When Eden Grinshpan’s bright, joyful, and insanely delicious cookbook, Eating Out Loud, came out in September of 2020, it felt like exactly what the world needed. Eden’s cooking style is full of unique flavors and textures that reflect her Israeli heritage and casual yet elevated style. In Eating Out Loud, Eden celebrates the beauty and excitement of pairing simple roasted vegetables with unexpected yogurt herb sauces, building out your “middle eastern pantry,” — which is not as intimidating as it sounds – and all the creative ways to incorporate eggs (and tahini!) into every meal. The book mirrors Eden’s fun and lively personality, and has whole chapters dedicated to hand-held meals, baking for brunch, and “making veg the star.”

This book has been so fun and inspiring to cook through that I knew I wanted to bring some friends together for my Eden Grinshpan inspired Middle Eastern dinner party. Everyone thought the food was so beautiful and incredible, and all credit goes to Eden and her amazing recipes! We passed the cookbook around the table, and I think everyone was surprised at how approachable, yet special, these recipes are. They said the hummus was the best they’d ever had, and the tahini caesar was the favorite dish of the night.

Here’s what dishes I made from the book for the gathering, and the few quick photos I was able to take between cooking! Definitely pick up a copy of Eden’s beautiful, smart, highly-cookable book!

Apps//

hummus, p. 40
harissa, p. 46
garlicky tahini, p. 37
labneh, p. 52
barbari bread, p. 146

Mains//

seedy challah, p. 151
chopped salad, p. 114
tahini caesar, p. 117
charred eggplant, p. 181
shawarma carrots + sweet potatoes w labneh, p. 183
sumac roasted snapper w lime yogurt, p. 204
baharat whole roasted chicken, p. 211
red zhug, p. 50
preserved lemon, p. 53

Dessert//

pistachio cardamom coffee cake, p. 95
(Eden’s recipe is in loaf-cake form; I turned this into cupcakes with cream cheese frosting for ease of serving)