One of my friends from high school came for dinner tonight. I’ve known Mark for 28 years and have never cooked for him. Pressure! We had a really nice time, and I stuck to things that I had made before and could be put together at the last minute. One of my favorite appetizers is this chive dip. So simple and creamy with a perfect amount of chives. I also made up a batch of smoked trout dip, which is just smoked trout, creme fraiche and chives.

I’ve made this chocolate cake before. It’s terrific, but not for the faint of heart. It’s never come together flawlessly, but frosting covers a multitude of sins. Sins in this case were an overly runny ganache, a layer that almost completely crumbled and a broken filling.

• Chive and Pine Nut Dip with Sourdough Toasts (Gourmet, June 2005)
• Smoked Trout Rillettes (Fine Cooking #42, January 2001, p. 44)
• Sear-Roasted Pork Chops with Balsamic-Fig Sauce (Fine Cooking #71, May 2005, p. 40)
• Arugula Salad with Grapes, Fennel, Gogonzona & Pecans (The Best of America’s Test Kitchen 2008, p. 30)
  
• Creamy Goat Cheese Polenta (Fine Cooking #57, May 2003, p. 86C)
• Glazed Carrots (Fine Cooking #42, January 2001 p.24)
• Cinnamon-Caramel-Ganache Layer Cake (Fine Cooking #96, January 2009, p. 86)

Wine: 2006 Williams Selyem Weir Vineyard Pinot Noir (Yorkville Highlands, California)