The executive chef for Table 8 restaurants in Los Angeles and Miami introduces a selection of innovative recipes for sophisticated small plates and cocktails that are perfect for occasions of all sizes.

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. A cookbook of 150 sampler-size recipes from Mustards Grill, Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen, and Pawlcyn's home repertoire, in her signature all-American style with Californian and global influences. Includes 150 gorgeous food, ingredient, and location photos. Pawlcyn's previous book MUSTARDS has sold more than 60,000 copies. MUSTARDS won the James Beard award for Best American Cookbook in 2002 and was nominated for the IACP Cookbook of the Year Award. 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

Trained pastry chef, blogger, and mother of two Aran Goyoaga turned to gluten-free cooking when she and her children were diagnosed with gluten intolerance. Combining the flavors of her childhood in Bilbao, Spain, with unique artistry and the informal elegance of small-plate dining, Aran has sacrificed nothing. Dishes range from soups and salads to savory tarts and stews to her signature desserts. With delicate, flavorful, and naturally gluten-free recipes arranged by season, and the author's gorgeously sun-filled food photography throughout, Small Plates and Sweet Treats will bring the magic of Aran's home to yours. Fans of Cannelle et Vanille, those with gluten allergies, and cookbook enthusiasts looking for something new and special will all be attracted to this breathtaking book.

The author of Gluten Free on a Shoestring is back with 100 recipes for one-bite/small platesÑfor everything from parties (jalapeno poppers to pigs-in-blankets) to portable meals (hand pies, chalupas, and more).

Have you ever accompanied an evening of game-playing with a bowl of salty chips or slabs of pizza? If so, you know that greasy fingers can be a distraction, with players interrupting the game to grab napkins or even lick their fingers—immediately before grabbing the communal spinner. Gourmet Game Night has the solution: instead of relying on conventional convenience snacks and standbys, you’ve got imaginative, homemade options; instead of greasy hands and game pieces, you’ve got mess-free, bite-sized snacks. Cookbook writer, magazine contributor, and culinary blogger Cynthia Nims offers inventive alternatives that make hands-clean dining easy, including: • Edible wrappers around savory centers (Shrimp Cakes in Shiso Leaves, page 66) • Bite-sized versions of unwieldy classics for easy grabbing between moves (Caesar Dip with Big Croutons and Romaine, page 18) • Edible bases to support tender ingredients (Tuna Tartare on Daikon Slices, page 58) • Innovative mini containers such as shot glasses for liquid fare (Chilled Avocado Soup with Roasted Poblano Cream, page 112) • Neat sweet treats paired with gooey dippers (Brown Butter Pound Cake with Caramel Dip, page 34) • And of course, party-friendly drinks poured by the pitcherful (Pomegranate-Mint Fizz, page 138) Cynthia Nims’s creative and contemporary recipes will liven up any event where free hands are of the essence, whether you’re gathering friends for a poker night, rolling those dice for a board-game party, spicing up your bridge club, planning a family Scrabble tournament, or impressing your book club or knitting group! Indeed, Gourmet Game Night proves that you don’t need a fancy night on the town to have fun; instead, gather your friends for satisfying small bites—and hopefully a winning streak—at home. From the Trade Paperback edition.

This imaginative cookbook is written for the home chef who wants to expand their repertoire in creating fun and unconventional dishes whether the gathering is for two, twenty, or two hundred. Through recipes bursting with personality, award-winning Chef Eric LeVine offers truly innovative takes on tried and true favorites, such as a twisted mini chicken pot pie, an amazing mouthful of flavor. The smallest of bites showcase three main ingredients used in three different preparations, such as mushroom, ginger, and chicken used three ways. Also included are recipes for delectable mid-sized, larger, and sweet bites--even some signature cocktails! Throughout, this engaging chef includes notes to encourage the home cook to enhance and change up their meals using these recipes as a base. All the 100-plus recipes, from Artichokes Stuffed with Pork and Ricotta to Brown Sugar Bacon Cupcakes, are accompanied by stunning photographs. You'll learn how much fun food can be to prepare, present, share, and of course to eat!

This latest collection of 200 recipes from "Fine Cooking" features the best starters and small bites for any occasion, from holiday party to weeknight noshing. The recipes are accompanied by timesaving tips, step-by-step techniques, and handy kitchen advice.