Amy and I had the pleasure of co-hosting Book Club on Thursday night. What fun. The book was The Story of a Marriage by Andrew Sean Greer, which was a wonderful read, which I highly recommend. It takes place in San Francisco in 1953, so in keeping with the theme of the book, we did a very simple American dinner using all locally sourced ingredients and recipes with some connection to San Francisco.
We started the preparation by going behind the house and picking fresh blackberries, which would accompany the lemon tea cake I had made that morning. This was my first time picking berries, and what a treat it was! Not easy, either - blackberry bushes are nasty creatures with thorns-a-plenty that like to grab onto your clothing and prick your fingers at every turn. However, it makes your berry harvest that much sweeter, knowing that you really worked to get them. Amy's daughter Faeryn was an excellent berry-picker (and eater) - fearless and enthusiastic - and as a result, we collected a sizeable amount.
For starters, we served candied salmon, which Amy bought that morning at the San Rafael Farmers Market that morning, with a sour cream/yogurt/shallot spread and saltines (how 50's is that!), and a block of White Cheddar from Spring Hill Cheese Co.
For the main course, we decided to serve a summertime staple - fried chicken from Hard Knox Cafe in the Dogpatch. It's my favorite fried chicken in the city...so far.
I assembled two salads, a corn and tomato salad with red onion and basil, made the night before and marinated in an olive oil/red wine vinegar dressing:
..and a shaved asparagus salad, made with lemon juice, olive oil, and a generous amount of parmesean cheese:
The real centerpiece of the night was one of the few food items mentioned directly in the book - popovers. Amy had a brand-new popover pan that her mother had given her, and we made two batches of the airy, puffy things. Steaming hot and fresh from the oven, with a generous pat of raw butter melting on them, these were a real treat.
As the sun went down, we engaged in the act of devouring our food, drinking wine and having good conversation. It was a wonderful summer night, full of simple pleasures and the company of friends.
