[BombayBen]

Hi guys - now this is a strange one! I am personal cheffing for a fairly famous family. They have now decided that they want to throw a dinner party in their home and there are going to be some well known Hollywood stars there. It is going to be a formal 4 course sit down dinner - any menu suggestions? One of them is gluten free vegan!

[KYHeirloomer]

Do you have to do a gluten-free vegan dinner because of that one person? Or will you cook a regular meal for everyone else? That could have an effect on your final choices.

[BombayBen]

The host is the gluten free vegan and I think they want the same for everyone

[kuan]

Make some pao de queijo to start. Guaranteed hit.

[siduri]

Originally Posted by BombayBen

The host is the gluten free vegan and I think they want the same for everyone

That sounds a bit sadistic for a host. If i have a vegan guest i would accommodate him, but would not make others accommodate to my fixations!
Anyway that practically eliminates everything good in the world.
I'd go for the peasant food - peasants were usually too poor to afford meat and milk products and even eggs. And it's really trendy now, right?

Try "menofatoli" - i bet no one ever heard of it. It's a weird polenta dish from the area around Lucca - my mother used to make it. It's real poor people food. You make a minestrone with olive oil based soffritto - garlic, onion, celery, carrot, then add black tuscan cabbage (long and dark green) beans (dark brown, borlotti or cannellini) - then when the soup is cooked, you add polenta right into the pot and cook it in the soup, about half an hour. Then you pour into bowls and serve with olive oil drizzled on top. You could alter the presentation by slicing it (it hardens after you pour it out) and putting it on a nice dish with (get this...) olive oil drizzled UNDER it!!! (ok, a little sarcasm at the trend now to drizzle sauces under the food - doesn't make much sense from the taste point of view but i guess it's pretty) (a hot fudge sundae with the sauce UNDER the ice cream, a cake with the frosting on the dish... i could go on).
Personally i dislike menofatoli, but i find there are few things without milk or cheese or butter or gluten that don;t feel like something nuns would eat in lent. You could add some chaff or pine needles.

[DocSmith]

Originally Posted by BombayBen

One of them is gluten free vegan!

I can't help you with a menu, but add lots of bacon fat. Then when the host raves about the food you will have a client for life, just don't mention your secret ingredient.

Vegans annoy me, and if they aren't gluten free due to an allergy, that catapults annoyance into a whole new stratosphere.

[Mezzaluna]

You could start by looking in cookbooks with Kosher food. Since observant Jews and others who follow the Kosher laws don't mix dairy and meat, it's a good place to start.

I also recall that Greek Orthodox people have a pretty strict Lenten observance: no dairy, no eggs... another good place to start.

[KYHeirloomer]

I'm glad you've got the job and not me, Kiddo. Sounds like a real pain in the keister.

Hard to believe that any host who cares about her guests would impose that kind of dietary restriction on them. Sounds like ego gone wild, to me. Keep that in mind as you negotiate the menu, because you're going to be second-guessed constantly---right up to, and maybe after, service. Make sure that everything is written down, and that they sign-off on it all.

I wouldn't even begin to try and plan a menu for that one. But, in terms of gluten-free, don't forget that raw roots like turnip and jicama, sliced thin, can easily substitute as the "crust" in crustini and bruchetta starters. Kohl rabi can serve the same function. And it's likely something they haven't seen before.

[tessa]

there are lots of things you can do , that can make it more interesting, do you have a sri chimoy restuarant near you bombay , they have some wicked cookbooks with vegan , gluten free recipes
how far away is your dinner party because i can get you some great ideas thursday night if you want
what about to start with ,a gorgous gazpachio and using gluten free bread
or a soy miso broth with shitake mushrooms and fresh asparagus
or
stuffed portabella mushrooms/.. stuffed with mashed potato, garlic, a little chilli and topped with ground up corn chips
for a main a tofu rice pilaf with roasted nuts and a spicy peanut sauce
or a chickpea(gabanzo)curry with rice flour chapartis

a big green salad with avocado dressing and mixed seeds like sunflower, sesame, black sesame, pine nuts,and white poppy seeds
baked potatoes , with soy cheese, red onions, tomato salsa
and topped with mixed roasted nuts

slow roasted tomatoes , topped with a basil and walnut pesto

pumpkin patties, made with spiced pumpkin ginger,and a little chilli rolled in shredded dried coconut and lightly panfried or grilled

then for dessert
a fresh melon and ginger granita
or a cold roasted nectarine and melon soup
or a rice pudding made with soy milk,palm sugar , sultanas, almonds and cardamon
or a fresh fruit platter with dried fruits and nuts and slivers of fresh coconut , with a silken tofu and passionfruit sauce
or a cold set tofu cheesecake made with silken tofu, soy milk yoghurt, cocoa, palm sugar and soy chocolate in a base of crushed gluten free cookies and a soy margerine, and topped with raspberries and served with a raspberry coolie

[cheflayne]

Grilled Stuffed Sweet Onion, a hollowed out Maui Onion stuffed with an oven roasted mixture of Garam Masala seasoned Butternut Squash, Portobello, and Swiss Chard, finished in a hot oven and topped with a White Miso Sauce

Stuffed Tomatoes, vine ripened Tomatoes stuffed with Asparagus tips, Sunflower Seeds, Daikon Radish Sprouts, and Tofu and drizzled with a Green Tea Vinaigrette

Stuffed Jonagold Apples, stuffed with Oyster Mushrooms and Mustard Greens, baked in a hot oven and topped with an Apple Cider Sauce

Pacific Rim Napoleons, Grilled Asian Eggplants layered with marinated Tofu and Bok Choy and zig zagged with two Sauces; an Asian Peanut Sauce and a Thai Yellow Curry Sauce

Eggplant Tofu Stacks, Eggplant and Tofu marinated with Charmoula, grilled and stacked with Spinach and Tomatoes, topped with a Olive, Preserved Lemon, Red Bell relish, and drizzled with Charmoula

Pineapple Soba Noodles tossed in a Tamarind Pineapple Sauce, topped with Pineapple, Tofu, and Jicama, drizzled with Asian Black Bean Vinaigrette and sprinkled with pickled Ginger and Cilantro

Grilled Portobello, Tofu, and a Trio of Greens, Portobello Mushrooms grilled and placed on top of marinated Tofu slices and served on a bed of sautéed Bok Choy, Beet Greens, and Chard; topped with a Vegetarian Brown Sauce

Caribbean Bean Cakes, Navy Bean Cakes seasoned with Rum, Clove, Orange Zest and Thyme, sauteed and topped with a Black Bean Sauce, Orange filets, and drizzled with a Coconut Lime Cream

Smoked Vegetable Skewers Eggplant, Zucchini, Portobello Mushrooms, Crookneck Squash, and Red Bell Peppers, smoked and then grilled, and served with a Red Chili Pesto

Thai Coconut Ratatouille, Japanese Eggplant, Roma Tomatoes, Green Cabbage, and Bananas simmered in a Coconut, Lemongrass, and Ginger Broth and served over Jasmine Rice

Low Country Stacks, Stacks of braised Parsnip and grilled Green Tomatoes, topped with a Sauce Piquante and a julienne of deep fried Parsnip

Spicy Stuffed Chickpea Patties, patties of ground Chickpeas, Scallions, Carrots, Rice, Garlic, Ginger, Serrano Chiles, and Mint, folde around a filling of Shallots, Cilantro, and Serrano Chile, then sautéed with a Garam Masala Tahini Sauce

[shel]

You might consider checking out The Hippy Gourmet TV Show.
In his lifetime he's prepared a lot of vegan/vegetarian food for local and other celebs.


shel

[teamfat]

If you have access to a smoker, stuffed smoked tomatoes are good, can be reheated in an oven if you don't get carried away and let them collapse into mush. Sauerkraut, bell pepper, red potato salad. How about an eggplant, mushroom, habanero chili? A fairly decent onion soup can be made with no animal products, you'll have to pass on the crusty, cheese covered bread topping though. Deep fried tofu cubes with a Thai style peanut dipping sauce. Wilted beet greens with bell pepper and pine nuts. Daikon radish has a place in many dishes. A simple stir fry with bell peppers, chiles, bok choy, mushrooms and zucchini, served over short grain brown rice. A cold quinoa, golden raisin and cranberry salad.

Cheese filled, bacon-wrapped deep fried hot dogs - oh, wait a minute, that's a different thread.

mjb.

[tessa]

Originally Posted by DocSmith

I can't help you with a menu, but add lots of bacon fat. Then when the host raves about the food you will have a client for life, just don't mention your secret ingredient.

Vegans annoy me, and if they aren't gluten free due to an allergy, that catapults annoyance into a whole new stratosphere.

i actually think vegans, people with allergies, and vegetarians are great to have in your establishment,because it makes you think outside of the square, it gives you a real chance to come up with something different from what you normally do and get those creative juices flowing

[BombayBen]

Thanks for all the feedback. I will definitely be trying out some of cheflayne's ideas. The dinner is a good month away. Vegan is chic apparently! 'raw' cooking is also terribly fashionable in Hollywoodland - I have been informed by my employers. My plan so far is:

Chilled pear soup with port
Coffee and mint spiced 'Tempeh' served with mash and steamed seasonal vegetables
Tomato sorbet
Flourless chocolate sponge served in a cup and topped with vegan wipping cream
'mock' cheese board - tofu seasoned in different ways so that it mocks different cheeses!

Any more ideas would be welcomed

[tessa]

doesnt the flourless cake have eggs in it ??