Heather made Burrata with Blood Orange, Coriander Seeds and Lavender Oil. This recipe was from Yotam Ottolenghi’s NOPI, which isn’t a cookbook we’ve used yet, but we’ve used some of his others. You can’t go wrong with burrata and high quality produce, but I wish there had been more of the dressing which Heather said tasted really good. The piece I had didn’t have much on it.

Drew made Celtuce Salad with Spring Onion Oil from Land of Fish and Rice. This was a celery salad, which doesn’t sound particularly exciting, but actually turned out to be a surprise favorite for me. It had a ton of flavor and crunch.

Drew also made Quick Cucumber Salad from Land of Fish and Rice. I always like the sweet vinegar flavors of a quick pickle. They are great as an accompaniment to meaty dishes, for the freshness and texture they provide.

And Drew made Magical Radishes from Land of Fish and Rice. I like the flavor-absorbing powers of the radish, and think it’s an under-utilized vegetable. These radishes are cooked with pork belly, so they absorbed some fantastic flavor. Drew mentioned that the recipe called for removing the pork belly, but I would have been perfectly happy had he left it in to munch on as well.

Laura made Baby Spinach Salad with Dates and Almonds from Jerusalem. This is a great rendition of a spinach salad, with just enough toppings to add layers of flavor and texture, and a light but tasty dressing to bring it all together.

I made Italian White Beans and Escarole from Cooking for Jeffrey. Sheana had made this for a previous Cookbook Club event, and I loved it so decided to try making it myself. Unfortunately, I must have purchased some particularly salty beans, because the dish had all the great creamy, garlicky flavors I remembered, but was way too salty. In future, I would definitely hold on salting during cooking and just salt to taste at the end.

Michael made Farfalle with Five Herbs and Cherry Tomatoes from The Santa Monica Farmers’ Market Cookbook. This deceptively simple pasta salad was actually a big winner for me. The pasta was perfectly al dente, and the seasoning was light but robustly flavorful from the herbs, with pops of sweetness from the tomatoes. It’s a dish I want to eat again.

John made Young Onion Tart with Cantal, Bacon, and Herb from Sunday Suppers at Lucques. He did a version with herbs, and one without. The tart toppings were a tasty combination, and I liked that the store-bought puff pastry base was delicious and flaky but made for an easy recipe.

Shayna made Apple Gorgonzola Quiche from Around My French Table. This dish has just a hint of sweetness that makes it something you could eat for any meal. The subtle flavors are great, but can easily be overwhelmed, so I’d enjoy it as a focal point rather than piling it onto a plate with a bunch of other foods.

Alyssa made Sticky Rice Wrapped in Lotus Leaves from Lucky Peach. Sticky rice is a favorite treat for me, so I was happy to be eating these. The rice gets great flavor and savory little bits of meat in a fun little package. This rice wasn’t as sticky as I’m used to, but still a tasty treat.

Alyssa also made Lemongrass-Lime Leaf Beef Dumplings from Hey There, Dumpling! She used pumpkin wrappers because she saw them at the Korean market. I loved the tangy flavor of the beef filling, and while I wouldn’t have guessed the wrappers were pumpkin, they did make for a delicious dumpling.

Erin made Marinated Sweet and Sour Fish from Jerusalem. The flavors were great and cooked really well into the peppers. I bet the fish was fantastic when hot and freshly cooked. Definitely a dish I’d like to try making at home when I can eat immediately, as the breading on the fish cooled and softened during transport to our party.

Julian made Lamb Meatballs with Barberries and Yogurt from Jerusalem. The meatballs themselves were tasty, and the sauce was fantastic. He also made couscous, which was great to accompany the meatballs and soak up all the wonderful sauce.

Nelson made yellowtail sashimi topped with serrano and soy sauce. This wasn’t from any of the cookbooks, but he had gone fishing and caught a lot of incredible yellowtail. When you have sashimi grade fish pulled straight from the ocean you want to eat as much of it as you can while it’s fresh, so naturally we were happy to help!

Nelson also topped some of the yellowtail sashimi with capers, thinly sliced red onions, and olive oil. Both ways were fantastic, allowing the buttery smoothness of the yellowtail to shine, but adding just a touch of complementary flavor.

Michael also made Pistachio Shortbread Cookies from The Santa Monica Farmers’ Market Cookbook. I really like the concept of these, as I am a fan of both shortbread and pistachios. While tasty, I was hoping for a stronger pistachio flavor.

John also made Fig and Almond Custard Tart from Sunday Suppers at Lucques. I thought this dessert sounded amazing, so I was disappointed that I found it a bit bland. Sometimes fig can be quite sweet and almond can have a nice strong flavor, but this tart was too subtle and a little dry for me.

Sheana made Butterscotch Banana Tarte Tatin from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook. She served it with vanilla ice cream. I am generally happy with anything that combines fruit, crust, and ice cream, but this was a particularly good version. The butterscotch banana was wonderfully caramelized for a nutty flavor and awesome sticky crunch.

Heather also made Butterscotch Cups with Salted Caramel Sauce from Gjelina. The recipe called for whipped cream topping, but she didn’t want the cream to melt in transport, so topped with dark chocolate bits instead. The caramel sauce was very nicely salty against the sweetness of the butterscotch, and I liked the bite that the chocolate bits added.