Tonight’s dinner was a little rushed at the end – it seemed like prep took me forever, and then the last ten minutes I was doing everything at once. Everything somehow finished on time and was good, though. Larry and Jay liked the salmon a lot. I had waited to make this so I could gather some specialty ingredients for it – sumac powder and fennel pollen. Both optional, but I’m glad I waited. The sumac is an interesting spice. The fennel pollen gets sprinkled on top just before serving. And the green beans? I took about 3 on my plate, because I don’t particularly like green beans, especially sauteed crisp-tender like this. But these were good!

We also really liked the cake, although it could have spent a few minutes less in the oven. I had a hard time judging doneness for some reason.

• Spice-Rubbed & Sear-Roasted Salmon with Honey-Glazed Fennel (Fine Cooking #92, May 2008, p. 49)
• Sauteed Green Beans with Roasted Red Pepper (Test Recipe)
• Smashed Red-Skinned Potatoes with Boursin & Scallions (Fine Cooking #56, March 2003, p. 47)
• Citrus-Glazed Polenta Cake (Dolce Italiano, p. 86)

Wine: Loring 2004 Gary’s Vineyard Pinot Noir (Santa Lucia Highlands, Californa). I like this wine, but I think it’s a little too Pinot-y for Larry.