Kris and Cindy teamed up to make an Almonds and Olives Mix. You may be wondering why it takes two people to mix together some olives and almonds, but this recipe was surprising in its complexity – infusing almond, garlic, chiles, lemon, orange, and herb flavors into olive oil which was then used to marinate the olives. The effort paid off – Hudson (our youngest Cookbook Club member at 2 years old!) preferred the olives even over dessert!

Leanna made Panzanella. A bread salad with tomatoes and parmesan is great, but what really set this panzanella apart were the homemade croutons and the roasted red peppers marinated with balsamic, garlic, capers, and anchovies. So many good flavors for the croutons to absorb.

I made Cremini Mushroom Toasts. These open-faced sandwiches were made with thinly sliced mushrooms and brioche bread grilled in a panini press. The earthy flavors of mushrooms and olive oil with the toastiness of the bread was as good as a great grilled cheese sandwich, only without any cheese. And the grill marks on the lined-up mushrooms was a cool aesthetic.

Chris made Tian. This fell into the Sort-Of Sandwiches category of the book. It took the classic French layered vegetable gratin and put it onto a base of sliced bread. The overlapping pattern of squash and tomatoes was beautiful, and I especially loved the flavor of the caramelized onion and pepper spread.

Leanna also made French Baguette with Butter and Prosciutto. There was a noticeably thick layer of butter in this sandwich, which I am not complaining about. Scallion Oil was optional in the recipe, but I’m glad she used it as it added brightness to cut through some of the richness of the butter and prosciutto.

Cindy made Piled-High Pork Sandwich. Another open-faced sandwich, this had so many elements it’s no wonder it’s “piled-high”. I thank Cindy for putting in all the hard work of brining the pork for 2 days, caramelizing onions, sauteing bitter greens, pureeing yams, and making a brown butter topping! The pork would have been too salty on its own, but in combination with the sweet and bitter of the other components everything came together to make a great sandwich.

Sheana made Fondue the Swiss Way. Also in the Sort-Of Sandwiches category, because as Silverton notes, “Just because the bread isn’t on the outside, who says you can’t call it a sandwich?”. Dipping cubes of sourdough into melty cheese is a treat, especially when you use several cheeses and mix in white wine.

Heather made Blum’s Sandwich Cake. Silverton’s take on the famous Blum’s Coffee Crunch Cake was the winner for presentation – with layers of angel food cake, whipped cream, cognac coffee chocolate sauce, and honeycomb candy crunch. It was also yummy to eat, especially the candy crunch, which the recipe made such a large quantity of that Heather brought 2 extra bags to share and we happily munched on while she assembled the cakes.