DESSERT & DENIM

Made well, with Madewell

The dinner party menu of my dreams featuring an irresistible Arabic coffee sundae (scroll for the recipe!).

Madewell emailed me a few weeks ago about curating the menu for an International Women’s Month dinner they were hosting with Substack, and I don’t think I’ve ever opened an email so fast. I was sitting at my local café, wearing an off-white, brushed v-neck Madewell sweater—it felt like kismet. With only three weeks to bring the entire event to life, I humbly asked if they’d be okay with me curating the dinner using recipes from my soon-to-be-released cookbook. To my absolute delight, they said yes.

I approach putting a menu together the same way I approach putting an outfit together—something I discuss at length in my cookbook when exploring the principles of making a dish look interesting in the Eating with Your Eyes chapter.

Style applies everywhere: in the kitchen, on a menu, on a plate, in a closet, and beyond. And, I’ve always thought of it as a reflection of both the reality and the potential—who I am and who I want to be. In rare cases, the two converge in complete alignment, representing the highest form of possibility. I think we achieved that with last nights dinner. Between the carefully curated menu, an inspiring guest list of Substack writers, and Madewell’s stunning spring collection worn by all, it was the perfect balance of contrast, comfort, and intrigue.

THE OUTFIT

I wore a Canadian tuxedo (aka denim on denim) in a very chic deep indigo wash. The jeans were wide but fitted around the hips and waist. And the jacket! I could go on forever. The collarless detail makes it so much more interesting than a classic denim jacket, while the slight crop and A-line cut create the most flattering silhouette that’ll work well with both fitted trousers and an oversized pair. The structured curvature at the sleeves adds just the right amount of width, cinching the waist visually. I already know it’ll be my most-worn jacket this spring/summer. I can think of a million ways to style it, but I’ll leave you with a few options below.

1. THE jacket, these fun jeans, a white tank and these cute sandals. Perfect for a picnic.

2. For a summer evening look, I can see throwing it over these lightweight linen trousers and its matching top.

3. For a clean look I knew I could cook in, I opted for the matching wide leg denim, but the Essex wash skirt was also a compelling choice. I don’t wear shorts, but if I did, I would certainly have gone with these.

THE MENU

I started flipping through the cookbook and put together a family-style menu that felt perfect for the season while being mindful of the group's dietary restrictions. This was the first time anyone outside of the book’s production team had cooked or tasted these recipes. Everyone was so complimentary, and it truly was the perfect way to introduce my book to the world for the first time. Each guest went home with an advance copy—and hopefully, a strong desire to cook from it.

For the grazing spread:

• The tarka olives from the book, assorted breads, radish, cucumbers, grapes, labneh, olive oil, zaatar, walnuts, and herbs.

• Preserved limonatas were served while guests snacked away.

For the first course:

• Lemony cucumber salad over creamy salted yogurt

• Citrus and fennel salad with beef salami, cheddar cheese, croutons, a maple mustard dressing and gorgeous pink chicories.

For the main course:

• Shawarma spiced and roasted carrots with a date and herb salad

• Tomato and saffron spaghetti

• Koobideh meatballs over minty yogurt with saffron rice

For dessert, the best part:

• Mint tea

• Gahwah sundae, the recipe is below because I love you <3

• Chocolate cake with chai buttercream (you’ll have to buy the book for this masterpiece, sorry).

GAHWA SUNDAE RECIPE

Excerpt from Third Culture Cooking

Photograph by Graydon Herriott for Third Culture Cooking

Arabic coffee, called qahwah or gahwa in the Emirati dialect, is a very fragrant black coffee made with spices and traditionally served in small cups, similar to a shot of espresso, with dates alongside. Inspired by Italian affogato, espresso is replaced by a splash of aromatic, spiced Arabic coffee to add an intriguing twist. You can leave it at just ice cream and qahwah and have a delicious version of an affogato, but this dessert is more akin to the sundaes I grew up eating, thanks to the addition of chewy dates (to replace gummy bears) and chopped pistachios (to replace peanuts).

The outlined method below is a riff on the traditional gahwa preparation for accessibility and ease, but if you can get your hands on good Arabic coffee and a roaster, please be my guest. Feel free to adjust the flavors to your liking; sometimes I’ll even add ginger to amp up the warm spice factor. Use finely ground coffee, the kind you’d add to a coffee machine or moka pot to extract maximum flavor during the boiling.

SERVES 4 / 10 MINUTES

INGREDIENTS

Vanilla, pistachio, or chocolate ice cream*

10 whole green cardamom pods,* crushed well

3 whole cloves*

1⁄8 teaspoon saffron

2 tablespoons finely ground medium or dark roast coffee

4 Medjool dates,* pitted and chopped

4 tablespoons (30 g) shelled salted pistachios,* roughly chopped

4 Maraschino cherries, for serving, optional

*Instead of…

Ice cream, use gelato, your choice of flavor

Whole green cardamom pods, use 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cardamom

Whole cloves, use 1⁄8 teaspoon ground cloves

Dates, use dried cherries, apricots, or cranberries

Pistachios, use another salted nut

METHOD

Remove the ice cream from the freezer. Let it stand to soften slightly and make scooping easier.

Bring 11⁄2 cups (360 ml) water to a boil in a small pot over medium heat. Add the cardamom, cloves, saffron, and coffee and boil for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand for 2 minutes to allow the coffee grounds and spices to settle. Meanwhile, put 2 scoops of ice cream into each of 4 small bowls or large coupe glasses. Return to the coffee, and strain it through a fine-mesh sieve over a small liquid measuring cup. You should have about 1 cup (240 ml) of

Gahwa. Divide the gahwa over the bowls of ice cream. Sprinkle the chopped dates on top and finish each bowl with 1 tablespoon chopped pistachios and a maraschino cherry, if using.