In Praise of Bees
Appetizers
• Chinese style tea-smoked baba ganoush
o Why: Eggplants, like other fruiting plants in the nightshade family, depend on bees for pollination
• Roasted okra with Sriracha Hollandaise
o Why: Okra depends exclusively on bee pollination. Red pepper, an ingredient in Sriracha sauce also depend on bees for pollination
Entrée
• Honey & Earl Grey tea cured Gravlax on a bed of saved cucumber, onion & fennel salad with mustard mousseline sauce
o Why: Without bees there would be no honey. Cucumber and fennel also depend on bee pollination
• Quail egg stuffed Pumpkin chive biscuits
o Why: Pumpkin and chive both depend on bees for pollination
Grain & Vegetables
• Galette of heirloom tomato & sweet pepper with dandelion pesto
o Why: Tomato depends on buzz pollination by bumblebees to fruit. Dandelion flowers is one of earliest food source for bumble bees when they first emerge for Spring
• Buckwheat Risotto with chestnut, cranberry & almond
o Why: Buckwheat depends on bees for pollination, as does cranberry. Almond is critically dependent on bee pollination. The decline of American chestnut has resulted in the likely extinction of a few subspecies of wild bees in the Appalachia region
Main
• Duck leg braised in red wine & shallot served with blueberry coffee sauce and finished with lavender salt
o Why: Blueberry is critically dependent on bee pollination. Coffee and lavender also depend on bees for pollination
Dessert
• Pear and blueberry tarte tatin
o Why: Both pear and blueberry depend on bees for pollination
The End of Night
Appetizers
• Tequila marinated shrimp mole on plantain petties
o Why: Agave cactus, the source of tequila, is pollinated exclusively by bats; banana is pollinated by bats; and bats spread chocolate seeds
• Grilled fig, fresh ricotta cheese & duck bacon cup
o Why: Bats are primary spreader of fig seeds
• Sautéed blood sausage slices served with a duo of tequila lime aioli and fig saffron comfit
o Why: No reason; it’s for the vampire among us
Entrée
• Mango gazpacho
o Why: Mangos are pollinated by bats
• Tequila lime Salmon ceviche on a bed of green papaya salad
o Why: Sockeye salmon fry have swam toward upstream lights and failed to make to sea; papaya is pollinated by hawk moth at night
Side
• Squid ink gnocchi in tequila creamed corn sauce
o Why: Bats are the primary control of corn and potato pests (until the arrival of Monsanto); squid fishing is the most light intensive form of night fishing (http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/Malvinas/)
Main
• Deer in the headlights venison stew with breadfruit
o Why: Breadfruit is pollinated by bats
Salad
• Roasted guava and edible flower salad with tequila lime dressing
o Why: Guava is pollinated by bats
Dessert
• Mango and banana mousse cake with dragon fruit slices, coconut flakes and guava glaze
o Why: Coconut is pollinated by bats; dragon fruit flower, blooming only for one night, is pollinated by bats and moths (https://ringingear.wordpress.com/2008/09/03/dragon-fruit/)
Fibonacci Sequence in Nature
Appetizers
• Fabonachos with golden root vegetables
o Why: Never pass up a bad pun in matters of food and friendship
• Do-it-your-self roasted duck tacos with pineapple tomatillo salsa verde
o Why: Pineapple is the ultimate Fib fruit with spirals arranged in Fibonacci numbers
Entree
• Pan seared scallop with sunflower seeds and red pepper sauce
o Why: Sunflower seeds and sunflower seed butter pay homage to Fibonacci spirals and numbers
• Pine nuts and chrysanthemum green rosette
o Why: The spirals of pinecones have Fibonacci numbers. Most Asian leafy greens show Fibonacci angles in their growth pattern
Sides
• Caramelized purple cabbage and onion in puff pastry
o Puff pastry is based on the principle of exponential growth, while cross-section of cabbage show Fibonacci spirals
• Romanesco autumn salad
o Why: Romanesco spirals are organized according to Fibonacci numbers. Pear with its five seeds is a Fibonacci fruit. Pinecones have Fibonacci spirals, as do marigold flowers
Main
• Rabbit pie with baby artichoke, sun dried tomato, pearl onions and fava beans
o Why: Fibonacci’s famous sequence resulted from his study of population dynamics of rabbits. The spirals of artichoke are arranged in Fibonacci numbers. And, Pi, like Phi, the golden ratio derived from the Fibonacci numbers, is another famous irrational number found in nature. (For the Tau (2Pi) lovers who think Pi is over rated, there is a second Rabbit pie for you)
Dessert
• Slow roasted pineapple Pavlova
o Why: The curvature of an egg shows the Fibonacci spiral, as is the organization of rose petals. And, did we say that pineapple is the ultimate Fib fruit?
A Special New Years Celebration
Appetizers
• Feta-walnut-date phylo cigar
o Why: Walnuts, dates, and wheat are special foods eaten during this new year
• Fig & Olive tapenade
o Why: Figs and olives are also eaten for this new year celebration
Entrée
• Warm salad of pan-seared duck liver & pear, with toasted walnuts and pomegranate seeds served with a side of wine jelly
o Why: Pears, pomegranate and grapes are also part of the celebration
Fish
• Baked Moroccan style whole fish with preserved lemon, grapes, olives and almonds
o Why: Grapes, olives and almonds are eaten as well
Grain & Vegetables
• Steamed green beans with miso date honey glaze
o Why: Date honey is used in this celebration
• Barley Pilaf with raisons, citron and chopped walnuts
o Why: Barley, raison, citron and walnuts are accepted New Year’s food
Main
• Braised quails in red wine with orange slices, olives, and onion
o Why: Red wine and olives are a part of the New Year celebration. Orange has a long association with this culture
Dessert
• Carob and apple Bundt cake with mead syrup and fruit compote
o Why: Carob, apples, honey and wheat are among the special foods for this New Year.
The Dinner That Came in From Cold
Appetizers
• Tartar of Salt Brined Cod with salmon roe, Douglas Fir & pickled dill stem
o Why: Cod and salmon are both cold water fish. The flavoring of food with readily forgeable plants – in this case, evergreen and dill – is a valued Nordic culinary practice.
• Pickled Herring served “Sushi” Style
o Why: Herring fishery like that of cod, depends on the Norwegian Coastal Current and its interactions with the North Atlantic Drift and the Arctic Ocean. This interaction is now affected by climate change. Chef Marcus Samuelsson created this style of serving Herring. (Chopped chive, fly fish roe mix on top, fa-cai & nettle leaf in potato?)
Entrée
• Pan seared Arctic char in a broth of seaweed, fennel, and mussels, with dill mustard aioli
o Why: Arctic char is the northern most anadromous fish (returning to fresh water to spawn) with a circumpolar distribution. Seaweed, fennel, mussel, mustard and dill are all common flavors of Nordic cuisine. This dish is derived from one of Chef Marcus Samuelsson’s recipes. (Angelica root in broth)
Grain & Vegetables
• Edgewood Park Pine smoked beet roots pickled in rose petal vinegar and served on a bed of sautéed kale with seaweed flakes
o Why: Root vegetables are common to Nordic cooking as is the use of pine and smoky flavoring. Kale is a cold tolerant vegetable that develops sweeter flavor after onset of frost and snow. (Add angelica root to smoke and nettle leaf to kale, fa-cai powder))
• Puree of celery root & pear, topped with chopped walnuts and foraged mustard green
o Why: Root vegetables are good cold weather food as is pear. This is one of Chef Marcus Samuelsson’s recipes. (flat parsley too)
Main
• Reindeer Swedish meatballs with caramelize red cabbage and lingonberry jam
o Why: Reindeer are native to the Arctic region and feed on lichen below the snow cover to survive the winter. Climate change has affected the quality and depth of available lichen, putting the reindeer population under stress. Many berries found in high latitude depend on period of extended cold nights to develop their sweet flavor. The dish is based on Chef Marcus Samuelsson’s recipe.
Dessert
• Parfait of juniper berry skyr and poppy seed skyr with rhubarb compote and cloudberry jam
o Why: Skyr is a popular food of the Nordic region. Juniper berry, rhubarb, and cloudberry are common flavors of Nordic cuisine. This dessert is based on a recipe by Chef Marcus Samuelsson.