The Latin Table

"The Latin Table is more than cookbook; it is a compilation of beautiful photographs from the past to the present, easy-to-follow recipes that our family have all delighted in at our home celebrations, and beautiful stories revealing the human spirit. A nice combination of love in creation." —Deepak and Rita Chopra

"This book should be called The Latin ‘Friends & Family’ Table because it’s everything you’d want to make for people you love. From her must-have Black Beans to the Shrimp Boil Latina Style and the Ropa Vieja, you’ll get a real sense of the dishes that have influenced Isabel's life—dishes you'll want to make and share forever. " —Sam the Cooking Guy

"Isabel, can you adopt me, please? Isabel's boundless, infectious enthusiasm pairs with dead-simple recipes that are long on flamboyant flavor and color. This quintessential gateway book lets us get up close and personal with a delicious cuisine many of us already adore from afar." —Brigit Binns, author of Williams-Sonoma: Cooking in Season, Sunset's Eating Up the West Coast, and The New Wine Country Cuisine

"A seat at Isabel Cruz’s Latin Table is an invitation to a world of flavor, fun, and nostalgia! Her recipes are healthy, vibrant, and filled with color. Isabel brings to life the sights, smells, and tastes of the cuisine from Latin America woven with their cultural roots and heartfelt stories. The Latin Table celebrates food, family, and life." —Chef Bernard Guillas, executive chef/Maitre Cuisinier De France, Académie De France, and author of Flying Pans and Two Chefs, One Catch

"In her second cookbook, Cruz (Isabel’s Cantina) gathers flavorful Latin comfort meals that come together quickly. Simple starters artfully illustrate how just a few well-chosen ingredients can make a difference, resulting in crowd-pleasing fare: crispy plantains with a tomato pico de gallo and chipotle cream, and Shrimp Boil Latina-Style, a riff on the Cajun classic that combines cumin, smoky chiles in adobo sauce, and chorizo. For dessert there are Mexican chocolate tamales and a pineapple cobbler; for weekend brunch cocktails, Cruz suggests hibiscus mimosas. Cruz creatively adds dashes of spice (oven-roasted sweet potatoes with cinnamon and chile) and juxtaposes textures (a pepita-crusted sea bass with coconut chili oil), but many of the dishes nod toward the familiar, including ribs with chipotle barbecue sauce, ropa vieja, and Mexican hot chocolate. That said, even readers with shelves of Latin cookbooks will find a few surprises here. The recipes live up to the promise of flavorful, approachable Latin cuisine well within the abilities of even the most novice of cooks." —Publisher's Weekly

"The Latin Table showcases recipes that creatively blend Latin and Asian cuisine for flavorful and health-conscious meals. Ideal for planning menus for truly memorable dining occasions, The Latin Table is profusely illustrated with the full color photography of Jaime Fritsch and will prove to be an especially welcome and enduringly popular addition to personal, family, professional, and community library cook book collections." —Midwest Book Review

"The Latin Table is more than cookbook; it is a compilation of beautiful photographs from the past to the present, easy-to-follow recipes that our family have all delighted in at our home celebrations, and beautiful stories revealing the human spirit. A nice combination of love in creation." —Deepak and Rita Chopra

"This book should be called The Latin ‘Friends & Family’ Table because it’s everything you’d want to make for people you love. From her must-have Black Beans to the Shrimp Boil Latina Style and the Ropa Vieja, you’ll get a real sense of the dishes that have influenced Isabel's life—dishes you'll want to make and share forever. " —Sam the Cooking Guy

"Isabel, can you adopt me, please? Isabel's boundless, infectious enthusiasm pairs with dead-simple recipes that are long on flamboyant flavor and color. This quintessential gateway book lets us get up close and personal with a delicious cuisine many of us already adore from afar." —Brigit Binns, author of Williams-Sonoma: Cooking in Season, Sunset's Eating Up the West Coast, and The New Wine Country Cuisine

"A seat at Isabel Cruz’s Latin Table is an invitation to a world of flavor, fun, and nostalgia! Her recipes are healthy, vibrant, and filled with color. Isabel brings to life the sights, smells, and tastes of the cuisine from Latin America woven with their cultural roots and heartfelt stories. The Latin Table celebrates food, family, and life." —Chef Bernard Guillas, executive chef/Maitre Cuisinier De France, Académie De France, and author of Flying Pans and Two Chefs, One Catch

"In her second cookbook, Cruz (Isabel’s Cantina) gathers flavorful Latin comfort meals that come together quickly. Simple starters artfully illustrate how just a few well-chosen ingredients can make a difference, resulting in crowd-pleasing fare: crispy plantains with a tomato pico de gallo and chipotle cream, and Shrimp Boil Latina-Style, a riff on the Cajun classic that combines cumin, smoky chiles in adobo sauce, and chorizo. For dessert there are Mexican chocolate tamales and a pineapple cobbler; for weekend brunch cocktails, Cruz suggests hibiscus mimosas. Cruz creatively adds dashes of spice (oven-roasted sweet potatoes with cinnamon and chile) and juxtaposes textures (a pepita-crusted sea bass with coconut chili oil), but many of the dishes nod toward the familiar, including ribs with chipotle barbecue sauce, ropa vieja, and Mexican hot chocolate. That said, even readers with shelves of Latin cookbooks will find a few surprises here. The recipes live up to the promise of flavorful, approachable Latin cuisine well within the abilities of even the most novice of cooks." —Publisher's Weekly

"The Latin Table showcases recipes that creatively blend Latin and Asian cuisine for flavorful and health-conscious meals. Ideal for planning menus for truly memorable dining occasions, The Latin Table is profusely illustrated with the full color photography of Jaime Fritsch and will prove to be an especially welcome and enduringly popular addition to personal, family, professional, and community library cook book collections." —Midwest Book Review