The First Night of Chanukah

This last Friday my wife and I got to participate in Temple Beth Shalom's Shabbot dinner. It was a fantastic experience. Being the first night of Chanukah, I prepared a dinner with traditional foods. This was not completely a new experience for me though. While I was the Chef at The Ravens', I created a "Holiday" menu for the prefix Christmas day dinner. I have always believed to share the holiday cheer with everyone. One year I incorporated Kwanzaa, Chanukah and Christmas in a menu, other years would consist of fall/winter festive courses.

Friday's menu included a roasted pear and candied walnut salad, sweet potato latkes, carrot and sweet potato tzimmes and oven-roasted brussel sprouts. Dessert? Well, I ran out of time and was feeling the pressure of delivering an outstanding meal to 60+ people. I had scheduled apple fritters, but instead the Temple had some cookies ready for the sweet treat. All in all, it turned out to be a valuable learning experience.

First, with no confirmed RSVP's, I was guessing as to the number of people to serve, and we just squeaked by with enough. I was also working in a new environment which always has it's challenges. Not knowing where anything is and how hot the oven really is at 350˚. Because every oven is different! I also learned what tzimmes is and how to pronounce it, almost. Tzimmes is a traditional dish that usually has carrots and/or sweet potatoes that is slowly cooked and sweeten. Delicious!

Latkes are a traditional Chanukah dish. Latkes are simply a crispy potato pancake. They are served with sour cream and apple sauce most of the time. They can be very versatile, and many ingredients can be added to the potatoes. I combined sweet potatoes with russet potatoes and zucchini and used brown rice flour and ground flax to bind them. Created your own potato cake tonight. They are fun and easy to make.

We need help please! We are over 30 percent funded on our Kickstarter Campaign for Sanctuary, a new plant-based bistro to open this Fall in East Bay. Please check it out and consider backing and sharing with your friends. http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/473325024/sanctuary-bistro-a-plant-based-bistro-in-the-eastThank you!