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My first glimpse of the vibrant cover of the new Dona Tomas cookbook a few months back knocked me out - a vibrant swatch of red sets the stage for dark wood tables punctuated by warm candlelight and crisp white linens. I couldn't wait to explore the actual pages and recipes. Dona Tomas is a Mexican restaurant known for its authentic, regionally-inspired Mexican food on the border between Berkeley and Oakland. You see the California influence evident in many simple preparations and platings peppered throughout their book. In addition to the knock-out cover, here are a few other reasons this cookbook is worth a look.

The opening essay by Richard Rodriguez is priceless. He starts with a paragraph proclaiming the success of Dona Tomas is not its recovery of authentic Mexican cuisine, but instead, its popularity represents "a final and glorious triumph of the bastard." He goes on to quote a New York Times obituary for Julia Child that noted she "admitted she could live without" Mexican food, launches into a Child vs. Kennedy comparison, and lambasts the "bloated, tepid, unspontaneous" Mexican American food prevalent at potlucks, church and school bazaars. All this in just the first four paragraphs of his essay (of 20!).

Photography. Getting plated Mexican food to look appetizing in photographs is a big challenge. I suppose the same can be said for any cuisines, but just try to get a stuffed chile to look bright and vibrant, or a simple plate of beans for that matter. It's tough, I've been there. There is big potential for the mush factor to kick in and it's not pretty. The photographs by Ed Anderson in this book are impressive, natural looking and not overly-styled. Throughout the book plated shots are graphically balanced out with atmospheric photos - the shots that capture process, texture, and detail. They round out the food shots beautifully.

The drinks. Between now and the end of the summer I'm going to make all of them including a chile and lime-spiced beer called a Michelada, and the Fresh Watermelon Sangria (Sangria Sandia) - non-alcoholic and kissed with the light sweetness of agave mead.

The recipes look delicious. They are written directly without being overly reductive. I suspect that because the restaurant is in the Bay Area many recipes are written with vegetarian variations or suggestions (without being literal about it), for example they always mention that you can use chicken or vegetable broth and there is a nice ratio of recipes that happen to be meatless. So you've got Lamb Shoulder Slow Roasted in Banana Leaves and you've got Quesadillas with Morel Mushrooms, Asparagus, Goat Cheese, and Poblano Cream. Recipes on my list to try are: Chilaquiles, Fideo (Mexican Pasta with Vegetables and Chile), Pumpkin Brittle, and Crema de Calabaza (Pumpkin Cream).

Pumpkin seed sauce simmering in my favorite skillet.

For today's recipe I made the Broiled Goat Cheese with Pumpkin Seed Sauce. The tanginess of the goat cheese works nicely with the bite of jalapeno, and strength of cilantro. It's a great party recipe, you can make it well ahead of time and bake it off at the last minute. A couple notes: the recipe is written for 4-inch ramekins, but this is a recipe that lends itself to family-style as well. I made it in a wide-mouth jar. I suspect x-tra small version of it might be a fun and more sophisticated presentation of it as well. Next time around I'll boost the amount of jalapeno as well. Overall, its an easy crowd-pleaser.

Broiled Goat Cheese with Pumpkin Seed Sauce Recipe

3/4 cup hulled pepitas
1 cup tomatillos
1/2 bunch epazote
1/4 bunch cilantro, stemmed
1/4 bunch parsley, stemmed
3 cloves garlic
1/2 jalapeno chile
1 to 2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 to 2 cups vegetable broth

3 tablespoons oil
1 pound goat cheese
tortilla chips

To prepare the sauce, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread the pepitas on a baking sheet and toast, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 15 minutes, until evenly browned. Soak the tomatillos in cold water for a few minutes, the peel off and discard the husks. Place the pepitas, tomatillos, epazote, cilantro, parsley, garlic, jalapeno, and salt in a blender.

Add 1 cup of the broth and blend on high speed until a slightly lumpy puree is achieved. Thin with another cup of broth if necessary to fully blend, but try to use as little broth as possible (hs note: 1 cup was fine to this point)

Place a large straight-sided skillet or frying pan over high heat and add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the sauce, stirring to prevent spattering. Decrease the heat to medium and simmer for about 1 hour, stirring frequently and adjusting the consistency with broth when it gets thick and starts to spatter (hs note: I only ended up cooking it down for 30 minutes, and used another 1/2 cup or so of water). Check and adjust the seasoning with salt as necessary. Keep hot if using right away, or transfer to a container to cool. The sauce can be covered and refrigerated for 3 to 4 days.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Separate the goat cheese into 4 portions, and form each into a 1-inch-thick patty (this thickness allows the patties to bake quickly and evenly). Place the patties in individual 4-inch ramekins and bake for 3 to 5 minutes, until the cheese softens but still holds its shape. Carefully remove from the oven and ladle with the sauce over the cheese in a 1/2-inch layer. Serve immediately with the tortilla chips.

Serves 4 for lunch or 8 as an appetizer.

from Dona Tomas (Ten Speed Press) - reprinted with permission

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