Tuesday, June 06, 2006

Second Brunch

This brunch, attended by over 50 people, was really smashing, in every sense. No matter how intense the planning and prep, the lovliness of people makes everything okay. And I love when people gush over food.

Dessert first. Throughout Latin America, you'll find vendors selling gelatinas. Shimmering and jewel-colored, they're often studded with a mosaic of fruits. I replicated this using agar as a thickener, and almond milk, strawberry puree, and organic kumquats (from my Mom's backyard garden in Los Angeles!) to flavor the layers. I ran low on agar when doing the strawberry, so it slushed out rather than standing firm. But I doubt most Coloradans have a deep love for gelatina, so it's okay.

Debora made loads of Cocoa Mole Waffles, subtly flavored with cinnamon and chili. We served them with Pan-Fried Bananas and rich Chocolate Sauce, both of which I really should have made more of.

And my favorite: Caramel Almond Bread Pudding. It's superflous, but great with Coconut Caramel. Soyatoo would have gilded it, but a lady can't remember everything.

Because we vegans don't skimp on protein, we served Isa's Scrambled Tofu with plenty of tortillas, salsa, rice, and Frijoles Mezclados. This simple mixture of kidney, pinto, and black beans tossed with cilantro, corn, onion, garlic, and jalapeno is high in fiber and wonderfully cost-effective.

Chipotle Roasted Potatoes, smoky and simple, were kept warm in a crock pot. I also made three large platters piled high with water-rich tropical fruits. Thanks to climate change, we can enjoy these a bit earlier every year! And I made Horchata, the rice-flavored agua fresca, from scratch. And en masse at that! I'm not sure how authentic it tasted, but pulverizing soaked rice into sweet, chalky liquid convinced me it was.

We're so grateful to you comrades who gave your time, from the fundraising table to the kitchen. We'll need much more of that for the revolution to continue, so please contact us at brunchrevolution@yahoo.com if you're interested.

Special thanks to author Mark Warren Reinhardt, who brunched with us and donated a copy of his down-to-earth and very useful book "The Perfectly Contented Meat-Eater's Guide to Vegetarianism"

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home