A while ago, I had the good fortune to prepare a plant-based meal for a group of professional women who love to travel and to cook and to eat and to drink wine occasionally. This was a delicious project end to end. The host was newly retired lawyer Gerene, and she was hosting their travel club dinner where the attendees pitch their co-vacation ideas. Mostly they tell stories, enjoy each other’s company and laugh and laugh – loud and hard.
Gerene hadn’t much experience with plant-based food however, her recent sampling of my lemon + roasted garlic hummus inspired her to take the leap of faith. I promised to blow her mind. 😉 I hope I did.
The evening started with champagne cocktails of Kir Royale (Prosecco + Cassis) and Violette Royale (Prosecco + Creme de Violette – thank you Seth Van Havre for helping me source it) and snacks. I prepared a cauliflower soup demonstration and we drank soup shooters. This was followed with king oyster mushroom ‘scallops’ over creamy, dreamy lemony garlic polenta.
The last of the starters was a pretty-as-a-picture salad inspired by my friend and chef, Morgan Chayer. The dressing was a granita made with blood orange and citrus which mirrored the bright pinkness of the watermelon radishes. It was a refreshing palate cleanser and a favorite among the club members.
The dinner included many dishes including four nibbles with cocktails.
Not to skip over the main course but the evening ended with a creamy bang of raw cashew cheesecake with two layers tainted by the two liqueurs (cassis + creme de violette) served earlier with the Prosecco. And three mini aquafaba meringue cookies accompanied to seal the deal.
Many thanks to Ramon from Color de Vino (colordevino.ca) a fabulous wine store in Edmonton. Go there. They’ll help you expand your palette and/or find those special bottles you’ve been wanting. No pretence, just love for the grape. Ramon, while a sommelier for some of Edmonton’s finest restaurants, also helped me find some select bottles for my small dinner. How great is that? It’s great.
More thanks to David who not only served as sous chef and dish washer, he provided comic relief and actually got reasonable laughs from the attendees. Maybe your jokes are getting better David… 😉
But mostly, I have to thank Gerene and her club members for allowing me the opportunity to share my food with them. They were welcoming, eager participants and it was my great pleasure to share my food with them.
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