hosting and toasting
a casual dinner party and stew redemption
Having a friend come to visit, especially one who used to live here, is the best excuse for a little vacation in your own city. Iain was in town from Ottawa last weekend and he had a couple of places he wanted to go back to, and we had new places we wanted to take him to as well. When he visited last November he’d hope to make it to the Alibi Room but ran out of time, so we knew that would be on the list this time around.
The Alibi is one of my favourite places to go for a beer (or several) since they always have an interesting tap list, the food is delicious, and the vibes are impeccable. The upstairs dining room is beautiful but I actually prefer the cozier and slightly more rugged basement, so I was happy to be seated there. It was my first visit since January or February of 2020, and we were thrilled that their excellent veggie burger and perfect shoestring fries remain unchanged, although sadly it appears they don’t currently have their house-made ketchup or garlic-infused vinegar to eat them with.
Iain suggested brunch on Sunday, and I recommended Douce Diner in North Van, which I’ve been meaning to visit for some time— my reluctance to leave the house before noon really gets in the way of being a brunch person. In 2019 they took over the space of Corner Café (which you may recognize from the movie To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before) after it quietly closed, and they made it their own while keeping the retro feel intact. It’s a little off the beaten path, which I hope will save it from becoming overrun to the point of being almost impossible to visit on a weekend after 8:30am the way some good brunch places are.
We arrived a little before 11 and didn’t have to wait, but by the time we left there was a decently-sized group milling about outside. The food was, and I don’t use this term lightly, outstanding. Softly poached eggs on top of fluffy biscuits for the bennies, toasted brioche with smoky mayo for the breakfast sandwich, and perfectly seasoned shredded hash browns that you can cover in their house-made hot sauce if you wish (I definitely did). All three of us completely cleaned our plates, something I almost never do at brunch. This was on top of my enormous latte too, so you know it was seriously good.
After a walk in the sun while we digested, we treated ourselves to a patio beer at La Cerveceria Astilleros, one last stop before Iain had to leave. I just got a pint of the salted lime lager, one of my favourites in spring and summer, but I did try a sip of Iain’s chipotle brown ale and it was really subtle and good. I was scared to try it after years ago tasting Whistler’s smoked chipotle ale, a beer so intensely disgusting that even now when I have a beer I hate, I think, “well, it’s bad, but is it as bad as the chipotle beer?”
While Iain was here, Jeff and I hosted a dinner with him and a few of our other friends, which was a delight! I haven’t had the opportunity (aside from a few cookoffs, which is a different mode of socializing altogether) to cook for more than a couple of people in a long time, and the prospect was so exciting. At the same time, though, I wanted to be able to spend more time with our friends and less time in the kitchen, so I went for something simple, and things that could be made ahead and served later.
Earlier in the day we turned on the barbecue during a break in the rain and grilled a couple of eggplants to make into baba ganouj. I usually use this basic recipe (but you can probably also trust this one from Serious Eats) with smoked paprika on top. Baba ganouj is delicious warm or cold, so it’s fine if it’s kept in the fridge for a few hours til dinner, and then all you need to do is add the olive oil, spices, and herbs for serving.
As the centrepiece dish I made a favourite from last summer and fall: baked feta with chickpeas and tomatoes. As long as you have chickpeas cooked in advance, this is a quick dish that’s richly flavoured, great for sharing, and easily adaptable based on whatever type of herbs and tomatoes you have around. I also made a vegan version for the first time, using a thick slice of medium-firm tofu seasoned with lemon juice and lots of salt in place of the feta. To go alongside, we had my favourite taftoon from Amir Bakery for scooping up the stew and baba ganouj, and a green salad with ginger-carrot dressing. I think all of us filled our plates a second time.
For our dessert, I’d made a fuss-free single-layer cake: Alicia Kennedy’s lovely chocolate olive oil cake with tahini buttercream. The cake has a wonderful, velvety texture and a not-too-sweet chocolate flavour that’s nicely countered by the taste of the olive oil. I made a half batch of the icing because I usually like a thinner coating, but more importantly, I was almost out of vegan butter. I found myself wishing for a full batch though, because this icing is uncommonly delicious. The tahini isn’t powerful, but it adds a unique, toasty depth that works so nicely with the chocolate. A couple people had a second slice, and even the person who is notably lukewarm on chocolate loved the flavour combo. I gave the little bit of icing that was left over to the vegan attendee who said she planned to put it on pancakes, which seems like a great idea to me.
I didn’t meal plan in advance this week and wanted an easy dinner after a busy weekend, so I made a quick puttanesca with a can of fire-roasted tomatoes and used it for eggs in purgatory. I love the briny, salty richness of puttanesca and I make it from memory, but I was first inspired by this Smitten Kitchen recipe to use it for poaching eggs. I wouldn’t say I’m amazing at cooking eggs in this way— the tops always look underdone to me so I often end up overdoing them— but they came out pretty good this time, with soft, jammy yolks like you’d get in a boiled egg with your ramen. There was only a little sauce left after dinner, and the next day I reheated it with some leftover chickpeas to make a deliciously filling lunch stew.
While we’re on the subject, I needed a win after last week’s mess of a stew, and I’ve been wanting to try this Melissa Clark recipe for sausage and white bean stew for ages. I can’t think of a time when one of her recipes has failed me, but I still halved the quantities just so we wouldn’t be stuck eating the same stew for four days again. And in order to not have to start making dinner at 4pm, I chose to do this in the instant pot instead of on the stove (40 minutes plus natural release after sautéing the vegetables, adding the sausage back in at the end).
I used Two Rivers’ fennel sausage which we had in the freezer, but for a meatless version I think any vegan Italian style would work, or just adding in some roasted mushrooms or smoked tofu at the end after cooking the beans. I added a bit more herbs and cumin than the recipe called for, along with some chili flakes, and they really shone with such simple ingredients otherwise. This was so fantastic, especially with a piece of sourdough toast to mop up the broth, I was almost sad I’d only made enough for two servings each.
Also this week I made the King Arthur sourdough banana bread, because my starters are always after my attention and we have approximately 700 frozen bananas at all times. I added chocolate chips instead of nuts and sprinkled coconut on top, and it was excellent. And I made the tofu & shiitake noodles with chili crisp and quick pickles again, which dirties more bowls and pans than it has any business doing, but it’s worth it for how delicious it is. I could honestly see myself eating this once a week and not getting sick of it.
Media:
I’ve written enough already, and things were too chaotic for me this week to get much reading done! So I’ll leave you with a fun piece about sprinkles. Worth reading if you’ve ever wondered if “birthday cake” is a real flavour.
“Throwing sprinkles on a classic dessert that is typically bare of such outlandish displays of joy seems to signify a shift in mood shared by many. What else could all at once be associated with innocence and glamour, joy and rage, inclusivity and artificiality, excess and simplicity, comfort and despair?”
Thanks for reading— if you enjoyed this newsletter, please smash that like button below, or share it with someone new! I like providing this to you for free, but it does still involve time and effort, so donations I can use towards cookbooks or future treats are much appreciated. Anyway, thanks to this person for being brave enough to speak the truth.