A Beautiful Wedding Gift

A few months ago one of my regular clients asked me to be her wedding present to two friends, Jen and Jessica. They both love good food, and she thought one of them was vegetarian or vegan, so she wanted me to go to their home and prepare a meal for them.  (The veg thing was not entirely true, unless bacon is now considered a vegetable, but they both love all kinds of food and were up for anything.)  After much back and forth, we found a date that worked for all of us, settled on a menu and one snowy night I met them at their lovely apartment.

The big farm-style table was set with candles and wine, and the view out the giant window was all city lights brightening the dark horizon.  The kitchen was a little on the small side for an apartment that big, even for New York, but they cook a lot and were really creative in making space.  One whole wall was a pegboard to hold everything from peelers to a mandolin, and just outside the kitchen was a shelving unit for dishes and big bowls and such.  (And the dishes - their wedding china - was some of the most beautiful I have ever seen, with a gorgeous, thick Indian-style border around each dish.)  A rolling island with a butcher-block top was the perfect addition to make the small space fully functioning for any chef, and to create a link between the kitchen and dining room to invite conversation and interaction during meal prep.  Soon the wine and conversation were flowing, and the first course was on its way.

First Course:  "I Wish It Were Summer" Rolls

Rolls:
1 sweet potato, outer skin peeled and discarded; the cleaned potato is then made into narrow-to-wide strips with the vegetable peeler.  Should make about 3 cups
1 1/2 c. sweet onion, julienned then halved
1 1/2 c. English/Garden Peas
2 c. chopped spinach
2 t. fresh thyme
1 t. ground coriander
1/4 c. purified water (instead of oil)
1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
1 t. sea salt
rice paper summer roll wrappers

1. In a medium sauté pan, sweat the onions with a little bit of water.

2. After a few minutes, add the sweet potato and some more water and cover to keep the moisture in, stirring occasionally as the sweet potatoes steam.

3. After a few more minutes, the sweet potatoes should be close to done, add the peas, spinach, thyme and coriander with the rest of the water and continue to cook until the spinach is soft and the sweet potatoes are fully cooked or al dente (I like them a little al dente, personally).

4. Remove the mixture from the heat; add the cilantro and sea salt, mix well.

5. Prepare the rice wrappers by soaking them in warm water until soft.

6. Place a wrapper on a plate, scoop a few generous spoonfuls of the sweet potato mixture into the center, and fold up like a burrito

Sweet Almond Dipping Sauce:
1/2 c. almond butter
1/4 c. water
1 1/2 t. maple syrup
2 1/2 t. coriander
1/2 t. sea salt
3 1/2 T rice vinegar
2 1/2 t. toasted sesame oil
2 t. chickpea miso
cayenne pepper powder (to taste)

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly.  Drizzle the sauce over the roll and around the plate, or serve on the side.

Course 2:  Greens and Papaya Salad

Ingredients:
1/2 small papaya, julienned
4 c. fresh baby arugula
4 c. mixed baby greens
1-2 scallions, chopped
1 c. garlic-maple cashews (recipe below)
2 c. bean sprouts
4 plum tomatoes, julienned
2 cups fresh cilantro, chopped
½ c. basil leaves, julienned

Dressing:
2 T. evoo
3 T. fresh lime juice
1 T. maple syrup

Garlic-Maple Cashews:
1 c. raw cashews
1 T. maple syrup
1 T water
1 t. garlic powder
¼ t. sea salt
cayenne to taste

Thoroughly mix everything but the cashews in a bowl or blender and pour over cashews.  Stir cashews every few minutes until all the liquid has been absorbed. Spread over a teflex sheet and dehydrate until crunchy, about 6-8 hours.

Mix the baby greens, arugula and dressing, making the base for the salad. Arrange the rest of the ingredients over the greens and enjoy.

Course 3:  Raw Pad Thai

Ingredients:
3 zucchini, noodled
1 yellow onion, julienned
1-2 red peppers, julienned
1 ½ c. cremini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 bunch cilantro, stems removed
½ c. almonds, chopped
2 stalks scallions, chopped
evoo and tamari for marinade
1 large lime, cut into wedges

Sauce:
2 c. soaked almonds
3 T dulse flakes
2 cloves garlic
2 t. red pepper flakes
½ c. evoo
3 c. purified water
1 c. sundried tomatoes
4 medjool dates
10 dried apricots

1.  Marinate onion, red peppers and mushrooms in evoo and tamari.

2.  Combine all sauce ingredients in a high-speed blender.

3.  In a large bowl, mix zucchini noodles, marinated veggies and sauce.

4.  Garnish with cilantro, almonds, scallions, lime.

Course 4:  Marjoram Ginger Orange Muffins with Lavender Coconut Ice Cream and Lucuma Caramel Sauce

(Whew! Yes, there are a lot of components to this, but none is that hard and all together they're really yummy.)

Marjoram Ginger Orange Mini-Muffins:

2 c. all-purpose flour
½ c. white sugar
5 drops stevia, or to taste
4 t. baking powder
½ t. sea salt
¼ c. earth balance
½ c. coconut oil
1 orange, juiced
2 t. ground ginger
2 t. marjoram
½ c. purified water

1.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

2.  Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl, add the wet ingredients and blend well.

3.  Pour mix into your pan and bake. I used a mini muffin tin, but you can bake this in any size or shape you want. For the muffin tin, about 15 minutes was enough, when I did it in a square pan it needed a little more time.

Lucuma Caramel Sauce:
¼ c. lucuma powder
1/3 c. cashews
1 t. vanilla powder
¼ c. mesquite powder
1 ¼ c. purified water
1 t. sea salt

Blend ingredients well in a high speed blender

Lavender Coconut Ice Cream:
1 14 oz. can full-fat coconut milk (Organic Native Forest is bpa-free)
3 t. chia seeds, ground
3 T. local, sustainable honey
1 T vodka
1 T. lavender flowers, minced or powdered
½ t. sea salt

Put a glass or metal bowl in the freezer and let it get really cold.  Throw everything in the high speed blender for thirty seconds, then put the mixture in the frozen bowl and whisk. Put it in the freezer and let sit for four to six hours or until frozen. (I am still working this recipe out. It tastes good, and has a good texture right after it freezes, but the next day it is pretty rock-hard, and you have to let it sit out for a bit to soften. I'll keep you updated as I re-work it.) I served this dessert as follows:

Drizzle some of the lucuma sauce on the plate, cut the top of the muffin off, and set the bottom of the muffin on the plate. Place a scoop of lavender ice cream on the muffin bottom, top it with the muffin top (like a sandwich or profiterole) and spoon some more sauce over the whole thing. Garnish with mint, and if you can find raspberries, they would be a great addition as well.

I have to extend a big thank you to Kristin for bringing us all together, to Jen and Jessica for being such gracious and fun hosts, and to Jessica for the beautiful pictures of the night and the food.  


Photo credit: Jessica Moon