California Rancho Cooking

Rating:
Summary: Extremely unique and fascinating read...
Review: A great blend of recipes, including fig empaniditas, sweet milk tortillas (carried on trips between ranchos and more pastry-like than regular flour tortillas), chilena pie, apricot pie (with an interesting twist on pie crust making), oyster loaf, and a fabulous-sounding cornbread recipe. I love the historical account of her family as I've never had the opportunity to read about California Rancho life. I also have her Mexican Breakfast book, which has some delicious recipes, as well, although the printing quality is much poorer.

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Summary: Genuine early California
Review: As a decendent of the first Spanish families in California I find the recipes very similar to those handed down in the family.

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Summary: Delicious: I Can¿t Wait To Tryout Her Recipes
Review: Cookbooks have a critical audience. A five-star book must not only have recipes that produce great dishes, but recipes that read well, producing in the reader's mind a dish that the reader can virtually see and taste. A great cookbook is also more than just a listing of recipes grouped by beef, chicken, and desserts. California Rancho Cooking hits on all these points. Through these recipes we get a glimpse into an early Californio family and through them into early Californio history and life. An additional benefit is that the author lets you in on how she modifies recipes into something new and different. As a cook myself, I know that this is how you really advance in your understanding of the art of cooking... and the fun of cooking.

Two recipes especially piqued my interest in this regard: Chilena Pie and the old stand-by and oft poorly made, Chiles Rellenos Con Queso. Her (family's) Chilena Pie makes me ache to get started. In addition, I've already got thoughts on how to (hopefully) make improvements. For those who are similarly inclined, always make the base version first so you really understand the baseline, be careful you do not overuse a individual spice, and never try out your new creation with company first.

For me, Chiles Rellenos in gringo-style restaurants are awful; the coating is reminiscent of white bread and then the poor things are covered in a bland ranchero sauce. McMahan's basic version is akin to mine, but her variations of wrapping them in tortilla is great, and I love the idea of the breadcrumbs. What great ideas. All I can add is to consider that you have other stuffing options than cheese. Oh, her Chiles Rellenos Con Queso are on page 125; it is listed in the index under cheese, not chiles, not rellenos.

The only areas where I could suggest an improvement are:
- Some of the recopies expect the reader to have the author's understanding of the technique to be used. This expectation should not bother most readers, but a new cook could experience some frustration.
- As one who must watch his intake of fats, especially saturated fat, I appreciate it when the nutritional information is provided. This is really de rigueur for modern cookbooks.
- To roast chiles/peppers, many cooks recommend rinsing the charred chiles under running water. McMahan's technique is to place the charred chiles under a wet paper towel to steam and then to wipe off the charred skin. Both techniques are fast and easy, but I prefer to steam them in a small paper bag or a small covered bowl and use the back of a knife or a spoon to remove the charred bits. It is more labor intensive but there is a lot of flavor in the liquid left over from the steaming that I am loath to loose.

These are very minor points, and I really enjoyed this book.

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Summary: Thank You Jacqueline!
Review: Finally, a cookbook of and about the recipes I grew up with. Thank you, Jacqueline.

My family are descended from Spanish settlers and Native Americans of Northern New Mexico, and these are strikingly similar to the recipes they brought with them into Colorado, and which I grew up with. The stories and recipes of homemade flour tortillas, green chiles, beans, open-faced red enchiladas, fideo and olive oil, to name a few, immediately evoked memories of my grandmother and my own mother in their kitchens, talking about the food and how to "do it right."

This is a book that will speak to thousands of descendientes who, like the Higuera family, have chiles flowing in their veins (the New Mexican green in mine, particularly!), and who have their own cuisine that is neither Mexican, nor Spanish, nor Californian, nor Native American. It is our story told by one of our own, and that makes this book, for me, worth its weight in gold.

Bravo, and thank you!

Rating:
Summary: Rancho Cooking
Review: In 1988 I bough Jacqueline's first book. I as a native San Franciscan and Chef I was very impressed with her sharing of her family history and culture. I looked to find more copys to give as gifts. I couldn't find it anyware. Until the very first time I want to Amazon there it was at the top of the list. WOW This book is not quite as homey as her first book but its probably a better cookbook and it has more recipes. I use to say that I had a cookbook that even has a recipe for Barbequed Bulls Head and now I have two.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting but not essential
Review: My gut level feeling about this book is that it would have made a very good magazine article on the differences between traditional Mexican food and how it changed and was influenced by California. There are many good ideas but the thought of making enchiladas with flour tortillas stopped me dead in my tracks. Yuck!

Rating:
Summary: Extremely Satisfying Authentic Mexican/Cali Recipes
Review: Probably best to tell you about the entire meal I made from the book - Carne Asada: the "dry" marinade rub added incredible flavor to BBQ tri-tip; Creamy Beans: made with small pink beans; Homemade Flour Tortillas: didn't think I had it in me, but they actually turned out extremely well; Sarsa: made with charred tomatoes and peppers. Thought the "r" was a typo but it's not; Deep Dish Blackberry Pie: oh. my. golly. Yum. Made for an amazing BBQ. It did take me a whole day, but was WELL worth it. Try also: La Beth's Cornbread - I've had the book a month and have made this 3 times. Devil's Food Cake - excellent.

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Summary: Provides old-style recipes tweaked by the author
Review: This collection of Mexican and Californian recipes provides old-style recipes tweaked by the author with dishes ranging from Squash Blossom Quesadillas and Braised Pot Roast With Beer to Bouillabaisse Chili and Roman Artichokes. A centerfold collection of color photos adds interest and finished dishes to a fine treatise on Mexican/California culinary blends.

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Summary: The Original California Cuisine
Review: This Native Californian found this cookbook to be so much more than just a cookbook! Jacqueline Higuera introduces you to the history of California through her family history, through the lifestyle, and, naturally, through the cuisine. Besides the historical vignettes that she writes for each chapter, Jacqueline even includes a written description for each and every recipe! Here is one of my favorites which is for the Layered Spanish Potato Salad:

This salad was called Spanish because anything that contained olive oil and olives was called Spanish by the Californios... Once, when upon arriving at our picnic spot it was discovered that the silverware had been left at home. Grandpa took us serching in the woods for perfect little willow branches. Using his pocket knife, he pared twig forks for everyone to use for eating their potato salad.

Jacqueline includes many of the staples of the California diet, such as enchiladas, refritos (refried beans), chile rellenos, tamales, arroz con pollo, and so on. But you're not just getting a recipe when it comes to this book, you are getting a Higuera family recipe. An example of how this book has affected me so far: I was shopping for the ingredients for enchiladas. Her recipe calls for the flour tortillas, but I am accustomed to making enchiladas with the corn tortillas. However, the Higuera family limited itself to the flour tortillas no matter the dish. Somehow, as I was standing in front of the tortilla section in the grocery store, I found myself debating between the corn and the flour versions. As you might expect, I went for the flour. Because that's how the Higueras did it. And I know this woman knows what she's talking about just by how she warns us to save a couple of the enchiladas for breakfast. There is nothing in this world like an enchilada that has had all night to soak in the sauce.

Two more recipes that I want to mention are the Fried Squash Blossoms and the Squash Blossom Quesadillas. Squash blossoms are the flowers that grow on the end of the yellow squash or zucchini. They are a delicacy here in California and, as Jacqueline writes, "It seemed as though the Californios loved the squash blossom more than the squash itself." I can personally attest to that!

Another experience that I had as a result of this book happened last weekend as I was preparing for a last minute BBQ at the park. All I knew was that somebody was bringing the meat and I was to bring the Baby Weber. I hastily grabbed my copy of "Rancho Cooking" and found the recipe for Carne Asada. Generations of asadors are probably rolling in their graves as I write this... Whether the meat was beef or chicken, I knew that the Carne Asada recipe would be fast and a perfect surprise. From ingredients already in my kitchen, I prepared both the dry rub and the liquid marinade. Then off to the park we ran with our tiny BBQ, our rub and marinade, a freezer bag, a brush, flour tortillas, green onions, avocado, lime, and store-bought refrigerated salsa. Once at the park we found our friends and 3 lbs. of chicken breasts. We put the breasts in the freezer bag with the dry rub paste and massaged them together as the grill got hot. Then we tossed the breasts onto the grill and brushed the marinade (red wine vinegar, olive oil, and my addition of cumin) on each side. Once the chicken was ready, it was sliced up into strips and wrapped in the tortillas with the green onions, avocado, salsa, and a squeeze of lime. We had some visitors from France who were quite amazed by this technique! Thank you for the inspiration, Jaqueline!

The next recipe that I am going to try is the Paella Salad. With a bottle of California red wine.

Rating:
Summary: I LOVE THIS BOOK!
Review: What a great book. I moved from the east coast to California about 6 years ago and I have been wanting to cook more californian. What a great resource this is to learn not only the recipes but the history of each dish. The stories are interesting, the recipes look relatively easy. I can't wait to start experimenting. I am especially looking foward to homemade tortillas. The only reason I didn't give this a five star rating is because a lot of the recipes are deep fried.