The Essential Cuisines of Mexico

If you buy one Kennedy book, buy this one. It folds her first three books, The Cuisines of Mexico, The Tortilla Book and Mexican Regional Cooking, into a single volume, and she simplified and updated the recipes along the way without losing their spirit. What sets Kennedy apart is her insistence on method: she explains why each step matters, from handling dried chiles to getting tortillas right, and she is firm about doing it properly. She can be bossy, and she is usually right. Expect long ingredient lists and the odd trip to a Mexican grocery.