Mexico: One Plate at a Time — Season 1, Episode 23: Chocolate: The Magic Ingredient
Documentary • 25 min • 12 seasons, 168 episodes
Episode synopsis
Mexico is the birthplace of chocolate, and to the Aztecs, it was the original food of the gods. Roasted, ground, and brewed as a hot beverage, cacao beans were imbued with divine properties and traded as currency. Today, when Mexicans talks about chocolate, they’re still talking about a hot beverage–it’s seldom seen in confections and candies. In Oaxaca, one of Mexico’s great chocolate producing centers, Rick shows us how the roasted beans are ground to order, then blended with sugar, cinnamon and almonds to the exacting specifications of each customer. In his home kitchen, Rick shows us how to make a contemporary invention of his own, a Mexican Chocolate Streusel Cake, and whips up a batch of Mexican Hot Chocolate. At El Moro, a beloved chocolate and churros eatery, we watch the process of making Churros, the light, crispy “doughnuts” of Mexico, and head back to the kitchen, where Rick shows us how to make them at home.
About Mexico: One Plate at a Time
Rick Bayless, the beloved chef and restaurateur, seamlessly weaves together techniques, recipes, cultural musings and off-the-wall surprises. Throughout the series, Rick translates his Mexican travel adventures into unforgettable parties from intimate fireside suppers and casual backyard cocktails with friends to big, boisterous bashes for 25.
More episodes from Season 1
- E1The Whole Enchilada
- E2Let's Talk Tacos
- E3The Straight Cheese On Quesadillas
- E4Sopes And Gorditas: Masa Appeal
- E5Tacos From The Ground Up
- E6Ceviche In The Limelight
- E7Green Sauce And Tomatillos: Mexican Vine Dining
- E8A La Mexicana: The Soul Of Mexican Cooking
- E9Fruit, Aguas, Ices & Paletas: The Ripe Stuff
- E10Rice to the Occasion
- E11Caldo de Pollo & Tortilla Soup: The Super Bowl
- E12Chiles Rellenos and Other Cool Stuff