By Tom Mentzer
Scripps Howard News Service
Macho Nachos, by Kate Heyhoe (Clarkson Potter, $16.95)
Nachos, that ultimate Sunday-afternoon football food, have undergone a makeover.
In her new book, Macho Nachos, Kate Heyhoe offers snack junkies almost 30 recipes, including traditional cheese-and-chip varieties and far more exotic fare that won't soon appear at the local taco stand. Consider some of these offerings for your Super Bowl party menu.
Heyhoe opens the book with 20 pages of nacho "tips" ranging from cooking techniques to the proper equipment. But the heart of the book lies in the "Speedy" and "Uptown" pages.
While tasty, most recipes in the "Speedy Nachos" section are anything but. These hot bites won't be conjured up during halftime. But with a little preparation and a preheated oven, there are some real winners.
The BBQ Chicken and Smoked Cheese Nachos offer a nice balance of chip, topping and cheese. As in many of her recipes, Heyhoe doesn't shy away from gourmet cheeses -- it's not just Velveeta here. Along with Monterey Jack, the BBQ Chicken chips are sprinkled with smoked mozzarella, an excellent choice to bind the chicken and refreshing Lemon-Pepper Coleslaw.
Heyhoe uses nearly 20 different cheeses or cheese blends. In her intro, she offers advice on choosing the four main types: melters (the base cheese), softies (added after cooking for texture), crumbles (the most flavorful) and dusters (salty and hard, added just before serving).
The "Uptown Nachos" recipes branch out with more epicurean ingredients, but inspired flavor combinations, including Jamaican Rum Chicken nachos and Chinese Firecracker nachos make the section a success.
While some offerings -- a ham-pineapple combo and the curious duo of caviar and chives -- seem to be filler, there are enough inspired ideas to make this book a worthwhile purchase for cooks who enjoy more than bright yellow cheese and stale ballpark chips.
)
)
