Madison vegetarian meet-up dinner

Just before we left for Seattle, we attended another Madison vegetarian meet-up dinner. This one was catered by Jennie Capellaro, who makes vegan/vegetarian soups for two local cafés, and who is soon to open a vegetarian/vegan restaurant on Madison's east side. (She also has a law degree - you just can't be too prepared in these times.) I'm sure all 50 people who attended the dinner will be lining up at the restaurant's doors, the second it opens. Jennie prepared a four course vegan meal plus hors d'ouvres and beverages for our group, and both the presentation and taste were beautiful.

This was the menu:
Appetizers
"Crab" cakes with chipotle remoulade, fresh vegetable tray
First Course (Salad)
Tossed mixed greens with roasted beets, caramelized pecans, and balsamic vinaigrette
Second Course (Soup)
Creamy zucchini and spinach soup with garlic croutons and chives
Main Course
Vegan schnitzel cutlet topped with creamy mushroom sauce
Sautéed green beans and red peppers
Dessert
Key lime tarts with vegan whipped cream and fresh fruit
Beverage
Rosewater lemonade

We indulged in this lovely meal at the very elegant Kennedy Manor. There were formal white cloth table coverings and napkins, and everything you'd expect as a backdrop to fine dining. It also was quite dark and not conducive to my preferred style of natural light photography, but I did my best under the circumstances. (I also was anxious to eat so I only took two or three shots of each item.)

The salad (shown above) was perfectly gorgeous and delicious with just the right amount of tangy dressing, but the highlight for me were the pecans. Each one was a perfect burst of flavor and crunchy texture. They were incredibly delicious. How do you caramelize pecans?

OK. I admit I was halfway finished my soup, marveling at the taste and texture, trying to figure out how to make it myself, when I remembered to take a photo. There were three fabulous garlic croutons floating elegantly on top, and the cup looked so much prettier before I dug in. I could barely restrain myself from eating the rest long enough to snap a shot. I'm going to try to make this as soon as we're settled in Seattle.

I'm not usually a big fan of meat analogs in restaurants, but what the heck. It tasted just like...chicken? Or would schnitzel be veal? Someone asked what it was, and Jennie said it was a soy product, but didn't elaborate on that. In any case, it was really good both in taste and texture. And the green beans were crisp, fresh and full of flavor. (Jennie purchased all the vegetables and fruits at the Saturday farmers' market.)

For dessert we had individual key lime pies. I've never actually had key lime pie before so I can't compare the flavor of this one to a past memory. All I can say is this adorable little pie was creamy, tangy and delicious. If I didn't know for a fact it was vegan, I wouldn't have believed it. And the whipped cream tasted like real whipped cream. How did she do that?

I don't have photos of the crab cake hors d'oeuvres or lemonade, but trust me, they were excellent, just like everything else!


© 2009 Andrea's easy vegan cooking