What do you think?
Rate this book
Graze: Inspiration for Small Plates and Meandering Meals: A Charcuterie Cookbook
Grazing is an enchanting way to eat. It means skipping from dish to dish, tasting different things without committing to a single one. It’s about creating multiple dishes that work together as a meal, that all share a theme, an aesthetic. When she entertains, or even pulls together a quick dinner for just two, food stylist Suzanne Lenzer enjoys this tapas-style of eating—and with her guidance, you can too.
When it comes to making small plates at home, start with cheese and charcuterie, but then combine this classic with a few easy dishes that make a meal special. Try your hand at fun, fast recipes like chickpea fries with Meyer lemon-scented aioli; roasted beet tartare with cheese and pistachios; kale, spinach, and Pecorino pizza slivers; sardine bruchetta with fennel and preserved lemons; scallop and plum ceviche with tarragon; and lemon-lavender posset—to name just a few.
Making delicious, beautiful dishes and snacks for grazing, whether for two or twelve, doesn’t have to be difficult or time-consuming. Graze is full of tips to help you prepare healthy, wholesome, and appetizing food without spending hours in the kitchen.
When it comes to making small plates at home, start with cheese and charcuterie, but then combine this classic with a few easy dishes that make a meal special. Try your hand at fun, fast recipes like chickpea fries with Meyer lemon-scented aioli; roasted beet tartare with cheese and pistachios; kale, spinach, and Pecorino pizza slivers; sardine bruchetta with fennel and preserved lemons; scallop and plum ceviche with tarragon; and lemon-lavender posset—to name just a few.
Making delicious, beautiful dishes and snacks for grazing, whether for two or twelve, doesn’t have to be difficult or time-consuming. Graze is full of tips to help you prepare healthy, wholesome, and appetizing food without spending hours in the kitchen.
205 pages, Hardcover
First published July 1, 2017
285 people are currently reading
893 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
June 28, 2019
Love the idea of small dishes whether it takes the form of tapas, dim sum, chaat, or, as this book suggests, just grazing.
This book contains gorgeous photographs, which is to be expected given Lenzer's background as a food stylist for ads and magazines. I assume she did her own food styling for this book. (Maybe it says somewhere and I just didn't get that far into the credits.) A simple white plate with a few marinated beans is mouth-watering, as unlikely as that may sound. Brown food is notoriously hard to make pretty or photograph, and yet a display of battered squid, fried asparagus, and shallots looks tempting. A photo of creamy lemon-lavender posset with scattered fresh read currents in white and clear dishes on a simple white background is art you'd be tempted to hang on your wall. Talk about your food porn....
The recipes are simple, yet elegant. There's nothing new or truly unique about them, so the interest comes more from the pairings of selections rather than the individual recipes. (But are there any truly new recipes, really?) I didn't make anything from the book, so can't vouch for whether they taste as good as the looked or sounded.
So, why am I rating this book so low?
Because I came to loathe the writing style. For all I know, Suzanne Lenzer might be the sweetest woman who ever lived. She could be modesty incarnate and spend her time selflessly volunteering in soup kitchens and running a charity to provide wigs for kittens on chemo. She could fart rose water. I don't know. All I have to go on is this book. And by the end of this book, I just wanted her to STFU.
The book starts out with the usual introduction establishing the bone fides, (i.e., the "this is me and why I feel qualified to write a cookbook." Every cookbook contains this chapter, and it's expected. Perhaps this one was a little too over-eager and puffed up for my tastes, but I was willing to chalk it up to the mythical "artistic temperament" that excuses far too many things. It's the introduction: the author gets to brag once about living in a food Mecca, about having a fishmonger and butcher and organic everything just down rhe block, about the BFF who is A Name in the Biz, about going to culinary school -- although that's not such a big deal anymore when even prisons are running culinary schools these days -- and, if she must, about her fabulous wine hobby and amazing world trips, or incredibly luxurious whatever. Once. After that, it's no longer considered establishing foodie credibility: it's just spewing braggadocio.
The problem for me was that all calculated faux-modesty didn't end with the introduction.
By the 30% mark, I started chafing at the humble-brag. Then it just became regular old brag, no humility to it. She will beat you senseless with constant reminders of her Manhattan lifestyle and the second house and the orchard and the summer she spent in Spain/London/Narnia, and the "cute little cottages" rented for various summers at the coast or other high dollar place. After a while, I fully expected to read "When Ken and I vacationed in Rome to have tea with the Pope..." and "That summer I was a finalist for the Nobel Peace Prize, Ken and I rented a quaint chalet in Stockholm...." It's not the voice of someone wanting to relate an authentic or sentimental connection to a food/recipe, but the voice of someone who can't talk about anything without putting "me, myself, and I" as the main point. A dollar says the three most common words in this book are I, me, my. (And I almost feel sorry for her husband. He becomes the set-up of a constant thread about how whatever the thing is that he likes, it's clearly inferior to her preference and her task is to reform his taste.) Even though this humble-brag and demeanor is common among younger writers who live "in the city" (which seems to always mean either NYC, LA, 0r San Francisco/Marin, as if there are no other cities), the self-absorption in this one was over the top.
What kept me turning pages were the lovely photos, but the writing was a never-ending barrage of narcissism. By the 50% point, I was reminded of the old joke about how southern belles go to charm school so they can learn to say "Isn't this nice?" instead of "Who gives a f***, bitch?" The problem is, I never went to charm school, so by 75%, I really was saying things like that out loud. That's when I knew it was time to stop reading any of it and just admire the pretty pictures.
So, 4 stars for the photos, maybe 2.5 for the recipes, and a definite 1 star for the writing.
And now I have to find a really fantastic book to read before year-end because I refuse to let my 2017 in books end like this.
This book contains gorgeous photographs, which is to be expected given Lenzer's background as a food stylist for ads and magazines. I assume she did her own food styling for this book. (Maybe it says somewhere and I just didn't get that far into the credits.) A simple white plate with a few marinated beans is mouth-watering, as unlikely as that may sound. Brown food is notoriously hard to make pretty or photograph, and yet a display of battered squid, fried asparagus, and shallots looks tempting. A photo of creamy lemon-lavender posset with scattered fresh read currents in white and clear dishes on a simple white background is art you'd be tempted to hang on your wall. Talk about your food porn....
The recipes are simple, yet elegant. There's nothing new or truly unique about them, so the interest comes more from the pairings of selections rather than the individual recipes. (But are there any truly new recipes, really?) I didn't make anything from the book, so can't vouch for whether they taste as good as the looked or sounded.
So, why am I rating this book so low?
Because I came to loathe the writing style. For all I know, Suzanne Lenzer might be the sweetest woman who ever lived. She could be modesty incarnate and spend her time selflessly volunteering in soup kitchens and running a charity to provide wigs for kittens on chemo. She could fart rose water. I don't know. All I have to go on is this book. And by the end of this book, I just wanted her to STFU.
The book starts out with the usual introduction establishing the bone fides, (i.e., the "this is me and why I feel qualified to write a cookbook." Every cookbook contains this chapter, and it's expected. Perhaps this one was a little too over-eager and puffed up for my tastes, but I was willing to chalk it up to the mythical "artistic temperament" that excuses far too many things. It's the introduction: the author gets to brag once about living in a food Mecca, about having a fishmonger and butcher and organic everything just down rhe block, about the BFF who is A Name in the Biz, about going to culinary school -- although that's not such a big deal anymore when even prisons are running culinary schools these days -- and, if she must, about her fabulous wine hobby and amazing world trips, or incredibly luxurious whatever. Once. After that, it's no longer considered establishing foodie credibility: it's just spewing braggadocio.
The problem for me was that all calculated faux-modesty didn't end with the introduction.
By the 30% mark, I started chafing at the humble-brag. Then it just became regular old brag, no humility to it. She will beat you senseless with constant reminders of her Manhattan lifestyle and the second house and the orchard and the summer she spent in Spain/London/Narnia, and the "cute little cottages" rented for various summers at the coast or other high dollar place. After a while, I fully expected to read "When Ken and I vacationed in Rome to have tea with the Pope..." and "That summer I was a finalist for the Nobel Peace Prize, Ken and I rented a quaint chalet in Stockholm...." It's not the voice of someone wanting to relate an authentic or sentimental connection to a food/recipe, but the voice of someone who can't talk about anything without putting "me, myself, and I" as the main point. A dollar says the three most common words in this book are I, me, my. (And I almost feel sorry for her husband. He becomes the set-up of a constant thread about how whatever the thing is that he likes, it's clearly inferior to her preference and her task is to reform his taste.) Even though this humble-brag and demeanor is common among younger writers who live "in the city" (which seems to always mean either NYC, LA, 0r San Francisco/Marin, as if there are no other cities), the self-absorption in this one was over the top.
What kept me turning pages were the lovely photos, but the writing was a never-ending barrage of narcissism. By the 50% point, I was reminded of the old joke about how southern belles go to charm school so they can learn to say "Isn't this nice?" instead of "Who gives a f***, bitch?" The problem is, I never went to charm school, so by 75%, I really was saying things like that out loud. That's when I knew it was time to stop reading any of it and just admire the pretty pictures.
So, 4 stars for the photos, maybe 2.5 for the recipes, and a definite 1 star for the writing.
And now I have to find a really fantastic book to read before year-end because I refuse to let my 2017 in books end like this.
September 15, 2018
This author is suffering from “accidentally swallowed a thesaurus” syndrome. She is also suffering from “writer who loves to hear themselves talk and will literally not shut up” syndrome.
I don’t even know enough adjectives to try and mimic how she writes. You all get what I mean, right? Obnoxious. She seems genuine, but plssssss just give us the food and stop with the constant monologues.
This is the kind of person who eats little snacks 12 times a day, a lifestyle which I have neither the time nor the slowed metabolism to tolerate. I was willing to read an argument trying to convince me to stray from the traditional giant meals 3x/day regimen, but I was disappointed. All I got was a woman who has the time and energy to make all her food from scratch telling me about why she loves cheese and ham, and trying to convince me that a few cubes of cheese and a couple figs can count as lunch. She describes her eating as though she is a bird—a peck peck here, a little nibble there, a munch on four almonds over there; I can’t help but feel like someone who eats this minimally, albeit constantly, probably breaks down once a day and can be found hidden in a closet stuffing their face with a fluffernutter, tub of cheeze balls, and an entire turkey dinner. With tears streaming down their face. The thesaurus and prosciutto-wrapped bread crisps lay forgotten in the corner.
I don’t even know enough adjectives to try and mimic how she writes. You all get what I mean, right? Obnoxious. She seems genuine, but plssssss just give us the food and stop with the constant monologues.
This is the kind of person who eats little snacks 12 times a day, a lifestyle which I have neither the time nor the slowed metabolism to tolerate. I was willing to read an argument trying to convince me to stray from the traditional giant meals 3x/day regimen, but I was disappointed. All I got was a woman who has the time and energy to make all her food from scratch telling me about why she loves cheese and ham, and trying to convince me that a few cubes of cheese and a couple figs can count as lunch. She describes her eating as though she is a bird—a peck peck here, a little nibble there, a munch on four almonds over there; I can’t help but feel like someone who eats this minimally, albeit constantly, probably breaks down once a day and can be found hidden in a closet stuffing their face with a fluffernutter, tub of cheeze balls, and an entire turkey dinner. With tears streaming down their face. The thesaurus and prosciutto-wrapped bread crisps lay forgotten in the corner.
August 22, 2021
beautiful photos but i liked the photos better than the recipes.
June 26, 2018
Nothing super enticing, and omg the author is wordy! Just...so much text. People writing cookbooks: we do not need an entire essay for every single recipe! I also just found Lenzer off-putting in general--you know, humble-braggy and a little too "everything in my life is exciting and precious and Instagram-worthy." UGH.
But the photos are nice...
But the photos are nice...
January 16, 2023
Easy to graze through this non-cookbook
I am a grazer, as such I was sure this book would be amazing. Sadly, while yes, I found a recipe or two that will be worth a try, it's not a cookbook per se.
I am a grazer, as such I was sure this book would be amazing. Sadly, while yes, I found a recipe or two that will be worth a try, it's not a cookbook per se.
October 28, 2018
Good inspiration, indeed, for little snacky, charcuterie-esque type plates. Just don't bother with the author anecdotes preceding the recipes, some of which are longer than the simple instructions. Many barely touch on the food they ought to be highlighting, and eventually you'll get tired of the humble-bragging. ("Every winter break growing up we went to London because off-season tickets were cheap. I thought every family spent Christmas in London, haha! We'd rent an apartment there blah blah blah." Like that.) Okay, your life is your life, and if it was fancier than average you can't help that, and food people seem contractually obligated to gab about their lives before getting around to the food, but a definite aura builds up.
(Contrast to my fave food book of the year, First We Eat by Eva Kosmas Flores, whose blurbs are short and usually relatable, and always let the food or ingredient shine ultimately.)
(Contrast to my fave food book of the year, First We Eat by Eva Kosmas Flores, whose blurbs are short and usually relatable, and always let the food or ingredient shine ultimately.)
May 2, 2020
4.75 stars, so rounding up. A fairly functional guide on different ways to throw together fresh vegetables and pantry ingredients. Good entertainment food, or fairly quick snacky food. Some unique ideas; some good backbones where you could swap out ingredients, or assemble something pretty nice without checking a recipe too often. Pictures were very good. Instructions easy to follow. The flavor text did ramble, but I prefer a bit too much explanation of why you would eat something than not enough.
November 25, 2018
I'd give Graze 3 1/2 stars. I found some of the recipes/ideas to be a bit pretentious; the book seems to be written mostly for well-off New Englanders who weekend in the country and have access to a lot of foods you just can't find at the Piggly Wiggly.
But the book will give you ideas that you can modify to fit your shopping circumstances with a little creativity. And the author was funny and charming. So I do recommend Graze if you're a big fan of snacking, like me.
But the book will give you ideas that you can modify to fit your shopping circumstances with a little creativity. And the author was funny and charming. So I do recommend Graze if you're a big fan of snacking, like me.
January 2, 2023
Some lovely recipes and tips, but it’s like reading a blog and each one goes on and on with too much commentary that’s not about food m! Sorry, but keep it simple sometimes. I don’t care that your parents loved remodeling houses, sorry! And just an unimaginable lifestyle - multiple homes, travels, etc. Not relatable to the average home cook and distracted from the quality of the recipes with a growing dislike of the author. Sorry, but less is more.
July 29, 2017
Some great snacky combinations in this book. I love the grazing idea and think in general this is a better way for all of us to eat. I've tried a few things so far and I'm going to test out the Brown Butter Brownies this weekend. Also looking forward to the hummus. Yay for this book. It was also very readable.
August 7, 2017
I can't say I liked this nor hated it. I just didn't get the point of the book. It made no sense to me. Nothing in this book sounded the least bit good, or delicious. My biggest problem was the very big lack of pictures. Some of the food I had no idea what they are and a picture would have helped.
May 12, 2020
I love the idea of small plate/tapas style and the presentation of the photos made dishes I would normally not consider sound incredible, but overall I just though the book was okay. I was expecting more of a cookbook style than a blog-style description of every dish, but that was just my expectations and could be unfair.
December 30, 2020
Ok it might be weird to put a cookbook on Goodreads, but technically I read this so I'm posting it! This was actually a really enjoyable book to read! It is technically a cookbook, but each recipe is paired with a story from the author's life. I have only made a couple of things from the book all of which were good, but my favorite parts of the book were her stories of food and people from different times in her life.
February 14, 2019
Graze
Suzanne Lenzer has given us a tasty collection of small plates. More than that she has provided interesting stories to accompany the recipes. The pictures that accompany the recipes are stunning.
Suzanne Lenzer has given us a tasty collection of small plates. More than that she has provided interesting stories to accompany the recipes. The pictures that accompany the recipes are stunning.
December 9, 2019
A lot of dishes that suite my taste and style, I love the different ideas here. All non-traditional plates, which I appreciate. Most cookbooks contain the basics and very American style with a protein, carb and vegetable approach. This is so not that and I so love it!
August 11, 2018
I had high expectations for this book, but so much of it seemed very derivative or just simplistic. The photos are lovely, but I only found one recipe I want to try.
September 11, 2018
Beautiful big cookbook filled with great ideas for grazing I would never have thought of myself. The photos are pretty and the writing is chatty. Would likely make a good gift.
July 15, 2019
It was ok - the author has some interesting observations.
August 29, 2019
This could be a four or five star. I love the author’s unpretentious style of writing and eating. Her recipes are flavorful and easily followed.
August 12, 2020
Descriptive recipes ! Takes some time to decode. But fantastic ideas!
Read
August 1, 2021Beautiful and simple to create recipes
March 15, 2022
Less words and fluff, more recipes!
April 1, 2022
I love the concept of this book, and the author is passionate about food.
July 18, 2022
Lots of quick, tasty recipes and ideas. The pickled onions are amazing!
January 4, 2023
The descriptions of recipes were too wordy. Also complicated cooking styles with ingredients that are not readily available.
January 15, 2023
The idea is great, we all graze, put things together without spending a lot of time to organize and cook. The plates sections were very good.
September 17, 2023
Good guide to being that kind of snacker - the kind who always has prosciutto on hand and enjoys raw asparagus. Fun for parties and appreciate the menus.
October 5, 2023
No table of contents or index makes it hard to find specific recipes.
June 17, 2025
makes me hungry... such great ideas!
July 12, 2025
Not suitable for Uk readers
Pointless buying this book if you’re a uk customer as all recipes are in cup measurements. Apart from that recipes look okay.
Pointless buying this book if you’re a uk customer as all recipes are in cup measurements. Apart from that recipes look okay.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews