With our oldest daughter’s bat mitzvah just a few weeks away, my husband and I are having a wonderful time planning the celebration. While Violet is busy working hard learning trope, writing her drash and performing mitzvot, I get to enjoy menu planning, invitation designing and flower selection. I feel so fortunate to be able to celebrate our daughter’s bat mitzvah with a luncheon at our temple that includes our large family and members of our community.
As Violet is a vegetarian, the lunch will be completely animal-free. I’ll do some cooking, but primarily, I’m relying on my friend (and former student) Alta Ridley, an amazingly gifted chef to create a truly memorable meal. The most difficult task is deciding on which dishes to serve — everything is so delicious; we wish we could have everything. We’re opting for a family-style lunch rather than a buffet line. The room-temperature dishes will be served on platters at the tables, and the one warm dish, Paella, will be brought out shortly after our guests sit down.
Spinach Salad with Gorgonzola, Pears and Walnuts | Serves 8
4 Tbs. walnut oil
1 Tbs. sherry
1 Tbs. sherry vinegar
1 Tbs. mustard
1 tsp. fine sea salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. sugar
1 1/2 lbs. baby spinach leaves
4 oz. crumbled Gorgonzola
2 ripe pears, sliced
2 oz. walnut halves, toasted
Whisk together the walnut oil, sherry, vinegar, mustard, salt, pepper and sugar to make vinaigrette.
Before serving, toss the spinach leaves with the Gorgonzola, pears and the vinaigrette. Arrange the salad on each plate, and garnish with the toasted walnuts.
Vegetarian Paella | Serves 8
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped finely
1 small onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes, drained
6 cups vegetable stock
1 tsp. chopped rosemary
1 tsp. sweet paprika
1 tsp. saffron threads, ground into a powder
2 tsp. fine sea salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
3 cups paella rice
1 lb. mushrooms, quartered
1 lb. green beans, cut into 2-inch lengths
1/2 lb. carrots, peeled and sliced
2 bell peppers, cored and sliced
2 cups frozen baby artichoke hearts
1 cup frozen tiny peas
Heat the olive oil in a large paella pan or sauté pan. Sauté the garlic, onion and tomatoes until the mixture softens. Add the rosemary, paprika, saffron, salt, pepper and the rice. Sauté until the rice is well-coated. Add 1 cup of the stock, and deglaze the pan.
Add the remaining stock. Cook for several minutes over high heat, then reduce heat. Add in the mushrooms, green beans and carrots. When much of the liquid has been absorbed, stir in the bell peppers and artichoke hearts and cook gently until the rice is tender, but still firm, about 20 minutes. Stir in the frozen peas and allow the paella to stand for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish the paella in the pan with several large sprigs of fresh rosemary. Serve at the table from the Paella Pan.
Crema Catalana (Spanish Crème Brulee) | Serves 8
3/4 cup sugar
4 eggs
2 egg yolks
2 Tbs. cornstarch
3 1/2 cups milk
1 Tbs. vanilla extract
For caramel crust:
8 Tbs. sugar
Beat together the sugar, eggs, egg yolks and cornstarch in a small bowl. Pour in the milk. Place the custard in a large, heavy saucepan, and whisking constantly to prevent lumps, cook until the custard thickens, about 10 minutes. Stir in the vanilla. Divide the custard into 8 ramekins and cool completely.
Just before serving, sprinkle the sugar evenly over the top of each custard. Burn the sugar with a blowtorch, salamander, or under a hot broiler until the sugar caramelizes and hardens.
Rebecca Ets-Hokin is a Bay Area cooking teacher and food professional. She can be reached at [email protected].