Mexico: One Plate at a Time (2003)

Season 1: Episode 26

It’s a big day at Casa Bayless–daughter Lanie’s birthday. And that means big fun and big cooking–literally: a backyard full of friends, a homemade cake and an enormous vat of Pozole, the slow-cooked stew of corn and pork that’s Mexico’s number-one party food. Preparing pozole is an all-day affair. And as the corn and meat simmer, Rick takes us to the ruins of Mitla, where he reveals one of the most ancient and fundamental cooking techniques of Mexico: boiling dried corn in calcium hydroxide to make hominy. Later, a demonstration of the traditional Pastel de Tres Leches, or “Three-Milks Cake” inspires a tongue-in-cheek visit to one of Mexico City’s sweetest and least known treasures, the surreal Cake Showroom of Ideal Bakery. Back home, the fiesta comes to smashing conclusion, with piñatas, a mariachi band, laughter, singing and plenty of pozole for everyone.