Book Club Dinner

My husband and I belong to a couples Book Club. The club has been meeting 3-4 times a year for about 4 years. We rotate hosting, the host being responsible for a meal for the group. Last night Rich and I hosted the club at our home. We read and were to discuss, The Count of Monte Cristo so Rich and I decided to go along with the French theme, particularly South of France.

First course was a nod to Julia Child and Mastering the Art of French Cooking with Pissaladiere Nicoise. See the recipe in Bon Appetit.

The main course, Salad Nicoise, was straight off the cover of Food & Wine magazine.

For dessert, I sauteed apricot and fig halves in honey for about 2 minutes and topped them with homemade caramel ice cream and a sprinkle of sliced almonds.

The Count of Monte Cristo, written as a serial for a newspaper by Alexander Dumas in 1844, is a very LONG book. It is the swashbuckling adventure of Edmond Dantes, wrongly accused of treason and sentenced to life in prison as a 18 year old, his imprisonment, escape and his vow to avenge. We could have talked about the book all night.