Drew made Coca with Candied Red Peppers. Coca is a Spanish pizza or flatbread. The topping of sweetened red peppers dusted with powdered sugar made for an interesting savory sweet dish. When Drew sprinkled on the powdered sugar, I wasn’t sure whether it was meant to be a dessert or part of the main meal, but we ate it with the savory foods and it was delicious.

Adrienne made Black Olive, Anchovy, and Caper Spread. This was similar to olive tapenade (which I adore), but with the added complexity of a bit of rum and mustard. It was great spread on the crackers Adrienne served it with, but I bet it would be fantastic with meat or veg as well – really I would put it on anything!

Adrienne also made Gazpacho Salad. This was gazpacho in it’s pre-liquified form – a salad of tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, onion, and bread – with the addition of green grapes. Gazpacho is not my favorite as I generally don’t go in for cold soups, but it turns out that in salad form I am a fan. The variety of in-season tomatoes Adrienne used were sweet and beautiful with their different shapes and colors.

I made Roast Green Peppers with Fried Garlic Chips. The peppers are seasoned with nothing more than a tablespoon of red wine vinegar, garlic oil, and garlic chips. I was worried that there wasn’t even any salt in this recipe, but the roasting of the peppers brought out enough natural sweetness that they had plenty of flavor. My only regret was that I added the garlic chips prior to departing for the party, which meant they ended up being soggy by the time we ate. Next time I will sprinkle them on just before serving.

Cindy made Spinach with Raisins and Pine Nuts. Seasoned with nothing more than garlic, salt, and pepper, this dish was simple yet tasty. The sweetness from the raisins and nuttiness from the pine nuts gave complexity to a super easy-to-make dish that I’ll definitely keep in mind next time I make spinach.

Cindy also made Salmon with Fava Beans and Fresh Fennel. The salt-baked salmon was moist and full of flavor, enhanced nicely by a warm citrus fennel vinaigrette that was light enough to let the flavors of the salmon, fava beans, and roasted cashews shine. I’ve never salt-baked fish before, but I plan to in future.

John made Chickpea Stew with Chorizo and Meatballs. I could imagine how warming and wonderful this hearty stew would be on a cold night, but even in the heart of summer it was so good that I wanted to keep going back for more. It was smoky, and sweet, and meaty enough that some people skipped the bowls and just scooped it onto their plate.

Kamy made Sizzling Garlic Shrimp. She didn’t have any parsley which the recipe called for, but even without it the dish was delicious. Kamy made dinner rolls (not from the cookbook) to accompany the shrimp, and for me the best part of this dish was using the bread to soak up the yummy garlicky oil.

Kamy also made Pistachio and Saffron Shortbread La Melissa. I love shortbread (I mean come on, it’s basically a means to eat butter in a more civilized manner than just taking a bite out of a stick of it). This was a fantastic rendition – wonderfully floral from the saffron, and the honey gave it a bit more chew than your typically crumbly shortbread, which I enjoyed.

Sheana made White Chocolate Mousse with Passion Fruit Gelee. I’m sure my friends are tired of hearing me say that I think passionfruit is an under-utilized fruit, so they wouldn’t be surprised at all to hear that this dessert was a winner for me. Though I’m not normally a fan of white chocolate, the yogurt base gave it a tartness that was a perfect pairing with one of my favorite fruits.