So I met Giada on Sunday, what did you do this weekend?

So by chance last week, I learned that Giada de Laurentiis was going to have two book signings in Dallas on Sunday for her latest book, Giada's Kitchen. Giada is my favorite female chef on Food Network (Alton Brown being the male chef) so I was particularly excited to have a chance to meet her. Tickets were required to be in line to have her sign your copy of the book so I went down to Sur La Table on Saturday to purchase my copy and get my ticket.

The Sur La Table salesperson I spoke to said that some people were going to get there are early as 7 but she recommended getting there by 11 (because people do have lives she said). There was no way I was going to get there at 7 on a Sunday so I settled on about 10. I knew there would be a lot of people there so I wanted a good place in line.

Of course the area where Sur La Table has very little parking near the store (or anywhere for that matter) so it took a couple of trips around the block to find one not to terribly far away. When I got there, the line was in front of the store and starting to wrap around to the side store parking.

There were only about 30 people or so ahead of me so it wasn't that bad. The actual signing didn't start until 12 and was supposed to end at 2 (she had another later that day at a Plano Williams Sonoma). Thank goodness it was a fairly cool day for Dallas. I was able to spend most of the wait in the shade.

And the very nice people at Sur La Table kept coming by with water, cappucinos, and tasty treats from Giada's book. I missed the Chocolate Pound cake but I got a taste of Cornmeal and Rosemary Cake (delicious!).

Once Giada got there, the line went very fast. I only had to wait about 15 minutes to get up there. There were lots of rules you were told many times. No pictures from the line. No posed pictures. You could take after she signed your book or have someone who had already gone through take a picture as she signed your book.

(Wow...ignore the big reared person standing in front of Giada. That's not me. Really its not.)


Giada was so very nice and sweet! She had a huge smile on her face when she greeted me (I'm sure I wasn't the only one! ;) ). She is also very tiny! One of the employees said she was about 5'2". So petite! And I thought I was short at 5'4"!

The whole thing was over very quickly. No more than 20 or 30 seconds but it was so exciting! I've met celebrities before but never one of my favorite television chefs. And the fact that she was so nice and seemed happy to meet her fans made it even more special. Plus, the book is filled with amazing recipes! I've already bookmarked a ton to make.

The first one I made though was the Cornmeal and Rosemary Cake with Balsamic Syrup. It was so tasty in the line that I couldn't wait to make it at home. The rosemary is subtle, not intense like it can be at times. I'm actually not a fan of rosemary so I was surprised that I enjoyed the cake so much. The crumb is light and refreshing. The balsamic is another surprising but delicious taste though. A slight drizzle on top compliments the cake nicely. Enjoy!

Cornmeal and Rosemary Cake with Balsamic Syrup

Ingredients

For the Cake:

* 1/2 cup fine yellow cornmeal
* 1/2 cup cake flour
* 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar, plus more for dusting
* 4 large egg yolks
* 2 large eggs
* 1/2 cup sour cream

For the Balsamic Syrup:

* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
* 1/2 small sprig fresh rosemary

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

For the cake:

Butter and flour an 8-inch round cake pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, cake flour, minced rosemary, baking powder, and salt.

Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, on low speed beat the butter and vanilla together until combined. Slowly add the powdered sugar. Once the sugar is incorporated increase the speed to high and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg yolks and eggs, 1 at a time. Reduce the speed to medium and add the sour cream. On low speed add the dry ingredients just until incorporated.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth the surface with a spatula. Bake in the lower third of the oven until the cake is golden and pulls away from the sides of the pan, about 35 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool. Transfer the cake from the pan to a serving plate and dust with powdered sugar.

For the Balsamic Syrup:

Place the sugar, balsamic vinegar, and rosemary in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer until the sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes. Discard the rosemary sprig and let the syrup cool.

To serve, place a slice of cake on a serving plate; spoon some syrup around the plate.

Source: Cornmeal and Rosemary Cake. You can also find this recipe in Giada's new book Giada's Kitchen.