It All Started with a Sandwich: A Food52 Community Potluck

It all started with a sandwich: a divine, roast pork shoulder sandwich, seasoned with garlic and rosemary, balanced by a spicy-acidic cabbage and radish slaw. When sdebrango posted this recipe to Food52 -- it would go on to win Community Pick status in the Your Best Cheap Feast contest, most deservedly -- I decided I needed to taste it, preferably as soon as possible.

And since I already knew Suzanne, also known as sdebrango, to be a great hostess of potlucks, I suggested we all throw one -- and I offered to bring a glut of homemade ice creams in exchange.

Soon, Virginia Kellner (wssmom), Aleksandra Mojsilovic (queensashy), and Azita Houshiar (Fig and Quince) were also on board, and a date was set.

We all met at Suzanne’s Brooklyn brownstone one sunny day to share food and drink and conversation. We passed many happy hours in Suzanne’s kitchen. Here is what we ate:

Wssmom contributed her famous, super-flavorful, Finger-Lickin' Finger Lakes Chicken. She also brought a tall carafe of gingerroot's Last Call, boozy and redolent of jasmine green tea.

Sdebrango, of course, made her portable pork sandwiches. The pork was perfect, tender and falling off the bone, and the slaw acted as a perfect foil. These sandwiches were messy in the best possible way.

She was also testing BlueKaleRoad's Pickled Asparagus, so we were the lucky tasters.

Fig and Quince brought a variety of springtime Persian treats. First up was Tut, a mulberry-shaped sweet made from ground almonds, cardamom, and rosewater.

She also brought spring green almonds and sour green plums.

Queensashy brought her very fancy Brandied Tropical Fruit Cake, a warm-weather version of Sri Lankan Christmas cake, and a batch of sweet and salty Fig and Rosemary Cocktail Cookies. I contributed ice cream, as promised -- batches of Ginger and Raspberry Jam, Vanilla Chocolate Fudge, and Vanilla-Mascarpone with Roasted Pears, all using top-quality milk, cream, and eggs from the Hudson Valley.

Happy, full Food52ers after their Brooklyn potluck.

Photos by Cristina Sciarra