Cooks' Books by Lisa Messinger

"Antojitos: Festive and Flavorful Mexican Small Plates" by Barbara Sibley and Margaritte Malfy with Mary Goodbody (Ten Speed, $22.99)

Spanish tapas steal the spotlight. And well they should, since the worldwide popularity of "small plates" cuisine — eating layer upon layer of appetizers — originated there. As most who love the light and tasty concept know, though, small plates are a big thing worldwide, especially throughout the Mediterranean and in the Middle East.

It's no surprise then that an entire book is filled with "Antojitos: Festive and Flavorful Mexican Small Plates." It's a delicious addition to the tapas terrain.

Authors Barbara Sibley and Margaritte Malfy are chef/owners of the popular La Palapa restaurants in New York City's Greenwich Village. They show off 75 small plates, many of them their signature dishes. At the restaurants, as in Mexico, antojitos (which means "cravings") are often eaten as appetizers or as "tentempie," roughly "a snack that keeps you standing."

By design, this kind of cooking (or sometimes even just assembling) is not difficult. It's the refreshing, distinctive combinations of ingredients, textures and temperatures (a room temperature sour cream-heavy cream "crema" coating and a bite of freshly fried plantain that's topped with melting Mexican cheese, for instance) that makes these dishes pop.

Grilled corncobs are rubbed with lime, coated with mayonnaise and rolled in a mixture of grated Cotija or parmesan cheese and chile powder. Greens, pineapple, toasted pecans and queso fresco combine for a dynamic salad — so flavorful it needs no dressing other than fresh lime juice and kosher salt.

As with excellent ethnic cookbooks, you can expand on your cooking knowledge in gradual steps. Start with basic recipes and then jump to those that involve layers of building blocks and techniques. A crepes plate will have you mastering crepes and also preparing an Oaxaca-style black mole. Corn masa boats ("chalupas") will teach you to sail those boats, and then how to prepare crema (the rich Mexican sour cream that's also made with heavy cream), slow-cooked vegetarian pinto beans and tomatillo salsa.

The authors are party pros and give lots of tips for entertaining as well as memorable festive menus, from start to finish, including cocktails, like this one:

MEXICAN BEER COCKTAIL

1 1/2 slices lime

Kosher salt

Ice cubes

2 to 3 ounces (4 to 6 tablespoons) freshly squeezed lime juice

1 (12-ounce) bottle Mexican light lager, such as Corona, Sol or Tecate

Yields 1 serving.

Rub the rim of a glass with the whole lime slice.

Spread the salt on a small plate large enough for the rim of the glass and dip the rim into the salt to coat.

Fill the glass with ice and add the lime juice. Pour about half the beer into the glass. Slit the remaining 1/2 lime slice partway and balance the slice on the glass rim. Serve with a straw and with the remaining beer on the side.

SWEET PLANTAINS WITH CREMA

Crema:

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup heavy sour cream

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Plantains:

3 ripe plantains with black skin

Corn oil, for deep frying

1/2 cup crumbled queso fresco or ricotta salata cheese

Yields 6 servings.

To prepare crema: In a nonreactive bowl, whisk together the sour cream and heavy cream. Whisk in the salt. Set aside at room temperature for about 20 minutes.

Whisk again, taste and add more salt, if needed. Cover and refrigerate for up to 8 hours. The crema will taste best if allowed to mellow for the entire 8 hours, though you can serve it immediately. It will keep, well covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

To prepare plantains: Peel the plantains and cut them on the diagonal into 1/2-inch-thick slices.

Pour the oil to a depth of 1 inch into a deep saute pan and heat over medium-high heat to 350 F on a deep-frying thermometer, or until a plantain slice carefully dropped into the oil sizzles on contact.

Working in batches to avoid crowding, carefully fry the plantain slices for about 5 minutes, or until browned and caramelized on the outside and still soft on the inside. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain. Let the oil regain temperature between batches.

Carefully arrange the hot plantains on a platter and immediately sprinkle with the cheese so that it melts slightly. Serve the crema on the side for dipping.

Lisa Messinger is a first-place winner in food writing from the Association of Food Journalists and the author of seven food books, including "Mrs. Cubbison's Best Stuffing Cookbook" and "The Sourdough Bread Bowl Cookbook." She also writes the Creators News Service "After-Work Gourmet" column. To find out more about Lisa Messinger and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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