The Menu

Thanksgiving is upon us and I can hardly wait to get into the kitchen (well, I've already started). Thanksgiving is one of my favorite traditions. It's simple and sweet, it's an opportunity to celebrate your loved ones and blessings. The holiday is centered around a thoughtful, home cooked meal (sort of a novelty these days) that preserves family traditions and brings everyone together to give thanks. I think the thought of roasted turkey and mashed potatoes could give anyone warm fuzzy feelings.

Here's what we're planning to make this year. It should be quite a feast!

Appetizers:
Rosemary Roasted Cashews (already made!)
Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms
Bacon Wrapped Dates with Almonds

Main Course
Herb Roasted Turkey
Bourbon Gravy
Apple Chestnut Stuffing
Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Sauteed Brussels Sprouts
Roasted Acorn Squash
Orange Scented Cranberry Sauce (already made!)

Dessert
Bourbon Sweet Potato Bundt Cake (already made!)

I'll try to post as many of the recipes as I can. Until then, have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Mini Bulgar Wheat Cranberry Walnut Muffins with Honey-Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

You know of the show Iron Chef, right? You know, the one with all sensationalist theatrics in which world renowned chefs are pitted against one another to make a five course meal featuring a secret ingredient in one hour or less? Well, this weekend my house had its own version of Iron Chef, albeit far less intense and probably less entertaining. It was Iron Chef: Bulgar Wheat (we're hippies, I know).



Now I've used bulgar wheat many times for things like tabbouleh or salads, but for Iron Chef my dish had to be more impressive. Since one of the options for the challenge was to make a dessert, I decided to push the limits of this weird little grain and bake it into something.

I started with a basic recipe for bulgar wheat muffins, then added some dried cranberries and chopped walnuts. I then finished them off with a healthy dollop of honey-vanilla cream cheese frosting. They turned out pretty tasty. The muffins themselves were surprisingly moist but with a rich nuttiness from the bulgar and walnuts. The homeyness of the vanilla-honey frosting echoed the earthy flavors of the muffins and the cream cheese and cranberries offered a tartness. Plus they're really cute. I'll be honest, I probably wouldn't make these guys again, but for baked bulgar they aren't half bad. Give 'em a go if you're feeling adventurous and kind of healthy or if you want to get an honorable mention in an Iron Chef: Bulgar Wheat competition.



Mini Bulgar Wheat Cranberry Walnut Muffins with Honey-Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting - Adapted from Bishop Taboli (the best looking recipe that came up on a Google search)

For muffin batter:
1/2 cup bulgar wheat
1 cup water
3 tsp. baking powder
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1/4 tsp. of salt
1 egg
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 350. Combine bulgar wheat and water in a small sauce pan and cook over low heat until bulgar wheat is tender but still has a slight bite (think aldente), 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk together baking powder, sugar, flour, and salt. Whisk in egg. Fold in cooked bulgar and add butter.

Divide batter into lined mini muffin tins, about a tablespoon in each or nearly to the top of the tin. Bake for 10 minutes, then cover with foil and bake for another 10 minutes. Allow to cool completely.

For the frosting:
1 stick unsalted butter
8 oz. cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons honey
1 tsp. vanilla extract

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and cheese. Add powdered sugar, honey, and vanilla and mix on high until light and fluffy. Pipe frosting onto the cool muffins and top with chopped cranberries and walnuts.

Chez Panisse, Je'Taime

This weekend I celebrated my 21st birthday (finally) and Trevor treated my to the best dinner I've eaten in my life. I mean the best. I mean the crown jewel of all the dinners that were ever eaten in the world and a radiant display of culinary genius in one of the finest restaurants Berkeley has to offer. For my birthday, Trevor treated me to dinner at none other than Chez Panisse.

Okay, okay, I'm well aware that many people have gone to Chez Panisse and other comparable restaurants on a regular basis, but this was my first time. Alice Waters is a personal hero of mine and I am an ardent admirer of the work she has done and continues to do for food culture and sustainability in our community. Since I've been at Cal, I've been yearning for my first bite of her food.

Dinner was incredible. It is exactly what I want my last meal to be before I die. Let me tell you, in detail, what I ate (because I know, dear reader, that you care oh so much):

1. Smoked black cod with fresh radishes on a tiny piece of toast (the amuse-bouche)
2. Wild mushroom tart with fresh greens
3. Catalina spiny lobster ragut with leeks, carrots, and fennel
4. Roast duck breast with caramelized onion and fig relish, braised cabbage, and cheddar turnip gratin
5. Bittersweet chocolate cake with pears and vanilla ice cream
6. Meyer lemon thumbprint cookies and caramels

Everything was delicious, the flavor profile of each dish sung, and I was so unbelievably content by the end. After dinner we were invited to wander into the kitchen (as all guests are) and see where all of the food is stored and prepared. We even saw the meat locker. We walked out of the restaurant beaming, it was the perfect experience. The evening was one of the most memorable of my life, one I, nor my taste buds are soon to forget. Thank you so much, Trev.

Vegetable Spring Rolls

My mama taught me well: I am a seasonal cook. Growing up, seasonality was second nature, it was just the way our family ate. When I went to the grocery store to buy things myself for the first time, I was appalled to see vaguely red tomatoes on the produce counter in the middle of February. Something about that just isn't right. My mother advocates that not should the produce you use be seasonal, but the time of year should be reflected in the overall feel of a dish. You eat cool, refreshing things when its hot outside and warm, comforting ones when it's cold.



So why then am I eating crunchy, fresh spring rolls stuffed with crisp green veggies while winter looms on the horizon? Well, because they're really delicious. They're healthful and nutritious and packed with fresh flavor. In my defense, I didn't even purchase the ingredients myself, these veggies were just what we had on hand in my house. I would be a fool not to use them. Plus we got the most delicious spicy sweet chili sauce a few weeks ago that just begs to be eaten atop fresh vegetables. And one could hardly call it almost-winter in the bay area, yesterday it was 79 DEGREES. So I wanted some spring rolls. Sue me.

These couldn't be easier to make, I'm not even going to give you a recipe for them. If I had, you'd be reading "add a little of this" and "a bit of that" and you'd be quite frustrated, feeling as though I let you down. So I'll be up front: there is no recipe. Let me tell you basically what I did: Cooked some rice noodles for a few minutes (they don't take long) in boiling water. Then soaked these weird rice paper spring roll wrappers (find them at Asian specialty stores?) for a few minutes until soft and flexible. Then, I laid out the rice paper, added some strips of fresh cucumber and carrot, a bit or lettuce, the rice noodles, and some fresh herbs (I like basil and mint but cilantro certainly is nice too). Then roll it up like a burrito.



I served it with the chili sauce I mentioned and some peanut sauce I whipped up (don't have a good recipe for that either, mine turned out weird. I'll keep you updated if I ever figure it out). The veggies taste fresh and fulfilling and the sauces add great flavor. These spring rolls are the perfect not-so-seasonal lunch on a too-hot-to-be-fall afternoon.