Bobby Flay’s Mesa grill cookbook.

So the recipes in this big fella are as long and exaggerated as the title of the book. Don’t get me wrong, it’s an amazing book; but for us middle-easterners, “Rare” ingredients becomes an issue. In fact half the ingredients in the book comes off as an exotic product *sigh!* saturated with: Poblano chiles, guajillo chiles, serrano chiles, chipotle chile puree, ancho chile powder, chile de árbol, cremini mushrooms, blue cornmeal, arborio rice, rabbit loins, to name a few. Yes you may find some of these items here in Dubai, but the prices on them are bound to give you a nose bleed.

Bobby Flay’s book is inspired from.. well as you may have guessed – the southwest, with the likes of at least 50-100 steak and grill recipes; and if you may have noticed from the list of chiles above, ooooh they are HOT HOT HOT. It also has an array of drink recipes, scrumptious salads and exciting deserts. This book is excellent and creative, containing some stunning combinations of flavors and textures that I may have only imagined in dreams. Some really interesting recipes that jumped right at me are:

• Queso fundido with roasted Poblano Vinaigrette
• Coffee-rubbed filets Mignons with Ancho-mushroom sauce
• Seared Tuna with black bean-mango salsa (this i have to try!)
• Grilled Shrimp brushed with smoked chile butter and tomatillo salsa
• and Spicy coconut Tapioca with spiced fruit salad… and YES! I gave this little delight a go

For those Dubai-ians with a slightly bigger budget than mine, i would say great book to have; but your main task is finding those fancy ingredients. But, for those not residing in the middle east; bask in the glory of some exceptional creative cooking