Big Small Plates (Hardcover)

by Cindy Pawlcyn (Author), Pablo Jacinto (Author), Erasto Jacinto (Author) "Of all the chapters in this book..." (more)
Key Phrases: ketjap manis, high heal, piquillo peppers, Monterey Jack, Pedro Ximénez, Rig Small (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
In Big Small Plates, Cindy Pawlcyn, chef at more than a dozen restaurants including Mustards Grill in the Napa Valley, offers 100-plus recipes for her signature small dishes, to be served as hors d'oeuvres, starters, or, when combined, as a meal. Strongly influenced by Mexican, South American, and Asian cooking, these include the tempting likes of Asparagus with Shiitake Spring Rolls, Mussels and Clams with Andouille Sausage in Tangerine Broth, Fried Green Tomatoes with Spicy Rémoulade, and Black Pepper and Garlic Chicken Wings. The book also offers a small selection of sweets, such as Ann's Chocolate Biscuits and Lemon-Buttermilk Pudding Cake with Chantilly Cream and Berries, plus useful tips and menus that help readers match the dishes for various occasions. Readers also learn that any recipe may be increased to serve as a meal centerpiece.

Pawlcyn excels at recipe writing, so readers will have no trouble reproducing the dishes at home; chatty notes also offer comprehensive dish context while providing a sense of Pawlcyn's rather astonishing professional journey that began in 1983 and is still going strong. Her commitment to good food and enjoyment of the cooking process, implicit throughout, should rub off on her readers. With lovely color photos, this is a personal cookbook of the very best and most instructive kind. --Arthur Boehm

From Publishers Weekly
In her newest (after Mustards Grill Napa Valley Cookbook), Pawlcyn explores her love of appetizers and small dishes, emphasizing foods from Spain, Mexico, and Central and South America and including recipes from the her restaurants, past and present. She breaks down chapters into playful categories: "Sticks, Picks, and with Fingers," for example, focuses on foods meant to be eaten by hand, Pawlcyn's admittedly favorite way to eat. Foods served on toast, tortillas or shells appear under "On a Raft," while "Bowls and Spoons" features soups and stews (such as Mussels and Clams with Andouille Sausage in Tangerine Broth). Throughout, Pawlcyn favors seasonal ingredients, be it a recipe for Grilled Radicchio and Scallions with Black Olives or Crispy Fried Rabbit with Dijon-Chervil Sauce. While some dishes, like Pan Roasted Hazelnuts and Chile Garlic Peanuts, are straightforward, others, such as Salt Cod Cakes with Garlic Aioli, require a bit of work. But Pawlcyn is unapologetic: "When it comes to cooking, the little extra you do makes a huge difference, so sweat the details." But the desserts (Baked Peach Crisps, Oranges and Smashed Cherries) are delightfully simple, and the menu suggestions at the end, categorized by season, will inspire any home cook. (Sept.)
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Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Ten Speed Press (August 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580085237
• ISBN-13: 978-1580085236
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.9 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #123,919 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

53 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great source for appetizers and a nice read. Buy It., August 18, 2006

By	B. Marold (Bethlehem, PA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

`Big Small Plates' by northern California restauranteur / chef / cookbook writer, Cindy Pawlcyn, assisted by her restaurant co-owners and co-chefs, brothers Pablo Jacinto and Erasto Jacinto needs just a little explanation on its title and contents. The contradiction in the `Big Small' is explained by substituting `seriously delicious' for `Big' and `appetizers' or `hors `d'ourves' for `Small'. `Plates' obviously doesn't mean crockery, it meats a dish of food.

On reading the introduction, I was looking forward to a book on the Mexican analogues to the Mediterranean `little dishes' or tapas from Spain, `hors'd'ourves' and `amuse bouche' from France, anti-pasto from Italy, and Meze from Greece and Turkey. It turns out that over half of the dishes in this book are from this very same Mediterranean `appetizer central', augmented by a number of dishes from south Asia (India), southeast Asia, (Thailand and Vietnam), and east Asia (China and Japan). When the dust settles, the Mexican dishes are in a distinct minority.

This does not mean this is a weak book! It only means that if your bookshelves are already creaking under the weight of cookbooks from the Mediterranean and the Pacific rim, there may be less new material here than you may expect. On balance, I suggest that no matter how many Italian, French, Spanish, Indian, Thai, Chinese, and Japanese cookbooks you already have, if you do not have a `go to' book on appetizers, this volume may be your answer.

Another thing is that this is definitely a foodie book. There is not even the pretense of `fast' or `easy' or `cheap' cooking here. Since these are `starters', few of the dishes are difficult, but virtually all of them, except for some of the desserts, require some definitely serious culinary skills with techniques such as grilling, deep-frying and dough making. A second symptom that this is a foodie book is the number of unusual ingredients called for in many of the recipes. Over half of the recipes will require a trip to the Latin American, East Indian, or Chinese grocery store or a very well stocked megamart. Most of these unusual ingredients such as lemongrass are becoming more familiar, but others such as Kaffir Lime leaves are still very hard to find. I was just a bit disappointed with the list of sources, as almost all of them are in or around Napa Valley. Of course, all do Internet or Mail Order business, but still, the author could have been just a bit less Napa-centric.

Very important is the fact that this book has that ephemeral quality so eloquently described in `Cook What You Love' by Bob and Melinda Blanchard. The authors are totally in love with what they are doing, and they succeed in passing that enthusiasm on to the reader. That means the book is simply fun to read, which makes it that much more fun to look for interesting recipes.

Since the book is all about appetizer recipes, the organization is a bit unusual, dividing the dishes up into the means by which these little bites would be eaten. The chapter headings are:

Chapter 1. Sticks, Picks, and with Fingers (obvious enough)
Chapter 2. Dressed, Not Naked (Salads and dressings)
Chapter 3. Bowls and Spoons (Soups, nicht wahr)
Chapter 4. On a Raft (Crostini, Bruschetta, Biscuits, and other bready platforms)
Chapter 5. Knife and Fork (or things needing end-user cutting)
Chapter 6. Something Sweet (largely `assembled' quick desserts).

The book has one of my favorite features for a 200-recipe book. That is, it's table of contents gives all the titles of all the recipes right up there in the beginning of the book. That, combined with the organization, makes a perfect way of picking three dishes with the right combination of eating techniques.

One does need to know, however, that hidden among these `main' recipes are quite a few supplementary recipes for things such as aioli, tartar sauce, and miscellaneous other condiments. A separate chapter for these is the usual way to go, but that can be annoying too. Good compromise may have been a supplementary listing of supporting recipes.

This book also has the distinction of being the very first one I have found which uses corn mold as a recipe ingredient. I became aware of this while watching the very first `Iron Chef America' match between Bobby Flay and Rick Bayless, when Bayless pulled it out of his wrapping of day-old `Chicago Tribune' pages. The authors say one can find this stuff in Mexican groceries. I leave it to you, fair reader, to try this one out and report back!

As `restaurant books' go, this one is superior to most as both a good read and a good source of very well-written recipes for entertaining, although you will not, as in a Thomas Keller book, be treated to a lot of teaching on new techniques. Rather, it will be up to you to know your way around the kitchen and a well-stocked pantry.

Highly Recommended.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars another winner, January 19, 2007

By	Lawrence Searl (Orlando, Florida United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Cindy Pawlcyn and her colaberators have done it again. Their latest book is a gem. The recipes are approachable by all and share ingrediants you can find easily even if you don't live in produce rich Napa California. The flavors are as luxurious as Laurie Smiths photos.Cindy and team always manage to pull you in to the culture, the feeling and the way of life that the cooking conveys. Many authors publish books of their recipes but this book takes you on the journey and doesn't dissapoint. The food is great, the recipes are rock solid and you can't go wrong with this one. If you love "Mustard's" or if you were a fan of Miramonte you will love it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everything I hoped it would be, September 12, 2007

By	debbie "cookbook lover" (columbus,oh) - See all my reviews

A friend, who is a fabulous cook, recommended this book to me. I bought one for myself and one for my daughter. We both have been extremely happy with the recipes. I find that eventhouugh it is tltled "Small Plates" these recipes serve well as dinner entrees. Last night I went to my friends for dinner(the one who recommended the book),she fixed the Lamb Chops and Shrimp Cocktail with avocado. They were absolutely declicous. I would highly recommend this book.