Sheana and Lindsay made California Za’atar and brought some wonderful breads for dipping. I always like a good olive oil dip, and this tangy herb combo was no exception. It was great on bread, and I could imagine it would be good on meat or veggies as well.

Erin made Eggplant Caponata and Burrata on Toasted Baguette. I’m happy for the current popularity of burrata on toasted bread. Topping it with a nice eggplant caponata is a solid rendition of a snack I like even in its simplest form.

Brian made Baby Radishes with Black Olive and Anchovy Aioli. I adored this aioli. It was so good simply on the raw radishes, but I also wanted to put it on everything. I was tempted to steal the whole jar when no one was looking!

Pontus and Jordan made Grilled Kale with Shallot-Yogurt Dressing and Toasted Hazelnuts. What a gorgeous dish! It made me wish that all kale could be grilled… it gets so tender, and I’m a sucker for that smoky grilled flavor.

Revi made Cherry Tomato Confit. You can’t go wrong with sweet cherry tomatoes in an olive oil dip as far as I’m concerned. This was good on the bread we had, and I believe it’s also a component in many of the other recipes in the cookbook.

Amanda made Pan-Roasted Romanesco with Golden Raisins, Tahini and Sumac. This dish was nutty, savory with little pops of sweetness and a touch of tang. Nice layers of flavor.

Laura made Charred Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Dates. This sounded really good to me, but I found the vinegar flavor overpowered the other elements of the dish. I expected sweetness and smokiness, but those flavors couldn’t break through the overwhelming vinegar.

Kathleen made Roasted Beets with Avocado, Orange, Toasted Hazelnuts and Sherry Vinegar. This was a fresh and pleasing salad with great colors. Not the star of the meal, but a solid dish.

Vicky made Roasted Yams with Honey, Espelette and Lime Yogurt. These were a surprise favorite for me on two fronts. One – I am not a huge fan of yams. Two – I was raving about how the sauce made me like the yams, only to find out that it’s basically yogurt with a lot of lime juice. So simple and so delicious!

I made Roasted Acorn Squash with Hazelnuts, Brown Butter and Rosemary. The nutty herbal aroma was incredible, and there were bites that really absorbed all of those flavors, but others that didn’t. I should have cut the squash up and done a better job of evenly distributing the sauce, but the picture in the cookbook left it halved, which did look nice for presentation.

Heather made Pan-Roasted Baby Carrots, Orange, Cilantro, Sesame and Spiced Yogurt. This was such a beautiful dish! It was also pretty tasty, though I have had other roasted carrots by Travis Lett that I liked better, so I think these suffered in the comparison.

Heather also made Grilled King Oyster Mushrooms with Tarragon Butter. This was one of the top dishes of the meal for me. I loved the meaty smokiness of the mushrooms, only made richer by the tarragon butter. I was even more delighted when Heather said they were easy to make.

John made Potato, Leek and Chard Gratin with Taleggio. I wanted this dish to be creamier. Though in general I am not a huge potato fan, so perhaps I’m not the best judge on this one. The crispy bits were my favorite part.

Kumar made Charred Blade Steak with Green Peppercorn and Sherry Pan Sauce. I especially enjoyed the pops of flavor that the green peppercorns brought to this tasty steak. The shallots weren’t as tender as I expected them to be.

Jeff made Steaks with Smoky Tomato Butter and Cipollini. The flavor of this steak was incredible. Unfortunately, the meat itself was quite tough. Jeff said the recipe even noted that it called for a tough cut of meat that would require pounding, which seems an odd choice for pan-frying. But I want more of that smoky tomato butter on some tender meat.

Tracey made Slow-Cooked Lamb with Orange, Yogurt and Herbs. The lamb was definitely a favorite dish for me, and apparently others agreed. Brad made it for this month’s other event, and I heard raving about it from several people. The recipe called for lamb shoulder, which apparently is hard to get and Brad special ordered, so Tracey used a different cut of lamb. It was still fantastic.

John also made Blackberry-Ginger Sorbet. This was a nice refreshing treat with great color from the blackberries. I wanted to make a champagne cocktail out of it for warm summer days.

Sheana also made Warm Date Cake with Ginger Gelato. The spiciness of the ginger gelato made this dish, as it helped to cut the sweetness of the cake. Anthony had made this cake for last week’s event and I got to try some of the leftovers, which weren’t nearly so sweet. Sheana chalked it up to variability in the sweetness of the fruit, and wished that the recipe had a way of accounting for that – makes sense.

Revi also made Butterscotch Pots de Creme. I am always a fan of a good butterscotch custard topped with whipped cream. Plus it’s always fun to eat out of individual serving sized vessels. I was very happy that I got to take a couple home with me 🙂

Jenny made Yogurt Panna Cotta with Winter Citrus. This was my favorite of the desserts. The panna cotta was smooth and creamy, and the candied citrus and syrup was a bright complement in both color and flavor.