Typically, Tom makes up all the recipes for journal club in his head. Don't ask me how he does this. This time, he decided to select the entire menu out of Ottolenghi's "Jerusalem," one of our favorite cookbooks (thank you, Kathee).
After a conversation with Lanie, I decided to start with a new hummus recipe. Ottolenghi's recipe calls for sautéing the soaked chick peas with baking soda before cooking them. Fussy? Yes. Discernible difference? Yes. The texture of this hummus was quite different than my usual hummus. Would I do this again? Yes. The texture was smoother/finer, and quite nice.
Next up was a Fava Bean Kuku (which is basically a frittata or quiche). This had a TON of dill. So if you love dill, you'd love this recipe. I was up & down on the fava bean flavor (I had never had them before). I think if I were making it again I might try it with lima beans? (No kidding!)
Tom moved on to a first course of Mejadra, which is a lentil and rice and onion dish. DELICIOUS. I have made this one before, and love the flavor profile (cumin, coriander, turmeric, allspice, cinnamon).
Next up: Roasted chicken with clementines & arak (we use Pernod; the point is an anise flavored liqueur). This is the recipe that first introduced us to this book. It's awesome: easy & flavorful; packed with fennel & citrus -- a great combination.
Last: Chocolate Krantz cake. I was responsible for this, and I was nervous! The recipe reminded me of a Cook's Illustrated recipe: if you follow the directions
precisely, you will be fine. It was not difficult, but I'll admit it was a pain in the ass. And, worth it:
You end up with these two braided breads that are twisted pinwheels of chocolate ganache and the bread dough. Particularly delicious with coffee. Good thing we had some left over!
For Christmas this year, Tom bought a "Library Release" bottle of Burgess. He did this because Burgess is one of my favorite wines: almost as good as Bell, and about 1/3 the price (so, the opposite of Silver Oak!). 
