My Go-To Fancy Dinner Party Dish

Plus: Tuna and Pie at Bub and Grandma's and Links.

Hey everyone,

Did you meet someone in your youth who was so singularly driven, so hardworking, that it was almost a foregone conclusion that they would achieve great success? That’s how it was when I met Molly Smith Metzler at NYU’s Dramatic Writing Grad Program back in 2004 (God, I can’t believe it’s been that long). Already an accomplished playwright, she would go on to study at Julliard, have a play open Off-Broadway, and now — along with her husband, my classmate, Colin McKenna — become the creator of one Netflix’s top ten shows of all time, Maid.

So when I ran into Molly at Gelson’s a few weeks ago, I invited her to dinner with Colin to catch up about our lives. When it came time to plan the menu, I knew exactly what I’d make because it’s my go-to fancy dinner party dish (the same dish that I made for Bill Hader when he came for dinner after Craig directed The Skeleton Twins): Lamb Merguez with Eggplant Jam and Green Olives from Suzanne Goin’s AOC Cookbook.

What I love so much about this dish is that it rewards good cooking technique. It’s all about the eggplant jam which starts by really browning the eggplant.

In the past, I achieved this by using a lot of olive oil (which the eggplant drinks up). This time I limited myself to just a few tablespoons per batch of eggplant and that kept the jam from being too greasy. The thing, though, is to take this step as far as you can.

As for the tomatoes, they’re not really in season yet, so when it came time to cook them down, I was extra generous with the sugar and vinegar.

It’s all about getting the balance right: the cayenne and smoked paprika in with the eggplant, the lemon juice in with the olives, the cilantro and parsley. But if you keep tasting and adjusting, you’ll hit it out of the ballpark with this one. I guarantee it.

For dessert, I served up my favorite chocolate sorbet (recipe in last Monday’s newsletter!) It was the kind of dinner party meal that’s just impressive enough: everyone likes sausages, it just so happens these are made with lamb; everyone likes a chunky tomato sauce, it just so happens this one has spiced eggplant. And so on.

On Friday last week, I went with my friend Ben Mims to the new Bub & Grandma’s restaurant in Eagle Rock.

Man was this place popular! We waited 25 minutes for a seat at the bar but we didn’t mind because the space is so charming (a lot of the servers there were baristas at my favorite coffee shop, Dinosaur Coffee). For my sandwich, I had the tuna, which came highly recommended.

May not look that special, but look closer and you’ll see that the bread is a house-made brioche/challah deal that’s toasted on one side, the side they put the tuna on (so it doesn’t get soggy). And the lettuce they use has a wonderful crunch.

But the best part was the dessert: lime pie.

I don’t know how they got this pie to look so absolutely perfect, but it felt like it should’ve been cast in bronze and displayed at the MoMA. Instead, we ate it. And the chocolate chess pie they sent out too, which was excellent.

Hey, let’s look at some links!

• Mexican and Indian flavors at this under-the-radar Taqueria (LA Times);

• Dips for Dinner… it’s a thing! Just ask Martin Short (NYT);

• My review of My Year of Rest and Relaxation (Goodreads). (Also: my review of War & Peace, in case you missed it.)

That’s all for today, folks…. See you back here on Thursday!

Your pal,

Adam

Okay, paid subscribers, here’s the recipe: