Alana: Sheana brought the Simple Green Salad. She whipped this up at the last minute, but luckily the name was accurate and it was simple. And a crisp and fresh counterpoint to all the grilled dishes.

Sheana: That was the goal! I had anticipated needing a palate cleanser, but everything else ended up being so delicious, I ate this only out of self-obligation. The recipe did come together easily and was quite delish.

Alana: Sheana also brought the Grilled Beef Skirt Steak with Onion Marinade. I like my steak medium rare – this was done perfectly and so juicy!

Sheana: I love skirt steak! This feels like the ultimate grilling dish. I loved the marinade, but ended up having a hard time getting the beautiful char pictured on the cover (maybe I should have wiped off more of the marinade?). Either way, it ended up scrumptious (if not ready for Instagram). The chimichurri (below) took it to another level. Don’t skip.

Alana: Sheana was by far the overachiever this time, also bringing the Chimichurri. This was supposed to be brought by another Cookbook Club member who had to cancel last minute, so Sheana made this too to go with her steak. It was so good I was also just eating it with bread.

Sheana: Well, I did pick the three easiest recipes in an arguably complex cookbook! So three felt acceptable. The recipe recommends letting this sit for at least a day to let the flavors meld, but given the last minute prep, it just got 30 minutes or so. It still turned out great!

Robert: The Grilled Maple-Brined Pork Chops turned out great! A subtle but well thought-out mix of seasonings: saltiness from the brine, sweetness from the maple syrup and the thyme adds complexity. The pork chops I bought were a thinner cut than what the recipe asked for and I marinated for only 20h instead of the 24-48h that were recommended.

Halina: The Grilled Sweet Onion recipe is overly complicated and the same results could have been achieved with far less effort. No need to first roast and then cook the beets, just cooking is fine. The sauce for the beets (which consists of only water and butter) should form a “thick, emulsified sauce” according to the recipe, which in my case never happened – I was left with just butter after the water evaporated. On the plus side: the onions turned out very well when grilled according to the instructions. I loved the taste of this dish and will be making a simplified version again!

Alana: Shayna brought the Grilled Broccolini with Taleggio Cream and Hazelnuts. She made the dish ahead of time using an indoor grill, which seemed to work out great, so I guess I’ll be putting an indoor grill on my wishlist!

Sheana: This was great! The Taleggio cream was perfectly tangy and nutty. The Broccolini (which was also good in its own right) served primarily as a cheese-carrying mechanism for me. Prepping it ahead of time also allowed for this beautiful plating.

Alana: I brought the Grilled Baby Bok Choy with Ecuadorean Peanut Sauce and Hard-Boiled Egg. I like the smoky flavor that was imparted to the bok choy by the grill. My cooking confession – the peanut sauce called for ground annatto seed, which I couldn’t find at the store and just omitted. As it was, the sauce was pretty salty, so only a little was required and I ended up with a lot leftover! The egg added nice flavor and color to the dish – it’s not just a garnish!

Sheana: Totally good. But, it sounded like a lot of work for what seems like a straightforward dish once plated!

Alana: Anthony brought the Chocolate Olive Oil Cake with Molasses Cream and Fudge Sauce. The recipe calls for Blackstrap Molasses, but Anthony admitted he cheated and used regular molasses. The cake was moist, chocolate-y, and not too sweet, and I loved the molasses cream even if it wasn’t Blackstrap.

Sheana: This was such a unique dessert! Outrageously moist and with a robust, grown-up flavor from the coffee-infused cake and molasses cream. I haven’t had anything like it and would happily eat more given the chance. I scored a ton of leftovers.