Mezcla, a Mexican-Brazilian-Italian+ fusion cookbook by Ixta Belfrage, apparently hails from the extended Ottolenghi universe. After I received the book and flipped through the pages, I was initially skeptical about whether I would enjoy the book. Sadly, this may have been due to my bias against vegan and gluten-free cooking, which the author prioritizes in some recipes, as well as my fatigue of cooking from Plenty, Jerusalem, and the many other recent Ottolenghi books that I’ve been mostly ignoring in favor of other books that I find more exciting. Tired of rich and heavy meat dishes (from My America and Jerusalem), I decided to give a light-looking poached cod dish a go from Mezcla. And why not throw on an easy dessert (a crème brûlée)? In short, I misjudged this book. Both recipes delivered a show-stopping dinner.

First off, the paprika-saffron aioli is *not* optional in the recipe. You have to make it! It’s too good to leave out. This particular aioli has a nearly 1:1 yolk-to-oil ratio, which is unlike any aioli I’ve ever made, but it’s rich and it works great. Besides this, I’d emphasize that you should be careful to include the lime, herbs, jalapeño, and olives at the end – all components add something unique and balanced to this dish. I paired the dish with a tart and fruity French gamay rosé with a couple years on it, which was yummy, but just an OK pairing. Given the prominence of the saffron, I’d consider going with a Rioja rosé instead. There’s enough acid in the broth that you don’t need it in the wine for balance.

The main dish of poached cod was outstanding. “This is fucking amazing” was uttered multiple times. I also added, “this is better than any flakey fish dish I can remember getting at a restaurant ever.” The saffron, jalapeño, olives, herbs, lime, and tomato are all strong and make an addicting broth that becomes sauce-like with the addition of the aioli. It is great to mop up with crusty bread and desired in every bite.

The dessert is straightforward if you’ve made custard before. Note that there’s a lot added to the custard, so it probably needs more like 6 hours to set up in the fridge, and you might want to throw them in the freezer for 20 minutes before you torch them so it doesn’t disturb the custard. I actually got enough for 5 small ramekins. Also, there’s a hidden chocolate layer on the bottom! It’s very very rich. This was a perfect winter show-stopping & easy dessert to pair with any main! Looking forward to cooking more from this book!

This meal has had me thinking about the value of cooking regional versus fusion foods. I feel like I learn and remember a lot more from mono-regional, traditional cookbooks; however, these two recipes reminded me that I probably enjoy eating good fusion cooking more. I also find the cooking from fusion cookbooks to be more approachable because I’m more likely to find a one-pot dish that stands as a meal and less-likely to need to make accompanying pickles, breads, chutney’s, etc. that may feature in a regional cuisines traditions, perhaps hailing from a time that family/household members focused more of their day on cooking. While I *love* learning all of this stuff, I do wonder if it sustainable to learn such types cooking? It’s too bad that this tradeoff (seemingly) exists. I suppose I will seek a balance between both types of cookbook in the future.

Joe’s Rating: 8/7.5 (Cod/Custard)
Difficulty: 5/5