Dinner parties are one of life’s great pleasures: the preparation and planning, the first pop of a cork, the mutual enjoyment of new dishes and old favorites, and the conversation around the table that can last into the wee hours. But what if every night is a dinner party and you have to keep it simple? More often than not, we have extra people around our table, usually aunts, uncles, or grandparents, but we’re happy to welcome friends, as long as they don’t mind eating with children. The meals are simple, served family style, often including recipes from my childhood, and the conversation stays clean. (Little pitchers have big ears and all that.)

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With spring seemingly just around the corner (maybe? please?), I can’t think of anything better than a warm bowl of this spaghetti squash with tender asparagus and creamy herbed ricotta. Then again, those scallops with orzo and that citrusy millet salad are looking mighty fine, especially if you add a square of fresh rosemary focaccia to the bargain. But if you’re still in a wintry mood, that braised beef over polenta or the hearty Spanish bean soup will keep you cozy, for sure.

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When I saw this kitchen over at Apartment Therapy today, I immediately thought of this other kitchen. It looks like the owners, to make the most of their small, sectioned-off kitchen and its serving window, outlined the outside main wall in a bright fire engine red. It really makes that corner stand out, doesn’t it? See photos of the other side below:

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Q: I recently fell in love with making my own kimchi, which uses a tablespoon of salted shrimp in each batch. While I now have a lot of amazing kimchi, I also have a jar of salted shrimp in my fridge. It’s something that I want to use, but I have no clue where to start. Help!

Sent by Amy

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I tend to be a fairly nervous, overly-anxious hostess of dinner parties, and I am always envious of my friends who can casually finish a roast while simultaneously carrying on a conversation and pouring wine. Whether you identify with me or with my put-together friends, Seriously Simple Parties is a book that we can all appreciate. It’s full of solid party-throwing advice and the kinds of recipes that will have you looking for an excuse to invite people over.

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When it comes to large family gatherings, no matter how much I humble-brag about my brisket, roasted vegetable sides or the way I know my way around a salad, I am always instead nominated to bring desserts. So, like a certain Phoebe on cup-and-ice duty that I will date myself by referencing, I take things very seriously, in part because I have a lot of rules for Passover desserts. The first is that that whatever dessert I make cannot include even a speck of matzo meal. I’m sorry, I realize this is a sensitive topic and I should tread more carefully, but I find the taste of matzo meal just awful in anything but matzo ball soup. My difficult palate aside, I also figure if I’m going to go through the effort to come up with something new (and hopefully better) in the flourless department, it would be of more use to more people were it also gluten-free, so that’s the second rule. The final rule is that I want the dessert to be good enough that I’d choose it any other day of year. It can’t just be good for a Passover dessert. It can’t just be good for something gluten-free. It has to be objectively good. Really, shouldn’t everything be?

My inspiration this year was a cake I found on Epicurious. Isn’t it a beaut? I knew I had to find a way to make it happen, but I also knew it wasn’t going to be the way it was written. Aside from the fact that it is not actually a Schwarzwälder Torte (a chocolate cake with whipped cream, cherries and often Kirsh, what we sometimes refer to as a Black Forest Cake) and that it contains both flour and powdered sugar (a Passover no-no, unless you find or make cornstarch-free stuff), reviewers seemed very unhappy with the meringues, which were too thin and from what I could tell, not particularly flavorful. I turned instead to the macaroon component of an almond torte I made a few years ago; the torte was a headache but the macaroons ended up having a lovely flavor largely because they contained such a high proportion of nuts. Given the choice, I always prefer meringues that are closer to macaroons.

… Read the rest of chocolate-hazelnut macaroon torte on smittenkitchen.com

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permalink to chocolate-hazelnut macaroon torte | 71 comments to date | see more: Cake, Celebration Cakes, Chocolate, Gluten-Free, Passover, Photo

4.78 / 5 Stars | 9 Reviews

by Glory

“Simple Syrup is brushed on cakes for added moisture and flavor. This one can be flavored with brandy or rum.”

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So things are looking good with you and your special someone. Hooray! Good enough that you’ve decided it’s time to introduce each other to your respective parents. Double hooray! And you’ve decided that the perfect setting for these introductions would be a cozy home-cooked meal. Um… gulp. Let’s talk about a menu that will make sure the whole evening goes smoothly, shall we?

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