you might think. What's hard is the amount of time and effort, but what's easy is the routine you get into after making a few. The day of the luncheon, I taught an early guest how to fill and fold them (using the very easy foldover method illustrated in the book), and she taught everyone else who wanted to try a few. As they say, a good time was had by all.

My tips and observations for those who want to give this a try:

Get *very* organized in advance: ingredients list, timetable, list of accompaniments, etc. A large steamer is a must (I used an oriental two-level steel one, but a Mexican one that looks like a canning kettle works well, too, and both are fairly inexpensive). An electric mixer is also a must. I used a hand mixer, but a stand mixer would have been easier. You *must* maintain several inches of boiling water in the pan (I just about burned mine out at one point), and it is possible to burn both hands at once if you use potholders instead of oven mitts to pick up the upper pan to check the water level.

From the festival tamale maker, I learned that it's important to use all the lard called for (part can be butter or margarine) and also all the salt called for. I read somewhere else that much of the lard is absorbed by the husks, and I hope this is true. From the book, I learned to use fresh masa (easily available here in the southwest) rather than dry, and to whip the lard for at least 5 minutes and then the worked-in masa and broth for another 10 to 15 minutes, and also to use an ice cream scoop to measure the right amount of masa onto the husks/leaves.

Amazon.com

Maria is feeling so grown-up, wearing her mother's apron and helping to knead the masa for the Christmas corn tamales. Her mother even let Maria wear some perfume and lipstick for the big family celebration that evening. When her mother takes off her diamond ring so it won't become coated with the messy masa, Maria decides that life would be perfect if she could wear the ring, too. Trouble begins when she sneakily slips the sparkly ring on her thumb and resumes her kneading. Uh oh. It is not until later that night, after all the tamales have been cooked and after all her cousins and relatives have arrived, that Maria suddenly realizes what must have happened to the precious ring. Ed Martinez's warm oil paintings celebrate the riches of South American Christmas colors--adobe reds, dusty gold, lacey whites, and rain-forest greens. Martinez also has a gift for capturing children's animated expressions, especially when Maria begs her cousins to help her find the missing ring by secretly eating the enormous stack of steaming tamales! Gary Soto's delightful Christmas-spirit closure will relieve young readers who empathize with the negligent Maria. Grown-ups, too, will appreciate this playful reminder about the virtues of forgiveness and family togetherness. (Ages 4 and older) --Gail Hudson

Customer Reviews:

My childhood revisited.......2007-03-08

I love this story because it brings back memories of when my family would get together at Christmas time to make the annual batch of tamales. Everyone was involved and when all the work was done, we couldn't wait until they were ready to eat. The story is well told and my students look forward to hearing the story year after year.

Class loved it!.......2007-01-13

My class of second and third graders really enjoyed this book. Many of them make tamales at home every year. They enjoyed reading about someone else that shares the same traditions. It opened up a lot of discussion about telling the truth. The only problem was all the talk about tamales made them hungry!

Wow!.......2005-07-29

This is a beautiful picture book that just melts your heart. This is one of Gary Soto's classics. This is an asset for any classroom to have. The illustrations are so beautiful that you could almost reach out and hug Maria when she is looking at the ring on her finger. Her smile is adorable.The illustrations show the glittery feeling of the holiday season. This book could be used in teaching many lessons on honesty, traditions, Christmas, family and the humor within the storyline. Every child should have a chance to hear this story being read to them and have the opportunity to read the story on there own.

don't underestimate the power of this book.......2005-02-20

I got this book because of its truly exceptional illustrations. The colors are rich and evocative. But I was surprised to see the profound effect that this book had on my four-year-old daughter. She empathized so deeply with the shame and the desperation of the main character that for an entire week after reading this story she was coming to me to make confessions of all the times she was tempted to do things that were wrong. It was a combination of the story and the intense emotions that are depicted in the paintings that came together to shake her to the core. For that reason, think this is a great book for all children, not just Latinos and not just for Christmastime.

4 1/2* One Ring to Fool Them All.......2004-12-23

The warm interiors suffusing this beautifully illustrated Christmas time story convey the entire emotional tone of the book. Although we're waiting for an accident to happen-we can just tell that young Maria is somehow going to lose her mother's ring while helping her make tamales-we also are pretty certain thins are going to work out alright. While this may take away a bit of suspense, this is a comforting book that promises a happy conclusion (delivered her by a surprise).

The text is simple and flows well; Soto is an experienced writer. He incorporates traditional activities like food, the visiting of extended family, and gift exchanges. I was a bit puzzled that no religious elements were included, not even as an incidental (e.g., the family is returning form church, a religious decorative element). However, I was not familiar with illustrator Ed Martinez, and it is his warm, emotional pictures that make this a "holiday book." He has a varied painting style, one drawing of Maria in light with a high contrast background recalls Renaissance paintings; other pictures use a Rockwellian focus on emotional faces and tableau-like scenarios. Production values are good, although Putnam might have published a larger book with thick, glossy paper, and a heavier cover.

Average customer rating:

best tamales book
Not good if you want southwestern cuisine
Fresh Gourmet Tamales---Sandwich of SW-Mex Cuisine
CUT A TAMALE MANY, MANY WAYS
Not Traditional

Tamales
Mark Miller , Stephan Pyles , and John Sedlar
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

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Tamales 101: A Beginner's Guide to Making Traditional Tamales
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ASIN: 0764525670

Book Description

"Mouthwatering . . . this book's a treat for eye and palate." —Metropolitan Home magazine

"Nobody makes a tamale quite like Sedler." —Ruth Reichl

Popular features of southwestern and Mexican cooking, tamales—little packages of corn masa dough—are quickly becoming one of America's favorite wrapped foods thanks to the genius of these three chefs. Tamales are inexpensive, easy to prepare, and highly versatile. Best of all, they can be made with all types of fillings and in limitless styles.

Try these tempting variations:

Roasted Potato, Garlic, and Sun-Dried Tomato Tamales
Asparagus and Hollandaise Tamales
Caribbean Jerk Shrimp Tamales
Lobster Newburg Tamales
Smoked Salmon Tamales with Horseradish Crema
Arroz con Pollo Tamales
Chicken Tamales with Mole Poblano
Coriander-Cured Beef Tamales with Barbecue-Onion Marmalade
Lamb Tamales with Mint, Black Beans, and Blackened Tomato and Mint Salsa
Mom's Apple Pie tamales
Chocolate Bread Pudding Tamales
And more than 100 other recipes
After tasting these tantalizing recipes, you'll agree it's true that good things do come in small packages.

Customer Reviews:

best tamales book.......2007-05-06

I have search for several tamales books, I found this book to be the best one to show you how to make not just the classic tamales style, also you will learn new ideas on how to make deliciuos gourmet tamales for every ocassion

Not good if you want southwestern cuisine.......2006-03-13

I wanted a book with traditional tamale recipes and some updates using more readily available ingredients. I did not want to know how to shape other popular foods into tamale shapes. Coney Island Corned Beef and Cabbage Tamales with Mustard Sauce! If I want corned beef and cabbage, that is what I'll make.

Fresh Gourmet Tamales---Sandwich of SW-Mex Cuisine.......2004-09-23

Here are three superb chefs who know their stuff about tamales, even going together to Oaxaca to learn firsthand the traditions handed down over three thousand years of tamale practice.

It's all here, from masa, wrappers, steaming techniques, then recipes, glorious recipes using fowl, seafood, even wonderful dessert tamales.

Just a few is all that I've been able to attempt. It does take effort and devoted time to do these correctly, especially for those who have not attempted such before. But as others profess, the results are worth it! One that particularly grabbed my tastebud attention was Escargot Forestiere made with snails, ham, mushrooms, with flavorful Merlot Veal stock. This turned out absolutely unbelievable, reminding me somewhat of Esgargot Under Pastry, which is one of my favorites. Being the exploring non-traditionalist that I am when first attempting something, I turned to an exotic dessert tamale also: Arborio Rice-Dried Fruit Pudding Tamales with Rum Cream. It was rich and outstanding, the perfect finale dish for any who enjoy Rice Pudding.

This is truly a great resource to play with and explore different flavor combos, what cooking is about and when it becomes fun. This cookbook is one of those that inspires going off it one's own culinary directions, having seen what these three Tamale Masters do.

There is great source section and even dinner plate source info if desired.

This is great one-dish specialty cookbook from three great chefs! Already familiar with the likes of Miller and Pyles, neat to learn from Sedler, who has some of my favorites from this. Great photos and written text.

CUT A TAMALE MANY, MANY WAYS.......2004-03-11

TAMALES
By Mark Miller, Stephan Pyles, and John Sedlar with John Harrison
Photographer: Lois Ellen Frank

If you are not Latino or never lived in the southwest, chances are your first tamale was a strange little package, wrapped and tied as a bundle inside an early TV dinner. Further, it was probably pale red, mushy and you liked the nearby enchilada better.

Tamales become gourmet, fusion cuisine in this book, and your ideas for more can be endless. Basically think of a tamale as a house in structure. It has its foundation, living rooms and finally the roof. With tamales the foundation is a corn husk wrapper lined with masa dough, the living area is the filling and the roof a tantalizing sauce. Tamales can be vegetarian, seafood, poultry, any meat or desserts, depending on ingredients. Tamales, the lined corn husk wrapped around and filling and cooked over steam.

The masa base for the dough is large-kernel corn which looks like hominy. It is dried, cooked in limewater, drained, dried again and ground into flour. You can also purchase it, then proceed with one of the book's intriguing flavored masa dough recipes. Some variations include:

Roasted Corn Tamale Masa Dough
Wild Mushroom-Chipotle Tamale Massa Dough
Red Thai Curry Tamale Massa Dough
Habanero-Blackened Tomato Tamale Massa Dough
plus many more.

Just a few of the filling and sauce recipes are:

Wild Mushroom and White Truffle Tamales
Artichoke and Sun-Dried Tomato Tamales with Olive Oil and Saffron
Salmon Tamales with Red Pepper Masa and Mole Amarillo
Shrimp Tamales with Ranchero Sauce
Clam Tamales with Fennel and Chayote-Melon Salsa
Chicken Tamales with Mole Poblano
Duck Tamales with Pineapple and Chipotle
Bittersweet Chocolate Tamales with Anchos, Prunes and Raisins (one of several dessert tamales)

Apt headnotes identify newly-introduced ingredients and clarify each recipe's mission. Helpful, too, is the book's section, Basic Recipes, Sauces, and Techniques. In it they cover such steps as blackening tomatoes, tomatillos, chiles, and onions. It also goes into how to process chiles, toast herbs and spices and make delicious stocks.

Not Traditional.......2003-12-19

If you are looking for traditional tamale recipes DO NOT BUY this book.

Que Monton de Tamales (Too Many Tamales)

Average customer rating:

Que Monton de Tamales (Too Many Tamales)
Gary Soto , Ed Martinez , Alma Flor Ada , and F. Isabel Campoy
Manufacturer: Putnam Juvenile
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Too Many Tamales
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ASIN: 0698114132

Que vivan los tamales!: Food and the Making of Mexican Identity (Dialogos Series)

Average customer rating:

Que Vivan Los Tamales
Excellent!

Que vivan los tamales!: Food and the Making of Mexican Identity (Dialogos Series)
Jeffrey M. Pilcher
Manufacturer: University of New Mexico Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

History | Gastronomy | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0826318738

Book Description

Connections between what people eat and who they are--between cuisine and identity--reach deep into Mexican history, beginning with pre-Columbian inhabitants offering sacrifices of human flesh to maize gods in hope of securing plentiful crops. This cultural history of food in Mexico traces the influence of gender, race, and class on food preferences from Aztec times to the present and relates cuisine to the formation of national identity.

The metate and mano, used by women for grinding corn and chiles since pre-Columbian times, remained essential to preparing such Mexican foods as tamales, tortillas, and mole poblano well into the twentieth century. Part of the ongoing effort by intellectuals and political leaders to Europeanize Mexico was an attempt to replace corn with wheat. But native foods and flavors persisted and became an essential part of indigenista ideology and what it meant to be authentically Mexican after 1940, when a growing urban middle class appropriated the popular native foods of the lower class and proclaimed them as national cuisine.

This cultural history of food in Mexico traces the influence of gender, race, and class on food preferences from Aztec times to the present.

Customer Reviews:

Que Vivan Los Tamales.......2007-01-04

Book is a good review on the origins and development of mexican cuisine. I found it very interesting how certain foods were associated with certain classes of people in Colonial and 19th century Mexico. Reading about the mechanization of the tortilla held a strong meaning for my family, since my great grandmother was effected by it when she lived in Mexico during those times!

-Danny

Excellent!.......1999-01-31

(From Planeta magazine): Mexico's fiery cuisines stand in sharp contrast not only with traditional European cooking but also with each other. The regional variations and menus make Mexican cuisine one of the most sophisticated in the world. In a new book published as part of the University of New Mexico Press's Dialogos series, author Jeffrey Pilcher uses food itself to provide a unique, insider's guide to Mexican history and politics.

ÁQue vivan los Tamales!: Food and the Making of Mexican Identity (ISBN 0-8263-1873-8, 234 pages, University of New Mexico Press, 1998,$16.95 or $37.50 hardback (ISBN 0-8263-1872-X) examines the evolution of mestizo recipes - the blending of Old and New World spices to make the famous turkey mole or gourmet flourishes, such as cuitlacoche rolled in crepes and covered with bechamel sauce.

The author praises the creative role cookbook authors played in unifying the country's taste buds, especially in the 19th and 20th centuries when a national identify was being forged and the construction of railroads and highways lowered the costs of distribution of exotic agricultural products so that local specialties could be enjoyed throughout the country.

Much of the book traces the differences and debates stirred by promoters of maize and wheat. Elites often criticized maize, and even suggested that the corn-eating population was at a serious disadvantage in terms of development. Their reasoning: the wheat-consuming Europeans were on top of the world, not the corn-eating Americans or rice-eating Asians. But such prejudices were not easily resolved. The problem was (and is) that corn simply grows better in Mexico than wheat.

It's hard to understand the desire upper-class Mexicans had to break from their indigenous heritage. Throughout the colonial period, corn was under attack and likewise the construction of homes and buildings using adobe, a centuries-old technique used the world over and perfected in many of the regions in Mexico.

Instead, colonial architects favored European-styled architecture, European-styled clothes and European-styled foods. Pilcher explains the logic of the time: "One did not have to be born a European, it was sufficient to act like one, dress like one, and eat like one."

In reality, Pilcher says that "the tortilla discourse really served as a subterfuge to divert attention to social inequalities... Rural malnutrition resulted not from any inferiority in tortillas; instead, poverty, particularly the lack of land, made it impossible to obtain a well-balanced diet."

The book is loaded with colorful tidbits, such as Christopher Columbus' description of lizard : "tastes like chicken," he said -- perhaps using this present-day cliche for the very first time.

Pilcher also recounts how during the colonial period more beef was available than wheat bread. Priests were slow and often hesitant to use corn for communion wafers, though chocolate was sometimes consumed (covertly) at mass.

The author's dry humor exerts itself in numerous passages, such as the discussion of how Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera's criticisms of the then-prevalent prejucides against indigenous culture (and food) were subsequently taken up by the Middle and upper classes themselves.

The end of the book reviews 20th century innovations, focusing on the automation of the corn milling and tortilla-preparing appliances, the development of the chain supermarkets and the new fame given to cookbook authors, such as Diana Kennedy, who received the Aztec Eagle award, the Mexican government's highest honor given to foreigners.

If there is a problem with this book, it would be the author's penchant for odd transitions. He discusses the artful blending of recipes and fiction in the best-selling novel Like Water for Chocolate and moves effortless from a discussion of eroticism to a discourse on public hygiene. I read this paragraph several times without understanding the tread of logic.

His criticisms of Taco Bell and U.S. fast food franchises in general bring the book to a close, but perhaps this, too, is a form of cultural blending that could be examined with a little more depth.

But it's best not to be too harsh on the author, who has compiled an encyclopedic amount of information in ÁQue vivan los Tamales!. The author's clever synthesis of nutrition facts, national politics and regional idiosyncrasies breaks new ground.

Author Pilcher would be the ideal dinner guest at any Mexican table. It's obvious that any omissions in Que vivan los Tamales! were a result of a lack of space, not knowledge. This book serves up a veritable smorgasbord of ideas, history and observations and is highly recommended.

The Tamale Quilt: Story Recipe Quilt Pattern
Average customer rating:
The Tamale Quilt: Story Recipe Quilt Pattern
Jane Tenorio-Coscarelli
Manufacturer: Quarter-Inch Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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Cooking with Too Hot Tamales: Recipes & Tips From TV Food's Spiciest Cooking Duo
Average customer rating:

Excellent (but not best) book on entertaining a la Mexican

Execellent for both the hobbyist and everyday cook

The energy these two possess follows into their book

Cooking with Too Hot Tamales: Recipes & Tips From TV Food's Spiciest Cooking Duo
Mary S. Milliken
Manufacturer: William Morrow Cookbooks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0688151213

Book Description

At last, the eagerly awaited companion to the Television Food Network series Too Hot Tamales is here, capturing the sassy cooking style that Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger's nationwide television audience looks forward to every day. In over 150 recipes, the engaging duo demonstrate their honed culinary technique, their commitment to the finest, freshest ingredients, and their enthusiasm for flavors from around the world. Using traditional Mexican, Brazilian, Cuban, and Spanish tastes and combinations, enhanced by their creative, modern sensibilities,Too Hot Tamalessatisfies any appetite. From Roasted Chile Frittatas to Turkey Tamales with Fresh Cranberry Salsa to milky, cool Horchata Ice Cream with Cinnamon and Pecans, this ultramodern pair create recipes that are honest and accessible, yet funky and fun.Open this adventure some book and explore a now world of Latin American and Spanish flavors and cooking techniques. There is an entire section on the vivid salsas that we've come to crave, including a Three-Minute Salsa for the time impaired and a bracing Chipotle Tomatillo Salsa for heat seekers. Entries run the gamut from the simple and delicate Pan-Fried Grouper with Almonds to the lip-smacking Barbecued Ribs with Red Chile Sauce and Baked Pineapple. As demonstrated throughout their career, Milliken and Feniger consider vegetables a priority. Vagetarians both strict and occasional will appreciate the full-bodied vegetable and grain-based dishes offered within these pages. Entries such as the hearty Vegetarian Black Bean Chili, the Tortilla do Potato, and an elegant Artichoke Stow with Pine Nuts are both healthful and satisfying enough to seduce vegetarian and carnivore alike. For lighter fare, exciting salads become the main dish as in the brightly dressed Wilted Spinach Salad with Pickled Shallots. Finally, for sweet seekers, Milliken and Feniger delight even the biggest dessert diehards with such toothsome treats as leche frita (fried milk custardsquares), Guava Pastry Diamonds, and Pumpkin Cheesecake Tarts with Gingersnap Crust.

As the fans of Too Hot Tamales have come to expect, cooking tips and strategies for success in the kitchen are sprinkled throughout. Packed with indispensable advice on everything from safe knife handling and balancing sauces to buying and storing vegetables and spices, plus countless ways to bring out the natural flavor of food, Cooking with Too Hot Tamales will undoubtedly become a favorite kitchen reference. Seasoned entertainers Milliken and Feniger also share their special-occasion recipes and expertise for throwing fabulous fetes. Unusual and exciting drink and hors d'oeuvres recipes such as fiery Chile Vodka, cool Refresco do Mango, and crunchy Quinoa Fritters are just a few of the exciting party offerings. Best of all while the flavors are intricate and exotic, the techniques are simple as can be, allowing cooks to enjoy their own parties and savor their own creations.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent (but not best) book on entertaining a la Mexican.......2006-03-08

`too hot tamales' and `Mesa Mexicana' are the two books currently available from the chef / teaching / restauranteur team known as the `too hot tamales' of early Food Network fame, Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger. They recently went up against Bobby Flay on `Iron Chef America'. Not that it really matters, but I don't remember who won or what the secret ingredient was. What is important is that it was easily one of the most entertaining and memorable `Iron Chef America' episodes, comparable to the very first one featuring Chicago Mexican cuisine expert Rick Bayless and the competition featuring Oriental fusion master, Ming Tsai of `Blue Ginger'. What I do remember is the imprint of the iron on the back of Susan Feniger's blouse and the inventive recipe they did for Scotch eggs.

The first impression of both of these books is not inspiring. The layout is ordinary, leaning toward the garish. The photographs are in a grainy black and white and too small to easily make sense of what is happening, not to mention the fact that most are missing captions. In `too hot tamales', it is even difficult to tell which of these two delightful ladies is Mary Sue and which is Susan, from the lack of clear identification on the photographs. The flyleaf of `Mesa Mexicana' clears this up. Mary Sue is the taller with blond hair and Susan is the shorter with dark hair. They also neglect to give a good picture of co-author, Helene Siegel, whose voice seems to be strong in the prefaces and introductions.

Based on the strong `Iron Chef America' appearance, I decided to check out the books from this duo, even though their Food Network show was before my time. I figured two gals with this much energy and a strong showing against the indomitable Bobby must have something to say. At the outset, the book `too hot tamales' did not impress, until I got to the chapters on soups. At this point, the authors' observations seemed to come alive. This was not nearly as strong as what I saw in Deborah Madison's recent book on soups, but the comparison showed that Mary Sue and Susan clearly had something important to say. That is not to say that `too hot tamales' is the better book. `Mesa Mexicana' is actually the better of the two for anyone who is not familiar with Mexican cooking. Having determined that these books have something to say, the next big question is why get these books instead one from the heavy hitters of Mexican cuisine, Rick Bayless or Diana Kennedy.

For starters, both Bayless and Kennedy's best books are more strongly oriented toward teaching Mexican cooking, either by technique or by region. Milliken and Feniger's books are more for fun, without straying too far from strong roots in genuine Mexican cooking technique. If all you want are some good, snappy recipes without being tied to the grill (as you are with many of Bobby Flay's recipes), Milliken and Feniger may be your best choice. They are certainly your best choice if you are attracted to entertaining with a Mexican theme. I had an epiphany of insight when I realized that a rather large number of pages in both books, as well as many pages in many other cookbooks are dedicated to `starters', `finger food', `appetizers', `hors `d'ourves', `antipasto' and what have your. But if you live in a typical family, how much time do you really spend making `party food' in comparison to daily breakfasts, lunches, and suppers. Why don't cookbooks dedicate 20% of their books to breakfast and 35% of their books to brown bag food rather than giving so much room to entertaining food, which the average cook may make once a month, if they are inclined to entertain with food in the first place.

All this means is that these books are much more valuable to you if you do entertain often. This is especially true because both books are very reasonably priced, appropriate to their uninspired art work. It is also true because of the rather odd organization of the recipes. In both books, some chapters are organized by function or meal, some by style of cooking, and some by principle ingredient. This means neither book is especially good if you want to find a book to fit a particular function or to use a particular ingredient. The fact that both books are relatively short confirms that neither book may be very useful if you have room for only a very small cookbook collection. But if you can afford the money and space for a large cookbook collection, you will probably already have one or more volumes from Kennedy and Bayless, so why load yourself up with our spicy gals?

For most people, the answer is simply that they are great fun to read and their recipes get right to the point. If you are a foodie, you don't need another tutorial on technique. If you are a casual cook who entertains, you can go straight to the largely very concise recipes and get on with it. So, both books are easily worth the room they take up on your shelves.

As an aside, it is really interesting to see our gals' comments on the cooking talents of the Mexicans, which is very similar to Tony Bourdain's comments in `A Cook's Tour', where he states that almost all his line chefs at `Les Halle' are Mexican with practically no formal training, yet they are as capable as most French trained cooks.

If you really like cookbooks or you really like Mexican food, I recommend both of these books.

Execellent for both the hobbyist and everyday cook.......2000-12-25

Mary Sue Miliken and Susan Feniger are two of the top chefs in LA. (And maybe the top female duo.) For those of us who grew up equating Mexican food with Tex-Mex, Miliken and Feniger's inventive take on traditional Mexican cuisine is a revelation. Their "Border Grill" in Santa Monica (4th and Broadway) is a noisy, splashy, foodie haven with superb drinks, a decent wine/beer list, and amazing food. For several years they also produced a fun and informational show on the Food network before that cable network went all-Emeril all-the-time. "Cooking with Two Hot Tamales" captures a lot of recipes and tips from the show. Many of the recipes herein one occasionally sees on Border Grill's menu. The house gucamole recipe is almost worth the price of the book on its own!

As a cookbook, Two Hot Tamales is interesting, has an attractive layout, and, by the minimal standards of the genre, is well-written. Unlike their Mesa Mexicana, which I recomend only for the hobbyist chef with access to a decent Mexican grocer and time on his/her hands, Two Hot Tamales can be used on an everyday basis. Few of the recipes involve intensive prep work -- after all, they had to be prepared within the confines of a 30 minute TV show. Equally important for users outside the South-west, few of the recipes require specialized ingredients. Highly recommended.

The energy these two possess follows into their book.......1997-04-11

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La Gran Guerra de los Tamales y Otros Cuentos / The Great Tamale War and other Tales

Average customer rating:

La Gran Guerra de los Tamales y Otros Cuentos / The Great Tamale War and other Tales

Manufacturer: Rio Vista Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 9687984600

Product Description

Book in English and Spanish

Average customer rating:

MEXICAN COOKBOOK

Manufacturer: University of New Mexico
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000E7P91O

Product Description

Authentic Mexican recipes, illutrated, indexed.

Average customer rating:

Part of the outstanding "Cook West" series from Rio Nuevo Publishers

Tantalizing Tamales (Cook West)
Gwyneth Doland
Manufacturer: Rio Nuevo
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

Tamales
Tamales 101: A Beginner's Guide to Making Traditional Tamales

ASIN: 1933855037

Book Description

Humble ears of corn...transformed.

In 50 flavorful recipes Gwyneth Doland reveals the steamy mystery of the corn tamale. This truly American treat is a beloved holiday tradition and comfort food throughout the New World. The Aztecs considered tamales "a feast for gods and men." Now the Cook West Series presents basic techniques and a selection of recipes for making these oh-so-tasty delicacies. For a summer fiesta, a Noche Buena (Christmas Eve) party, or holiday gifts, this book offers detailed instructions for making such tempting treats as Oaxacan Tamales with Mole Negro, Fresh Corn and Squash Blossom Tamales, and Sweet Pumpkin Tamales. 24 color photos.

Customer Reviews:

Part of the outstanding "Cook West" series from Rio Nuevo Publishers.......2007-10-07

Part of the outstanding "Cook West" series from Rio Nuevo Publishers, "Tantalizing Tamles" by Gwyneth Doland showcases a staple of Mexican cuisine through fifty different and original recipes. These superbly illustrated and deftly presented "kitchen cook friendly" recipes range from Green Corn Tamales with Green Chile; Grilled Trout Tamales with Sage and Bacon; Pork and Red Chile Tamales; and Oaxacan Tamales with Mole Negro; to Goat Cheese, Rosemary, and Fig Tamales; Pumpkin Raisin Tamales with Shredded Beef; Maple Flavored Breakfast Tamales; and Sweet Tamales with Cinnamon and Anise. Also very highly recommended for personal and community library ethnic cookbook collections is Gwyneth Dolands "Seductive Salsa" (9781933855028, $12.95) offering fifty illustrated and easy-to-prepare recipes representing the diversity of this south-of-the-border condiment that has grown so popular with Americans.

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