Yesterday I had the pleasure of experiencing my first Parties That Cook Cookbook Club. In case you are not familiar with the format of a cookbook club, as I wasn’t until recently, participants each pick and execute a recipe from a particular cookbook. Sounds easy enough, right?

As the lunch hour approaches, one can feel the tension building. Those with dishes to submit add the final touches to their item or items, and begin the plating process. In the few minutes before lunch, the office kitchen hosts a whirlwind of activity. The kitchen becomes the place where everyone congregates at a party.

The purpose of our cookbook club, aside from a great excuse to sit and chat and EAT together, is to ultimately evaluate the featured cookbook. Up for dissection this month: David Tanis’ A Platter of Figs and Other Recipes. Tanis is the current co-chef at Chez Panisse in Berkeley, Calif., where he has been a fixture on and off since the 1980s. Tanis is also well known for the private dining club he hosts in Paris.

Green Chili Stew: Beth started us off with a delicious labor of love. She definitely picked a challenging recipe, and I loved it! She found herself a little frustrated by the lack of instruction, or even instructions like, “Fiddle with it”. This was the first hint that A Platter of Figs may be written for your not-so-average cook. Beth ultimately decided to deviate from the recipe, which she felt did not allow for the fat to burn off.

Corn, Squash, and Beans with Jalapeno Butter: Tanis’ recipes are categorized by season, which is a great thing to keep in mind when trying to decide on a recipe! Rosie’s dish fell in the category of summer foods, and called for fresh vegetables. Luckily, she was able to find her favorite veggies at a local farmer’s market. The jalapeno butter was a nice touch, and not at all overwhelming. Rosie was able to stick to the recipe. Unfortunately, a lack of information on the number of servings produced led her to make a dish that could feed an army!

Provencal Toasts with Olive Tapenade, Grilled Eggplant Paste, and Spicy Walnut Paste: Crissy’s execution of each of these spreads was great! She could not find the specific olive called for in the recipe, though substituting a different type of olive did not compromise the quality. Everyone loved them! The recipe noted that the pastes were meant to be thin, so even a small amount packed a punch. Again, problems arose with lack of details and yields. Because the Eggplant Paste recipe gave no size specification, Crissy ended up with SO much more than the other two pastes.

Chicken Tagine with Pumpkin, Chickpeas, and Harissa Oil: Bibby did an excellent job interpreting this dish -a definite contender for the group’s favorite! Using her chef’s eye, she was moved to deviate from the recipe, which didn’t call for searing the chicken. Also, despite halving the recipe, these was such an abundance of this dish! No complaints here, as the chickpeas and chicken were nicely complemented by the Harissa Oil. Strangely, there was no suggestion for what to serve this dish with, though the consensus was that it would be great over rice.

Lavender Honey Ice Cream: Carolyn took the coveted position of ice cream maker extraordinaire, and this dish was delicious! She was commended for her use of lavender, which can easily be overdone and made to taste like soap! Though this recipe calls for 5 egg yolks, Carolyn used 2 eggs, and the result was an incredibly rich and creamy dessert. I’m sure the remaining ice cream in the office freezer will be my downfall.

Peaches in Wine: Much to everyone’s surprise, two people chose to bring in this dish! Great minds must think alike. This dish was low-maintanence, simply calling for raw peaches soaked in wine for “several hours”. Open to interpretation, Michelene made her dish the night before, while Susanne made hers the morning of. I don’t think anybody could tell the difference in timing, though there were opposite preferenes for wine choice and peach flavor.

A Platter of Figs offers some amazing recipes. These delicious dishes are probably best suited for individuals who do not need to follow recipes down to a tee, and are okay wingin’ it in some cases. If all of our cookbook clubs result in meals as delicious as this one, I have no problem being a Parties That Cook guinea pig in the future! All in all, it was a wonderful day had by all.