Today is my first Mother’s Day, but since my two-month-old didn’t make me breakfast in bed, I baked myself some scones and thought back on the showers that my friends threw me when he was just a baby bump. A shower, I found, is kind of like a wedding: You’re the star. Or rather, your unborn child is; the spotlight of attention focused on Baby TBD made me feel giddy with its reflected glow.

In San Francisco, my friends Daveena and Jen threw me a shower at Jen’s gorgeous place.

I was charmed by the place settings; Daveena says she surfed Ebay for weeks to put together perfectly mismatched (yet somehow coordinating) sets of Limoges china.

And the sandwiches, oh, the sandwiches! Also the result of Daveena’s obsessive creative thinking, the flavor combinations blew my mind. She bought tea-cooked eggs from 99 Ranch, a Chinese supermarket, and used the smoky, aromatic whites to make egg salad with mayo and watercress. The yolks were deviled with wasabi to make canapes topped with tobiko. Red-cooked pork belly, another Chinese classic, got layered into sandwiches with sriracha-spiked mayonnaise and pickled green onions. Goat cheese laced with shreds of green-black nori was set against thin slices of red-rimmed radish in another delicate combo, and Vietnamese banh mi inspired a sandwich of tea-smoked chicken with diced pickled cucumbers and jalapenos and soy-fish sauce mayo.

I couldn’t make up my mind which I liked most and had to have seconds… and some thirds.

Down in Los Angeles, my friend Jess’ also fabulous place was the site of a second baby shower. Here, the spread was from my favorite bakery-caterer, Clementine, complete with their delicious, flaky scones (apparently you can buy them by the bag, frozen, and bake yourself) and unbelievably creamy deviled eggs. She also had Fortnum & Mason teas in a cool assortment of teapots.

Although there was a ton of food, Jess said she panicked that there wouldn’t be enough. (Ha!)

So she made some dark-chocolate-dipped macaroons, just in case. They were perfectly moist and not too sweet, set off by the slight bitterness of the chocolate. I could hardly manage to eat one, but took a few to go, and later that day they made the perfect plane snack.

Clementine’s deviled eggs

6 hard-boiled extra-large eggs
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons, tightly packed, of horseradish (adjust to taste)
salt and pepper
Radishes and chives for garnish

Cut eggs lengthwise and remove yolks into small bowl, keeping the egg white halves intact. You won’t use four of the egg white halves; save for another use. Mash the yolks with a fork or whisk until very fine, then add mayonnaise, mustard and horseradish, and salt and pepper to taste. Blend with a rubber spatula until creamy.

Using two spoons, as if dropping cookie dough, divide filling among the eight remaining egg white halves. Make radish sticks by cutting each radish into thin slices, then cutting the slices into sticks with some red skin at either end. Top the deviled eggs with the radish sticks and a sprinkling of chopped chives. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Clementine
1751 Ensley Avenue
Century City, Los Angeles
(310) 552-1080