Nine Blonds and a Brunette

A friend from my Wall Street days, Melissa, turned the big 5-0 yesterday. I assembled eight of her friends and hosted a terrific luncheon. It was a relatively easy menu, starting with two of my favorite dips, tzatziti and grilled eggplant spread paired with whole wheat pita triangles.  For the entrée, because it was a Friday in Lent, I roasted salmon and served it with red pepper and corn relish.  I lightly seasoned newly discovered Israeli couscous with pine nuts and parsley (Whole Foods carries the pearl-size morsels in bulk).  Mesculin lettuce with asparagus, chives, grated carrots and honey mustard dressing rounded out the meal.  For dessert, I made the most amazing cake!  What was most amazing is that I made it without the aid of my Kitchen Aid, which after 18 years of regular use had to be sent in for repair.  I pulled together a basic yellow cake with ten eggs and a pound of butter, folded chopped strawberries into a basic pastry cream for the center filling, whipped up some heavy cream with powdered sugar and Voilà!  The best strawberry shortcake ever.