Crawford Lynn - Starters, salads, and sexy sides: inspiring recipes to make every meal an occasion

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This book, in its entirety, is dedicated to my late mother, Clara McSherry. She lived her life with a joie de vivre like no other. I am still trying to keep up!

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by Chef Lynn Crawford

Caren McSherry is truly a Canadian culinary icon. I have had the pleasure to have gotten to know her over the past few years, and I can tell you that she is one of the most passionate, talented, generous, smart, creative, hilarious, life-loving, food-loving people that I have ever met! I truly admire her energy, spirit, creativity, and laughter, and especially her love of food.

Over her exciting career, Caren has surrounded herself with the best of the best, travelling and cooking with many of the finest chefs around the world. She has cooked with the highest quality and most interesting ingredients anyone could dream of. And, in addition to being a knowledgeable and inspiring teacher, she really knows how to throw an incredibly fun, delicious dinner partywith lots of tremendous wine!

Sharing the wonderful world of food with passion and expertise is really what Caren does so brilliantly, and Starters, Salads, and Sexy Sides is no exception. In this book, Caren gives us easy-to-follow recipes for that incredible dinner party with lots of friends, that delicious family feast, or that special meal youll dream about devouring all day. But whats so great about this particular book is its focus on the components that too many other cookbooks downplay, the parts of a meal that can move it from so-so to spectacular and, most of all, memorable.

Often when we are planning a menu, it is the mainwhether grilled rib eye steak, slow-roasted leg of lamb, or pan-seared halibutthat seems to get all of the glory. But here, Caren puts the supporting cast members in the leading role with outstanding and delicious recipes that you can mix and match to create the perfect meal for any and every occasion. Starters, Salads, and Sexy Sides is also a gorgeous cookbook to look at, with beautiful photography that will entice you to cook with every page you turn.

What makes me happiest is finding a new cookbook that inspires me to get into my kitchen and start cooking. Everything in this cookbook does just that. It is about the wonderful world of food and why I love it, and I hope youll enjoy it as much as I do. Thanks Carenyou inspire me!

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One would think that, by now, with the plethora of cookbooks on our shelves, none of us really needs another. After 40-plus years in this business, my collection numbers more than 1,000! I love to see them lined up in all their colorful glory. Leafing through the pages can be so inspiring, and in every genre of cookbook there is an abundance of choice. Beautiful baking books from sensational bakers; burger books, beef books, every-which-way-to-cook-chicken books; seafood-galore books, and dont forget the barbecue biblesall these categories are so adequately and deliciously covered.

So that is why you will find no recipes for mains or desserts in this book. For me, and for most of the cooks I know, the biggest challenge is not what to make for the main course, its what to serve with the main course. When planning a dinner party or a family get-together, the easy decision is whether to serve pork, lamb, fish, poultry, or beef; the dilemma lies in which salad to choose, what side dishes to prepare, and of course, what delicious little starters to make to get the party started. With starters, salads, and sides, the potential to elevate a meal from ordinary to extraordinary, or to transform an occasion from ho hum to hot damn!, is as simple as following the recipes on the following pages.

My goal with this book is to give you a blueprint. The recipes within are adaptable dishes designed to mix, match, and complement almost any main course. Bite-size starters seem to cause hosts and hostesses the most agony, so I have a generous selection of those, all quick and easy to prepare. The salads I suggest can suit a buffet or can be easily scaled down to attractive single servings. The side dishes work both as individually plated portions for sit-down dinners, or presented on platters for a casual barbecue. There are plenty of choices for diet-specific requirements so you can take care of all your guests. The ingredients and tools sections include all you need to know about any special ingredients and equipment used in the recipes.

The more you cook, the better you get, and be sure to add a bit of your own personality by changing up the plating, adding a different garnish, or adapting the dishes into main courses. Whatever your style, I hope you will find Starters, Salads, and Sexy Sides an inspiration that will have you and your guests eating happily ever after. So, tie on your apron and turn up the heatits time to eat!