Millennial Dinner
As cool and as exciting as it sounds
For the first time since the Corona Craziness started, we hosted a mini dinner. My three children and a dear nephew. 4 total.
Check out Seating Arrangement!
Hmmm, most interesting and odd Corona-imposed Millennial Dinner Seating Arrangement, but it worked beautifully: two in the North Pole separated by 6+ feet, two in the South Pole separated by 6+ feet, and me and hubs hovering over the brood from somewhere in the Equidistant Equator Zone.
I made two of every single item, to go on two low identical coffee tables.
What’s a Millennial Dinner anyway?
I made up the phrase (or did I?), so I guess now it’s a thing! What I wanted to convey was, youthful, vibrant, playful, eclectic, with fully stated umami flavors. It’s been a pretty rough couple weeks on the home front. Although I’m best known for no nonsense minimal step cooking, making this uncharacteristically patchka super fun and delicious dinner for immensely appreciative millennials was the best form of occupational therapy. I love to cook for the young set. Time and fuss well spent, plus they love me back, guaranteed.
I was in a mischievous Umami mood when I dreamed up this dinner, and it showed.
Killer Millennial Dinner Menu
Get ready for my Menu! It includes all recipe links too: you’ll be mighty pleased!
The above two duck recipes link to the same primer on duck and all duck parts, with above recipes. They will make a pro duck cook out of you. Also there, you will find my own version for raw blended Agrodolce Sauce: incredibly delicious, and incredibly versatile.
Other assorted condiments include radish pickle and cucumber red onion pickle. No need for the recipes of radish pickle and cucumber pickle. Sliced unpeeled radishes very thin, and toss with a little cider vinegar and a little sea salt. Cram into a jar, pushing down the radish slices so they get covered with their own juice. Same exact thing with the cucumbers and red onion pickles.
Porcini-Crusted Seitan Schnitzel. Remember: just ONE brand new dish allowed at a gathering, will elaborate on my blog post. And don’t even think of saying the seitanic S word until they eat it and love it, or else all bets will be off. There’ll be time enough to reveal your secret sauce. The above link is a major post on seitan, its preparation and recipes.
For the salad I used sliced radicchio instead of arugula. Both work just great.
I sautéed unpeeled purple tomato wedges, and added dark fried onions and truffle salt
The credit for these amazing cookies go to Food and Wine Magazine. The only small changes I made were: i used double toasted sesame seeds, and put them right in the dough; I baked them 2 more minutes for more crunch; i used a little more salt, Maldon flakes
Oh gosh, I’m embarrassed to say I totally forgot to serve the limonana. It flew right out of my head. They would have loved it. Next time!
