Fab-o Yotam dinner

This dinner was super good. I made two recipes from my new cookbook, Jerusalem by Yotam (Ottolenghi), and they did not disappoint. YO! The first was this roast cauliflower with hazelnuts, celery, pomegranate seeds and an incredible cinnamon/sherry vinaigrette/maple dressing. Who knew cauliflower and cinnamon loved each other so very much?! Not I, my friends, not I. But now I do. This will definitely be remade many a time in this house!

I'd finally soaked some garbanzos but as I'd bought King salmon today decided to make a basic hummus with them rather than some sort of main dish. Again, I turned to Jerusalem, and this is a hell of a hummus; it's one of my very favorite foods, and this one doesn't disappoint.

Finally, T grilled our salmon which he'd dressed with a cracked coriander-maple glaze. He's now using the leftover bittersweet chocolate (from my peppermint patty making) to craft some toasted hazelnut bark. Go T!

Oh my crumble, tandoori salmon

Y'all, this crumble looks and is amazing, and I will post my recipe for you stat. Rhubarb-cherry-hibiscus compote with a whole wheat-oatmeal-almond topping. AARGH! That little pool-like opening is where I dug right in. I had to test it, yes? The combination of cherries with rhubarb isn't one I've seen before, and I'm glad to say it's delicious. The cherries add a sweetness but also a complementary tarty zing that is nice with that which rhubarb provides. And the hibiscus takes all that a step further. Have you ever pitted cherries with just a paring knife? It is a messy, extremely time-consuming process which leaves your fingers and nails stained magenta for a few days and decimates the prettiness of the cherries. As such, a cherry pitter has become an indispensable tool for me during cherry season, for desserts like this crumble and for jams and preserves that utilize both sweet and sour cherries. OXO has a new'ish cherry pitter that has a splatter shield. I received one at the Eat, Write Retreat I attended in May, and it is fantastic. Not only do you get the benefit of the pitter itself but also the splatters are confined within the shield; the shield itself is removable for easy cleaning. This is  a great product so check it out if you're heading into cherry land this season!

The school nurse called about 45 minutes before pick-up today because Jack had a bad headache and a slight fever which had come on since lunchtime. Poor honeypie, and thank goodness for Advil. He's got nothing diagnosable so I'm hopeful that a good night's sleep will improve matters. Anyway, at the doctor's office, I was able to peruse the newest Food & Wine issue and came across a delicious-sounding tandoori salmon recipe. As it turns out, I'd bought some King salmon earlier today, so tonight we are going to have my riff on the F&W dish- a yogurt-based marinade spiked with garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, fennel, paprika and salt. Salad, cocktails, fresh bread, and then, oh then, that crumble.