Eating and reading

My book club's monthly meeting was held at our house tonight, so I thought I'd share a couple recipes for some of the snacks I made.

I always mean to match the food to the book when I host, but I never get clever enough in time. We discussed "Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson tonight (excellent) and chose "In Defense of Food" by Michael Pollan for next time (can't wait).

One recipe below is for an almond cake that my friend Jovanka made for a play date last week. It reminds me of the pistachio cookies I used to get all the time in Boston in the North End. Tony Soprano had his cannolis. I have my pistachio cookies. Oh, Tony. Where are you now? Still in the diner? I miss you.

The second recipe is for Bleu Ribbon Dip. People go bonkers for this one whenever I bring it to a party. It's from the Junior League of Spokane's first cookbook, Gold'n Delicious. I had to cut a few corners tonight, so the photo might not jive with the recipe (i.e., I used green onions instead of red).

Easy Almond Cake
Sunset magazine, May 2008
Makes 16 servings

1 2/3 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons almond extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
Cooking-oil spray
2 1/2 ounces (about 1/2 cup) sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, butter, eggs, almond extract, and salt. Spray two 9-in. pie pans with cooking oil. Divide batter evenly between pans and sprinkle each with half of the almonds. Bake until light brown around edges, about 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
The Twist: Layer Them. To quickly transform these modest cakes into showpieces, use a serrated knife to carefully slice each cake horizontally into 2 even layers. Whip 4 cups heavy cream with 1 cup sugar until stiff peaks form. Spread each bottom layer with 1 cup of the whipped cream and sprinkle with fresh raspberries. Add top layers and spread with remaining whipped cream; top with more raspberries. (If you only want to layer 1 of the cakes, just halve the amounts here.)

Bleu Ribbon Dip
Gold'n Delicious
Makes 8 servings

8 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 cup olive oil (I use a lot more than that because I like it runny)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
1/2 cup fresh parsley, minced
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Combine all the ingredients and spread into a shallow dish. Refrigerate for at least one hour or up to 2 days. Serve with baguette slices, crackers, or fresh vegetables.

Comments

[nis]

Thanks for the recipes Mimi. I am the world's most challenged cook so I like to make things that are "tried and true." We are still doing the dinner club that Heathyr started over five years ago...what started out as a night per month to learn how to cook a recipe has evolved in to show up, drink, gossip, drink, eat, reminisce, drink, wait until after 8PM to leave so that children will all be in bed by the time we get home, and, oh yeah, can you email us that recipe tomorrow? It was yummy! And there is dinner club in it's new incarnation. : )