[1]
Put 10 food bloggers in a room, and you get one of the most delicious potlucks ever. On Oct. 21, Danielle of Habeas Brulee [2] hosted a food bloggers’ potluck in her Brooklyn home.
Danielle and her partner Dave were gracious hosts, respecting everyone’s food preferences [3], from no meat to no olives (but olive oil was fair game). There was too much good food to be had, so I regretably didn’t have a chance to try everything. The menu for the night:
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Danielle made festive French onion soup dumplings [5]. She made onion soup from scratch, carefully filled dumpling skins with them, steamed them, then broiled them with cheese and croutons.
Nicole of nex0s [6] made pumpkin filled leeks topped with pomegranate molasses. These babies looked like tamales and had the perfect mix of sweet, sour, spicy and salty.
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Photo: Vannesscipes
Vanessa of Vanesscipes made a meal-in-one vegetarian casserole [8] with sweet potatoes, beans and masa crust. Mmm, two of my favorite vegetables together!
[9]
Photo: Homesick Texan
Lisa of Homesick Texan made authentic red chili [10]. Chili with vegetables, she says, technically isn’t Texas red. I heard everyone oohing and ahhing over this one, and I regret not trying it.
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Julie of A Finger in Every Pie made the most delicious appetizer: proscuitto wrapped figs and goat cheese [12]. It was salty, sweet, crunchy and smooth at the same time. This dish makes me give up my vegan tendencies. She also made Pierre Herme’s korova cookies [13]. It’s a chocolate sable (sandy shortbread) studded with fine bittersweet chocolate and a sprinkling of salt. Someone commented that I was thinking really hard when I ate these. Of course! Any time I eat chocolate, I savor the aromas. I’m usually not a fan of crispy cookies, but these sables were very good for what they were. Julie cooked up a storm, by the way.
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Photo: A Finger in Every Pie
She also made pumpkin streusel bread [15] and fattoush (salad with pita croutons).
Tse Wei from Off the Bone [16] made artisan bread. I didn’t try it till the end of my meal, because I assumed it was store-bought and wanted to save room for homemade goodies.
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Photo: Scrumptious Street
Stephanie of Scrumptious Street made the most amazing roasted butternut squash and banana soup [18]. The banana made it creamy and balanced the spiciness of the curry powder. It was a great accompaniment to…
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Dave’s garlic focaccia [20] with fleur de sel, one of the world’s most expensive salts. Thanks for busting out the good stuff for us! It was baked on a pizza stone, so it had a crackly crust. I’m still dreaming about this bread.
[21]
Photo: Habeas Brulee
Dave also made Queen of Sheba cake [22] with Scharffen Berger chocolate and cacao nib whipped cream. I’m not a fan of plain Scharffen Berger chocolate: it’s much too assertive, acidic and tannic for my tastes. Suprisingly, it worked beautifully when it was mixed in the virtually flourless cake. It was the best Queen of Sheba I’ve ever had. My only regret was not bringing more home. Not suprisingly, the recipe is from Alice Medrich [23]
Stephanie of Adventures of Pie Queen [24] brought her mother’s carrot cake. I didn’t have a chance to try any, but I have a soft spot for my grandmother’s [25].
Last but not least, I brought my macaroons [26].
To be notified of future potlucks, subscribe to Habeas Brulee’s food bloggers’ mailing list [27]. There is a dumpling part set for Jan. 21.
BTW, the first New York City food blogger potluck [28] that I attended consisted of Chocolate and Zucchini [29] fans. We met in June 2005 when the blog’s writer, Clotilde, visited New York to negotiate a book deal [30]. My, how time flies. The book is finished and will appear in stores on May 15, 2007. It’s available for pre-order [31]