Two Recipes For Your Next Cocktail Party

And, a very lovely event

It’s been a whirlwind of a week, but in the very best way. Until this past Wednesday, I had never met

Leandra Medine Cohen

in person. We were friendly over Instagram and I’ve been a fan of hers for a long time. Yes, she has incredible style, but her writing has also always moved me. Over the summer, we would occasionally DM about some of the recipes I had been posting and I was happy to learn that she too was a rice salad person. Because already this means there is a good chance you’ll get along in the kitchen. 

About a month ago, she asked me if I’d be interested in cooking with her for a salon-type event she was hosting with

Substack

- of course, I said yes. We went back and forth over the menu, which was a true and lovely collaboration of ideas. 

When it came to execution time, I could not have asked for a better partner. Leandra and I spent the morning at the USQ market picking up pears, peppers, She Wolf bread and some other last minute items. I popped back uptown mid-afternoon and we prepped together all day. I also learned some tricks from Leandra, which is what a true partnership is about. 

Always a flurry at the end, we were smashing avocados with ground coriander as guests began to file in. In fact, we took about 5 minutes total to change for the evening. I was still a bit “dewy” greeting people. The room was filled with a mix of creative women in fashion, food and culture and was incredibly soul-filling. I saw some colleagues and friends I hadn't seen in a long time, as well as met some new, wonderful people. It was a deeply inspiring evening held all around Leandra’s coffee table.

The full spread. I don’t know who took this picture, but thank you to whoever did!

Leandra covered our menu in her newsletter on Friday should you want to take a look. And, I’m here to share a few recipes from the night. Surprisingly the smoked trout dip was the first to go! In addition, I insisted on serving roasted peppers with feta cheese, which I often do when welcoming friends to our summer cottage in Nova Scotia, plus it’s nearly the end of pepper season, so how could I not? We also made a Collaboration Dip with whipped labneh, preserved lemon, roasted cherry tomatoes and fresh oregano. I’m working on writing that one down - so more on that soon. 

In the meantime…. 

Smoked Trout Dip from Colu Cooks: Easy Fancy Food. Photo by Tara Donne, Food Style by Sue Li and Prop Styling by Rebecca Bartoshesky

Smoked Trout Dip 

Serves 4 

INGREDIENTS

6 ounces smoked trout - I like to use Fishwife 

½ cup crème fraîche - I like Vermont Creamery 

2 tablespoons finely chopped capers

2 tablespoons finely chopped Italian parsley or dill, plus a bit more for garnish

2 tablespoons lemon juice, plus ½ teaspoon zest, from 1 lemon 

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 

Serve with toasted bread, a sleeve of saltines or alongside crisp vegetables such as fennel, radishes or celery. 

METHOD

In a medium bowl add the trout, crème fraîche, capers, parsley and the lemon juice and zest. Gently stir together with a fork until the fish is flaked and everything is well combined. 

Taste and season with a bit of salt (the smoked fish can already be pretty salty as are the capers) and black pepper and lemon juice if needed. 

Transfer mixture to a small bowl and top with a bit of the parsley or dill if serving right away. If not, the dip can be made two days in advance and topped with fresh herbs right before serving.