arielle clementine

I also brought my first-of-the-season panzanella.  The cucumbers are from my garden! The basil is too, but that’s not as exciting as cucumbers. I used the vinaigrette from this recipe, and tossed the tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, and basil with bread cubes that I crisped in the oven with olive oil and kosher salt. It’s one of our favorites.

Nannydeb’s chocolate cake with coconut filling and ganache!! Double exclamation points for a double-y delicious cake.  To wit: I got to take a big slab home with me, and Andy, Henry, and I each had a piece for dessert.  Henry fastidiously pinched up every last crumb with his little thumb and index finger, and when he’d eaten the last he started clapping.  No lie.

A beautiful olive bread! I think Abbie made this, but I’m not certain.  Wherever it came from, I loved it.

Kimberly brought a gorgeous blueberry pie- it was probably the best I’ve had.  The blueberries were soft but still held their shape in a beautifully thickened, not-too-sweet filling.

Sonja brought this delicious hummus, which is enlivened by roasted chickpeas and horseradish.  I ate quite a bit of it!

Abbie also brought her famous marinated garden.  This stuff is addictive, especially when it’s filled with produce from Abbie’s backyard garden!

Debby brought tamales from La Hacienda in San Antonio.  Amazing! I had the chicken ones and loved them so.

Ginny brought a fantastic arugula salad featuring the genius lemon caper dressing from food52.  Ginny has a totally adorable family and is a fantastic cook.  Check out her blog, Ginny’s Kitchen!

We did it! The finished product was really wonderful. Soft and buttery-rich.  We made five batches and some came out better than others, for reasons I’m not too clear on.  The batch on the plate with tomatoes and peaches was my favorite.  It was softer than the others (we may have used a bit less rennet?), and was actually heated using the microwave method, so salt was added directly to the curds instead of to the heated whey.  The direct salting made that batch more flavorful too.

It was a grand time, with some really delicious eats.  Thanks to Molly for hosting!