Big Small Plates

by Cindy Pawlcyn, Pablo Jacinto, Erasto Jacinto

Fans of Cindy Pawlcyn'¬?s Mustards Grill have been making meals out of her sampler-size starters for years. In BIG SMALL PLATES, Cindy brings home the biggest trend in eating out, with generously scaled recipes that promise less fuss and more flavors than traditional appetizers. The wide-ranging collection of universally appealing recipes spans soups, finger foods, salads, scoopables, and even sweets designed to satisfy big appetites as well as grazers. An alternative to conventional, varietyless main-course cooking, Cindy's small plate recipes deliver the inspiration and reliability that make this new way of eating-and entertaining-practical at home. Reviews

"Cindy Pawlcyn is all about big fun and big flavors."-San Jose Mercury News

"Cindy Pawlcyn's rollicking Big Small Plates has a cornucopia of brightly flavored small dishes." -Boston Globe

"As a basic guide to the wonderful fare served at Mustards and Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen, Big Small Plates has more than enough to go around." -Wine News

"The kind of cookbook I just can't resist." -Oakland Tribune

"[A]n ample selection of some of the more delicious tidbits you'll ever taste." -Sacramento Bee

"Pawlcyn's new book focuses on small plates-tapas-in a grand way." -Baltimore Sun

"Buy this book because the recipes are flavorful, diverse, and conducive to infinite applications." -ChefTalk.com

"The Napa Valley super chef and entrepreneur's praiseworthy-and successful-attempt to bring the small-plates trend into the home kitchen."-San Francisco Chronicle"Anyone looking for first courses or cocktail party food recipes will find no lack of inspiration here."-Booklist"An enormously appealing book full of heart, and food that's refreshingly real and often adventurous."-Portland Oregonian

Genres: Cookbooks, Food, Reference, Nonfiction, Cooking

384 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2006

Reviews

[Gaucho36 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too fru fru for home cooking

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read a lot of cookbooks, sometimes just pick them off the shelf at the library, flip through a few pages, and put them back. This one just called out to me and I haven't put it down since I got it. Everything sounds delicious and really manageable. Even the fancier things seem doable. Not too fancy, not too plain, just the kind of food I like to make and eat. I had read her Fog City Diner cookbook and didn't love her voice then. Now I do! There is something much more mellow and multi-layered about her now, both her writing and her recipes. Love it.

[Caro · Rating 4 out of 5]

I prefer to try small, varied dishes rather than having one single plate and this is what the book is all about. This cookbook features small plates that are meant for sharing among several people. The recipes seem simple but flavorful, the ingredients are varied and, depending where you live, should be somewhat easy to find.

My only complaint, as is usual for me when it comes to cookbooks, is that it did not have enough pictures. I'd love to see a picture accompany every recipe but that's me.

[Gillespie Sisters · Rating 3 out of 5]

Idiosyncratic to author and her cooks. I do give her full marks for including the chefs to get away from this star chef stuff.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

the recipes look amazing but there's no way that I would make them at home. however, if I find myself near her restaurant I would definitely stop in for a bite