Jay was here for dinner tonight. After a long (100k) ride today, Larry was definitely up for a hearty dinner. And I wasn’t up for anything complicated. It really hit the spot. I did the spinach in the same manner I’ve been doing it lately – sautee some chopped garlic in olive oil, then wilt the spinach with salt and pepper. Very simple, very good.
This cake is driving me crazy. The crumbled topping completely melted into the cake. I checked measurements twice this time to be sure, since last time I had the same problem. I guess the only solution would be to add the topping later. Also, the huge fresh blueberries I used this time all sunk to the bottom. I used only blueberries this time. Next time, I’m going to try frozen wild blueberries, and I’m going to add the crumb topping halfway into baking.
Oh, and I found out I was out of baking powder as I was making the cake. Instead of running out or sending Larry out, I used two parts cream of tartar to one part baking soda. It seemed to work fine.

• Pan-Seared Filet Mignon
• Baked Potatoes
• Sautéed Spinach with Garlic
• Berry Buttermilk Cake with Vanilla-Scented Creme Fraiche (Fine Cooking #72, July 2005, p. 43)

Wine: Dave & Donna’s 2002 Syrah. This wine was made by some of Jay’s co-workers. It was pretty good. Light for a Syrah, but nicely balanced.