• Eat Your Books

  2002 James Beard Award Winner

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Smoked trout with warm sweet potato salad and horseradish cream

  • anya_sf on October 02, 2024

    I made 1/2 recipe to serve 2 as a dinner main. I didn't smoke my own trout, just used an 8 oz package TJ's smoked trout - still good. Omitted the frisee but used more endive. This recipe has many components, but nothing difficult, and everything works together. One error: recipe calls for caramelized onions (which I made), but instructions state pickled onions (no recipe in book). Either would be good, but could also be skipped since the shallot in the potato salad adds that flavor. While I liked the sweet potatoes, next time I'd probably use regular potatoes per personal preference.

• Morel mushroom and goat cheese toasts

  • crystal_gv0ewa on January 28, 2026

    For us . . . the best way to utilize morels.

• Coconut curried mussels

  • mommaG on March 12, 2017

    I have made this recipe at least 10 times. I did not make the curry paste or use the lemon grass. I used Thai Kitchen red curry paste. Even with these changes, it is excellent. I will in the future make it with the homemade curry and lemongrass but I cannot imagine it being any better. I cannot always find the Fresno peppers so I just use jalapeños. I actually like the green of the jalapeño against the beautiful pink sauce. I usually make the sauce the day before to save time when having a large crowd for dinner. I just reheat and throw the mussels in and it turns out wonderful.

  • karon_drdoiv on May 09, 2026

    I had shelled frozen mussels so I served this with jasmine rice and added edamame for some veg - very tasty

• Seared ahi tuna on sesame crackers with wasabi cream

  • crandall57 on September 06, 2025

    A nice preparation for Ahi tuna. Next time, I might marinate the tuna for a few minutes in a soy sauce/olive oil/garlic combination prior to rolling it in the seeds.

• Chinese-style chicken wings

  • sdeathe on May 16, 2025

    Really good, quick and easy to prepare. Marinating time of at least 2 hours. I did not make the Mustard Sauce, which I think would be a longer prep than the chicken, and I wanted quick. I used thighs and sliced them over a lightly dressed salad, and added all the toppings. Yum!

• Duck carnitas tostadas with ancho chile salsa and tomatillo salsa

  • lorloff on August 28, 2020

    The cabbage radish coleslaw that is part of this recipe had become my go to coleslaw. Every time I serve it for a dinner party someone calls me for the recipe. It is really delicious. I cut everything very thinly with a mandolin it is more work but well worth it. Highly recommended

• Sean's butter lettuce salad with Maytag blue cheese dressing

  • LisaO on February 17, 2015

    Only a note regarding the dressing. This dressing ROCKS! I write in all my cookbooks. In 2007 I made this for the first time. I use it as a dip for artesian potato chips any chance I get. (Ok, I ate it with Ruffles once, shhhh.)

• Blood orange and chioggia beet salad

  • anya_sf on March 03, 2023

    Quite good, but maybe not my favorite version of this salad. I think I prefer the flavor of sherry vinegar with oranges and beets (vs balsamic). For convenience, I used vacuum-packed cooked beets, not chioggias, which would have been much prettier. Half the dressing was plenty for 7 oz arugula.

• Grilled potato salad with goat cheese, fried garlic, and white truffle vinaigrette

  • L.Nightshade on September 06, 2013

    The vinaigrette is made up of balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, olive oil, white truffle oil, and sliced shallots. The little red potatoes are boiled, to be grilled at the last minute. This was a killer addition: paper-thin slices of garlic are carefully fried to crispiness, then drained to be sprinkled over the salad. When the arugula (and/or other greens) is washed and ready to toss, the potatoes go on the grill just until golden. They're then tossed with the arugula and the dressing, and fresh tarragon is gently mixed in. Greens and potatoes are plated, then topped with slices of goat cheese and the crispy fried garlic. All is topped with chive blossoms if you have them. You should have heard the raves around the table. Out of this world. The next night, I tossed some leftover greens and potatoes with blanched green pole filet beans. Every bit as good.

• Chinese chicken salad with sesame noodles and rice vinegar cucumbers

  • Kinhawaii on June 27, 2020

    Our favorite chicken salad. We’ve been making it for years although we often use shortcuts like rotisserie chicken. Sometimes we use all lettuce. Absolutely worth all the extra steps & sauces.

  • anya_sf on July 19, 2024

    Delicious! This recipe has lots of components, but nothing difficult and most can be done ahead. I made the full amounts of salad, cucumber, and tahini dressing, but half the chicken (used boneless, skinless breast) and noodles, which made 3 dinners and 2 lunches. There was extra tahini dressing. Note: the recipe calls for "those nuts" without specifying almonds, but the instructions say almonds and photo shows almonds, so I used those. Any toasted nuts would be fine - ideally sweet/spicy/salty but plain would work too.

  • DKennedy on April 02, 2025

    Those nuts refer to a component recipe in the book. They are candied pistachios.

• Steak and potatoes "truck stop deluxe"

  • Devons on January 01, 2021

    Marinade is flavorful, not too spicy in spite of the chipotle.

• Hanger steak with watercress sauce

  • shrnngnt on November 05, 2025

    This was lovely. A handful of different components, but none of them were difficult. While the potato cakes were good, I felt like they were a bit much and the steak could have done with a more neutral side.

• Mongolian pork chops

  • Julia on June 16, 2011

    This is a signature dish at Mustard's. It's easy but a bit time consuming so that means a week-end dinner for me. The flavors are great and the cabbage and mashed potatoes work very well as the sides.

  • Kduncan on March 11, 2019

    Good flavor, and the sides go perfectly with it. The marinade takes a bit to make but overall everything has a good effort to flavor relationship

  • anya_sf on May 30, 2020

    My pork chops were just about 1" thick so I didn't pound them. I substituted black bean garlic sauce + chili paste for the black bean chili sauce and Crystal hot sauce for Tabasco. Marinated 9 hours. Recipe didn't specify whether to brush the marinade off the chops before grilling, so I just removed excess and left a thin coating. Grilling time (5 min per side on medium heat) was spot on. Served with mashed potatoes (not as buttery as the recipe in the book) and snap peas. Did not make the mustard and didn't miss it. These were so good, my husband asked me to make them again the next day (sadly, we were out of pork chops).

  • sassy_momma on August 14, 2023

    Wow!! This was so good! I will defiantly make them again. Marinade would be really good on chicken as well! I made with rice and sautéed summer squash. Be sure to make the Asian Mustard with it-so worth it!

  • shrnngnt on November 05, 2025

    Always, always a winner. Pretty easy too, once you’ve made it a couple times. Everyone in the household loves it.

• Linguine with morel mushrooms, garlic, and sage

  • stockholm28 on June 02, 2024

    Delicious and very rich. It is a good thing I can only find fresh morels about once per year.

  • crystal_gv0ewa on January 28, 2026

    Very delicious but for scarcity and cost of morels would choose to make something that lets them shine a bit more as the pasta and sage mute their wonderful flavors.

• Braised red cabbage

  • Kduncan on March 11, 2019

    I'm not really a cabbage person, but this recipe is great, I might like it more then the actual red cabbage at Mustard's (which I find has too much acid).

  • julesamomof2 on March 02, 2020

    This recipe makes a very flavorful cabbage. I needed more brown sugar to tame the acidity of the dish so next time I'd start with 1/4 cup of the red vinegar. Served with pork.

• Summer succotash

  • mjes on October 17, 2019

    Two things make this a company-level succotash - the corn stock and the heavy cream.

• Mustards' mashed potatoes

  • Kduncan on March 11, 2019

    Butter and Garlic is also included in this recipe (I tripled the garlic). Overall great easy to make mashed potatoes.

• Roasted potatoes

  • Kduncan on August 31, 2018

    Used tiny potatoes which meant less cook time. Great simple recipe thats always a hit.

• Chinese-style mustard sauce

  • Kduncan on March 11, 2019

    Great flavor, though annoying to heat up correctly if there are leftovers.

• Caramelized onions

  • anya_sf on October 02, 2024

    Good, fairly standard recipe

• Avocado and pumpkin seed salsa

  • peaceoutdesign on March 03, 2022

    can sub in a can of fire-roasted Ortega chilies.

• Those nuts

  • anya_sf on July 19, 2024

    Very good, but not my favorite sweet/spicy/salty nut recipe, plus I don't love deep frying.

• Corn stock

  • mjes on October 17, 2019

    If you are into using everything, this makes a very nice vegetable stock. Seasoning is well balanced.

• Caramel apple bread pudding

  • Kinhawaii on June 27, 2020

    One of our favorite bread pudding recipes!

• Chocolate pecan Jack Daniel's cake with Jack Daniel's chocolate sauce

  • DKennedy on July 03, 2013

    Made and loved this. Easy to make but beware many, many dishes are left in its wake. Food processor, mixer, double boiler, cake pan, and a myriad of bowls. Very forgiving recipe and gluten free too!!!! Note my copy of this recipe is kept inside Cindy's Supper Club book.