Pages

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Easter Dinner: The Vegan Ghost of Julia Child Menu

In the back of Veganomicon, there are menu ideas. Each typically has a main course, salad or soup, and dessert pairing. I selected the Vegan Ghost of Julia Child because I knew it would be as gourmet and fancy as I could handle, and because I have made the salad and dessert in the past, giving me a leg up.


The entree is Sautéed Seitan with Mushrooms and Spinach and Herb-Scalloped Potatoes. It is paired with a Bulgur, Arugula, and Cannellini Salad. For dessert, Heart-Shaped Apple Galettes with Vanilla Soy Ice cream.

Sautéed Seitan with Mushrooms and Spinach
I absolutely love seitan so it isn't hard for me to fall for a recipe that includes garlic and mushrooms and wine and spinach and seitan! I was picking at the leftovers all night.

Herb-Scalloped Potatoes
Okay, first, these potatoes were delicious. Creamy, rich, buttery, and everything you would expect from scalloped potatoes. But, not what you would expect from "herb" scalloped potatoes! John prepared this dish and was so excited by his exquisite layering of the potatoes that he forgot to add the herbs. Missing from the dish is thyme, basil, rosemary, paprika, salt, and pepper! Fortunately, the nutritional yeast, garlic, soy milk, and veggie broth, plus time under the broiler to crisp everything up, provided a wonderful taste! But seriously, just look at that gorgeous layering!

Bulgur, Arugula, and Cannellini Salad (I substituted spinach for arugula)
The recipe says to make this a day, or even two, ahead of time. Mine sat in the fridge for 2 days and the flavor of the dressing was deliciously and evenly marinated into everything. I made half a batch because a full batch makes enough for 8 servings and last time, it went sour sitting in the fridge for so long before we were able to finish it.


Heart-Shaped Apple Galettes

These might be very close to one of my favorite desserts. They are very easy to make and look impressive! Instead of rolling the dough out and cutting hearts with a cutter, I chopped the dough into 6 pieces and finger pressed them into hearts. Their shape is not as defined but it was faster.

The recipe calls for apricot jam. I was hesitant to use apricot jam last time because I didn't think I liked apricots. But, it turned out to be a delicious addition to the crust, spices, and apples. I did switch it up this time because although I enjoyed the apricot jam, I was not able to use the remaining jam before it molded in my fridge. Because there were no smaller jars of this flavor at the grocery store, I opted for a trio of tiny jars in the exact amount necessary for the 6 galettes. The flavors are strawberry, peach, and raspberry.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Just wondering if it would be just as good or better with apple jelly? I live near a town that's all about apples and I never cared for apricot jam. Just saying.

Courtney and John said...

I have used raspberry, strawberry, mixed berry, and apricot. All were exceptionally good! So, I would not doubt at all that apple would be delicious. :-)