The Perfect Collaboration

Tonight I invited two of my good friends over for a light dinner before we headed to an art show. I took on the responsibility of assembling a meal and they took on the seperate duties of baker and cocktail maker. I decided because we were eating early on this sweltering summer evening I would create something fresh and simple. I hopped over to Whole Foods for figs, goat cheese, blue cheese, and a baguette, I had the rest of my ingredients at home. My plan was to make an arugula salad with smokey blue cheese and pears with mini paninis of figs, goat cheese, honey, and proscuitto. I have a panini grill at home, but if you don't own such an appliance using your broiler will work fine. The baguette was sliced into 4 equal pieces and from there sliced lengthwise. I spread goat cheese on each side and drizzled honey on top, figs were then sliced and layered with proscuitto. Once they were all assembled I brushed the outside of the baguette with a little olive oil and stuck them on the grill. Each bite was incredible, and my guests seemed to agree. This dinner was very easy and quick to make but didn't lack imagination or gourmet attitude. If you love fruit and cheese this sandwich and salad rocks.


My cocktail maker and baker did equally innovative and fabulous jobs. For drinks we had a gin cocktail. Strawberries, cucumbers, and raspberries were muddled with simple syrup and topped with Hendrick's gin and grapefruit juice. We drank them on the rocks but if you have a shaker at home I bet they would be great shaken and served chilled.

For dessert, a Nigella Lawson toasted meringue cake with whipped cream and berries. I managed to find the recipe my friend used and am supplying it to you!

Berries and Meringue Cream Layer Cake (serves 8)

1 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
scant 1/2 cup very soft unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk
scant 1/4 cup slivered almonds
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/4 pint raspberries
1/4 pint blueberries

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line, butter and flour two 9-inch springform pans.
Combine the flour, cornstarch and baking powder into a bowl.
Cream the butter and 1/3 cup of the sugar in another bowl until light and fluffy. Separate the eggs and beat the yolks into the butter and sugar, saving the whites to whisk later. Gently fold in the measured-out dry ingredients, add the vanilla, then sir in the milk to thin the batter. Divide the mixture between the two prepared springform pans.
Whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form, then gradually add the remaining sugar. Spread a layer of meringue on top of the sponge batter in each pan and sprinkle the almonds evenly over.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, by which time the top of the almond-scattered meringues will be a dark gold. Let the cakes cool in their tins, then spring them open at the last minute when you are ready to assemble the cake.
Whip the cream. Invert one of the cakes on to a plate or cake stand so that the cake crumb is uppermost. Pile on the cream and stud with the berries, letting some of the berries subside into the whipped whiteness. Place the second cake on top, meringue upwards, and press down gently, just to secure it.




All I can say after tonight's meal is, I am so lucky to have friends that can create and cook and love to eat!

Happy Dining!