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itsomgitsgreenblogging · 4 years ago

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A Never-Ending Feast

Yes, it is me again. Really we all should have expected this, but when Jester pulled out Heroes' Feast in episode 105, my friend alixcat basically said, yeah, you are writing a fic about Jester using Heroes' Feast right? And I was like....yeah, you right. I'm back on my Labor of Love bullshit 24/7. This one's for you!

Jester often shows love through acts of service, OR 5 times that Jester summoned a feast for others and the 1 time she made a feast for herself.

Bon appetit!

Read on AO3

Preview:

The trudge to the inn was a terrible one. It was one of those summer days that clung to your skin and sowed misery with the humidity. It was almost a relief for it to start raining, but as soon as it did the wind howled and shook the trees with intensity, and the sky cracked open with lightning and thunder. Yasha looked unbothered by the storm, but Beau grumbled and trudged her way through the front door of the inn looking like she had been personally insulted. It didn’t help that when they ordered food, all they received was burnt chicken and wilted vegetables coated in oil.

“I can’t believe we spent money on this shit,” Beauregard snapped, her temper hot and lashing like a whip. She cast a dirty look to the innkeeper, who plainly ignored it and continued on with their day.

“I know what will make us all feel better,” Jester said, fluttering her fingers with her excitement. “I have that new spell that makes the food! Everyone, let’s go upstairs to our room and I’ll make us a feast!”

“I’m down,” Fjord said, picking up a particularly sad looking green bean from his plate and watching it flop around in an extremely unappetizing manner, not that Jester ever believed that beans were good. They were one of those things that Mama swore were good for her, but if they were so good for her then maybe they ought to taste good too! Regardless of her feelings about green beans, the Mighty Nein all followed Jester up to their room, where she settled down on a blanket and pulled out her jewel encrusted goblet. For a moment she prayed, and then the Traveler’s energy pulsed through her.

What kind of feast shall it be today? Jester heard the Traveler ask.

I’m thinking...summer! The kind of things you would eat on a beautiful summer day, the kind of summer day that Beau would love, not whatever this shitty day is!

Magic overflowed from the goblet, and out from the ground plates patterned with flowers, and bowls of porcelain began to appear like they were sprouting flowers and tall grasses. Strawberry shortcakes with dollops of indulgent creams that were scented of vanilla and the zest of lemons, peach crumbles with layers of streusel flavored with the warming spices of ginger and cinnamon to give it just a punch of flavor. Scoops of coconut ice cream covered in toasted coconuts and topped with pineapple sauce and bright cherries. Bananas dipped in chocolate and covered in toasted nuts and strawberries, slices of banana cream pie and rhubarb pie.

Veth picked up a glass bowl containing a trifle half the size of her body, layers of cake soaked in rum, blueberry sauce, custard, berries, and jelly that was arranged like a large fruit display. Caleb began cutting slices of a pavlova, sweet toasted meringue garnished with kiwis, passionfruit, strawberries and cream. Yasha and Fjord were busy sharing a pineapple upside down cake and coconut ice cream, as Beau worked on her own plate that she stacked high with pies baked into jars.

“I’ve never had iced tea before,” Caduceus said, taking a long indulgent sip from a glass.“Would you like some?”

“Oh yes!” Jester said as she took the glass. It was iced tea as her Mama made it, the signature Nicodranas brew layered with black-citrus tea with sweetened condensed milk and coconut milk. Jester sighed as the flavors mingled on her tongue. She took a mouthful of streusel next, sighing as the tender peach melted her in mouth with the brown sugar and coconut and made the flavor of summer. She dipped forkfuls of banana cream pie in pineapple sauce, cut chocolate covered bananas to add to her slice of pavlova. She took indulgent sips of different drinks to refresh her palate and add more flavor, watermelon tea or frosted lemonade or fizzing fruity floats with scoops of ice cream that melted into foam that lapped at the edge of goblets the size of bowls.

By the time the hour was up and the feast vanished, Jester had truly eaten her fill. She sighed as she settled into bed that night. For a moment she swore she felt Beau’s eyes on her.

“Thanks Jester,” Beau said, voice rough with feeling. “That did hit the spot.”

“Of course,” Jester said with a smile that Beau couldn’t see. “Any time.”

______________________________________

They sat camped outside the dungeon, in the bubble as Caleb meticulously casted. The villagers there had complained about something coming up from the depths of the old abandoned mine. Jester wondered idly if it could be gnolls again, but based on what Fjord and Beau had discovered while snooping about it seemed to be something far more...trickey.

“We just don’t know what we are gonna be walking into,” Fjord said worriedly as he balanced the Star Razor across his knees. Yasha who had been minding the perimeter came back and settled down, looking a bit unnerved. Jester felt a quiet sense of concern for her. It really was awful how she kept getting mind-controlled all the time! Jester would need to talk to the Traveler about that some time to see if she could help.

“If we hit it hard enough, it’ll fall,” Veth said, cocking her crossbow confidently.

“It might not hurt to prepare ourselves though,” Caleb said as he sat himself down next to Veth. Caleb then caught Jester’s attention with an awkward wave. “Jester, would you be, perhaps, capable of creating that feast again? To...ah...bolster our efforts?”

“Yeah, yeah yeah yeah,” Jester said thinking about it. “I can do that today!”

“Can you include some meat?” Veth said, picking at her teeth. “Any at all?”

“I have to give Caduceus something to eat!” Jester said, reminding Veth as she pulled out her bowl.

“Aw, that’s nice,” Caduceus hummed as he fixed his sleeping bag.

Jester settled it on the ground, and as she had done before she called the Traveler’s power to her.

What kind of feast shall it be today? Jester heard the Traveler ask.

I’m thinking...warm and filling! Something crisp like an apple on a brisk fall day, and the flavors of a Harvest Close Festival.

And there on plates and bowls patterned with leaves in brilliant autumn colors was their feast. A whole roast duck glazed with orange sauce and served on a platter on a smear of plum applesauce with skin so crispy that it cracked when Caleb took his first bite. Bowls full of sunny pumpkin soup topped with crisped onion, that paired perfectly with loaves of bread that were stuffed with fennel-pork sausage that Beau downed so quickly that Jester was half sure it would be more effective to just raise the bowl to her lips. Rabbit in rosemary-wine sauce, served with sides of potatoes mixed together with a spicy savory mustard, and mushroom risotto with rice so tender it brought tears to the eyes.

And then of course dessert, which Jester was mostly concerned about and wouldn’t dare to stint on the servings. Apple pie with cinnamon-sugar dusted on crumbling crusts. Baked apples covered luxuriously thick caramel sauce and covered in peanuts, and elephant ears swirled in cinnamon and drizzled with frosting. There were slices of smooth and glossy pumpkin pie and crunchy and delicately sweet pecan pies topped with dollops of whipped cream, and sweet potato cheesecake with gingersnap streusel crumbled on top. Goblets were full of apple cider, or hot chocolate with toasted marshmallows and drizzled with salted caramel, and coffee made buttery and rich with swirls of cream and brown sugar and even pumpkin. Butterscotch cookies pressed into the edges of large glasses of milk were what caught Jester's eyes first and foremost.

"This is my favorite thing," Jester said as she dipped the warm cookie into the glass of milk that had a rim encrusted with chocolate dust and cinnamon sugar, sighing as the butter, crunchy edges of the cookie, and the sweetened warm milk melted together in perfect harmony. Veth pressed in close to her, finishing off her plate before grabbing a glass of milk and cookies.

"This reminds me of when I was a girl," Veth laughed, her eyes misty. "But my mother wasn't nearly as good of a cook as your magic is."

“Aw, thank you,” Jester chirped, trading her now empty glass for a new plate and taking bites from pecan pie and long sips from cream-pumpkin-coffee. She gave Veth a side hug that Veth gladly leaned in to.

"It really is lovely," Caleb said, with a soft reflective look of his own as he stopped up soup with a piece of bread. His dark fingers sweeping around in a well practiced movement before popping the last piece of bread in his mouth.

“Hey, save some for the rest of us,” Beauregard teased as she elbowed Caleb.

“There’s plenty to share,” Veth argued with no heat. “I’ll make you a plate.”

Jester said nothing, but cuddled more firmly against Veth's side as she enjoyed her cookies in milk, thinking of a time with her own mother and perhaps something like this.

_______________________________

The ship rocked them back and forth as they gathered in the captain’s quarters. Jester had been full of energy ever since she learned that today was Fjord’s birthday. He had asked for nothing big or special, trying to argue that he couldn’t know his actual birthday and that he was getting too old for celebrations, but all of them had gotten him gifts regardless. Small little useful things, because Fjord would have surely refused anything more than that. Once the others had finish gifting things to Fjord, which he took with an increasingly tender and misty-eyed expression, Jester pulled out her jeweled goblet and set it upon the table. She casted the spell as she usually did, feeling her chest fill with the energy of her god.

What kind of feast are we having today? The Traveler asked curiously.

A celebration! Jester responded exuberantly. A fancy dinner party!

Upon the table that Fjord had set up, the plates and bowls and trays appeared, bubbling up from the spell like little boats buoyed on the water. A sweet and creamy lobster bisque, besides a tray of mussels steamed in white wine garlic and lemon juice, and nestled between buckwheat galettes made of salmon, capers, and dill. Mashed potatoes that were made smooth and rich with exorbitant amounts of butter found a place next to plates of mushrooms and gnocchi in a tomato cream sauce, and spicy butternut squash soup. Crispy crab cakes with a rainbow of dipping sauces in bowls shaped like shells and baked oysters dusted with spices and cheese. There was even a whole braised octopus in the center of the table, arranged among slices of lemon.

“I’ve never had anything like this,” Caleb admitted as he looked at the perfect slices of raw tuna in a loose approximation of a raw bar. “Is this supposed to be raw?”

“It tastes pretty good,” Veth said, scooping up her own serving of the ceviche of raw tuna marinated in lime juice and tossed with onions, tomatoes, avocados, and cilantro. She slurped down mussels at an alarming rate and did her best to encourage Caleb to cry the crispy calamari with the garlic aioli and the steamer swimming in butter.

"Look, our favorite!" Fjord said, sharing a knowing look with Beau and Yasha as he motioned to the plate full of fried fish and potatoes with tartar sauce. Beau and Yasha laughed as they loaded up their plates, pressing the flaky white fish into sandwiches made from the warm fresh white bread.

“What’s for dessert?” Caduceus asked curiously.

“Chocolate! You can’t really have a birthday without a chocolate cake,” Jester said excitedly as she moved to cut slices of a decadent chocolate cake, moist and sweet and filled with chocolate cream and raspberry sauce, settled besides saucers of chocolate mousse, and crisp cannolis filled with sweetened ricotta and chocolate chips. Chocolate covered strawberries were gathered in a luxurious array of white, milk, and dark and covered with nuts and candies. Stacks of salted caramel millionaire’s shortbread with crisp butter-cookie sandwiching layers of caramel and covered in chocolate, even bubbling pots of chocolate and caramel fondue with a wide array of fruits and snacks to dip into the heavenly smelling liquid.

“Thank you, Jester,” Fjord said with a wide smile that had lantern-light glinting off his tusk. “Thank you all of you. This has really been the best birthday I have ever had.”

“Don’t forget to blow out your candles!” Jester said, offering him a slice of his cake. Beauregard reached over to the goblet and pulled out a candle, passing it to Veth who planted it on his cake. Caleb reached out to punch the candle and it lit and began to glow.

Fjord blew out his candle, and closed his eyes to make a wish. As she took a bite of her own slice of cake and then dipping a forkful in the chocolate fondue, she wondered if any wish could top this simple pleasure as she pressed it against the top of her mouth so it could just melt away bit by bit and she could savor it. She would try to savor it all, for as long as she could.

____________________________

No one enjoyed trudging through a swamp, especially not Caduceus. Jester knew the Wildmother was a powerful god god, but it seemed to her that she could look out for Caduceus a little better. Jester found that the task often went to her, and of course she didn’t mind. Caduceus was steady as a rock, let Jester braid his hair, and listened intently whenever Jester rambled. The least Jester could do was yank Caduceus out of muck puddles whenever he fell in them, in return for being such a good friend. Jester could tell though that Caduceus was relieved when they stopped for the night, and Yasha who had fallen into a bush of prickers was just as excited to be bedding down. They would have a hard day ahead of them the next day, this Jester knew. So when Yasha quietly asked her if she could cast Heroes’ Feast to aid them, Jester already knew what was on the menu.

What sort of feast tickles your fancy, my dear Jester? The Traveler asked her.

Now seems as good a time as any to have an afternoon tea!

At night?

Of course, duh!

I do love the way you think. The Traveler chuckled as the goblet summoned for them their feast, spreading it about the dome.

Their afternoon tea was spread out on three tier and four tier porcelain stands decorated in flowering vines, kettles appeared and whistled merrily as they did as did beautiful tea sets in a variety of flowering colors and painted with rabbits and ducklings. Nestled among the kettles and tea cups were pots of toppings, from sunshine yellow lemon curd to vibrant marmalade and a treasure trove of jams to clotted cream and thick yellow custard. There was a stand of finger sandwiches all cut in diagonals, like cucumber and herbal butter, watercress and fluffy egg salad, prosciutto and goat cheese, and smoked salmon and cream cheese. One that Jester scooped up was a fluffernutter that made Jester smile. The next stand was a twisting array of scones filled with fruit or berries or nuts or spiced with cinnamon in turn, hearty spiced pumpkin muffins, blueberry muffins, lemon-poppy seed muffins, and danishes filled with jams or sweet cheeses and dusted with sugar or drizzled with vanilla frosting. And then of course, the cookies. Trays of cookies from madeleines with their shell-like filigree edges to smooth as button macarons to stacks of simple butter cookies and shortbread surrounded them like patches of wildflowers.

“Oh Jester, this is wonderful,” Caduceus sighed into his cup of tea. “Let me pour you a cup?”

Jester nodded enthusiastically as Caduceus poured her a cup of ruby-red tea. Jester took a sip and was immediately struck by the gorgeous strawberry almost malty note of it. Dipping in a shortbread cookie and eating it made her whimper with the sublime pleasure. The shortbread simply melted into her mouth like a dream, like it was meant to be together.

“It’s too bad we can’t stop for an afternoon tea every day,” Jester sighed as she excitedly cut open a scone to layer it with clotted cream and blueberry jam and lemon curd. Caleb watched her do this and mirrored it, though adding far less then she did of all three toppings except the lemon curd. Jester didn’t understand why he was being so stingy, but not everyone could truly appreciate sweets as she did.

“I can’t eat rich food too often,” Beauregard admitted as she cornered the market on tiny finger sandwiches. “It’s a nice once in a while thing, but otherwise it screws up my workout routine.”

“This is magic food though,” Veth pointed out. “Does it really count?”

“Tastes the same, and feels the same in my stomach,” Beauregard said with a shrug.

“What are these tiny orange things?” Yasha asked as she eyed a canape.

“That would be salmon roe,” Fjord explained and when seeing Yasha’s befuddled reaction further explained, “fish eggs.”

“Tasty,” Yasha said, offering no more explanation on that as she popped it in her mouth.

“All we need now is a fancy place to sleep,” Jester said excitedly as she poured another cup of tea and tried that one. This tea was bright and citrus and with a strong floral note, that perfectly matched the lemon-poppy seed muffin and was smoothed by the lemon-vanilla frosting on top. “You guys have got to try this tea! I’ll get everyone a cup!”

“It tastes like flowers,” Veth said, doing that thing where it sounded like she was complaining but she really wasn’t.

“It does, doesn’t it?” Caduceus asked, smile sweet on his face. Yasha smiled too, but didn’t say a word.

_____________________________________________

In Jester’s nightmares, there was a different kind of feast.

The room itself was familiar, and Jester could almost feel like she shouldn’t be there but couldn’t remember why in the haze of the dream. There was a single window above the door, casting the glow of a red and violet twilight across the room that was cluttered with bottles and jars and strange books and drying herbs. The only other light was fat candles of yellow-beeswax, choked by glass and made dim, and the dying embers of a hearth. The table was set for two, and yet as Jester looked around she was the only one in the cramped little home. Even the ceiling cages swung empty and creaking amongst the wooden slots. Jester took a seat, and just as she did she saw her goblet sat in the center of the empty table.

Her goblet overflowed, and out of the spreading liquid came a menagerie of sweets. Jester set herself upon them all with a reckless abandon. A strange sludge in a crusty bowl ended up being blueberry soups with dollops of sweet cream, overturned cups ended up being creme brulee with glistening caramel crusted on the tops, casseroles full of bread pudding steaming with cinnamon and drizzled with butterscotch and topped with ice cream flecked with ice cream. There was a bouquet of flowers that filled the air with their sugary scent, that as Jester plucked a beautiful pink bloom melted into her mouth with the flavor of rosehip and fairy floss. Forks melted in between her fingers and she realized they were made of chocolate, and the placemats were now made of crunchy honeycomb. She bit into her glass only to realize it was made of shards of sugar flavored with mint and the liquid within like pressed and sweetened lemons and melons. She took more ravenous bites, filled her plate high and yet somehow treats continued to spring from that never-ending goblet-

The liquid from her goblet splashed and overflowed as it turned over under the weight and gushed out like a strange pulsing wound, dripping off the edges of the tables and onto Jester’s skirt and seeped in. She recoiled from the sensation, scurrying away as she swiped at it with her fingers. With her vision and the dim light she could see that the liquid was a oily black. The candles all flickered as if shuddered by a breeze, the smoke hazy and twisting as it tickled the low-hanging herbs that were drying from the ceiling. The liquid began to splatter onto the scratched and dusty floor, pitter-pattering at an ever-increasing rate.

“Now, now my dear,” a familiar croaking voice said as a large hand settled upon her shoulder, fingernails slicing past layers of her cloak. Jester could hear the cracking of dusty-joints and the lumbering crunch of her footsteps. “You have prepared such a feast for me.”

“I...uh…” Jester squeaked as she felt a too long finger mind her neck. She didn’t dare to move, afraid that such a movement would slit her own throat, but let Isharnai tip her chin up and back so Jester could see the witch hunched over her.

“Such a precious giving girl,” Isharnai cooed, and her strange face came into focus, dull green eyes searching Jester for some truth that Jester desperately didn’t want to admit. “So full of misery. What a treat you are.”

“I’m not,” Jester said, her heart pulsing quick and fast in her ears. Her fingers were slick with the black liquid now, it was up to her thighs now bunching and collecting her skirts and glueing them to her legs. But it was her fingers-suddenly she couldn’t move them, as if she had gone numb at the wrist. She couldn’t move, she couldn’t breathe as suddenly the panic overtook her. Where were her friends? Where had everyone gone-?

“We are friends. Friends don’t lie to each other,” Isharnai said, voice cruel with softness. “Now come, don’t you want your last cupcake?”

-Jester looked up to the table again and saw wilted flowers and cracked bowls and something bleeding-it was a heart and it was still beating and the whole home contracted and pulsed like it was a thing alive and in the center of it all there was a single cupcake that glistened with gold and-

What a horrible dream! The Traveler’s voice swept across her mind like the wind on a winding path. For a moment she felt like she was falling and yet she didn’t fear as the wind carried the scent of autumn. No need for this, sleep now Jester and know I am with you.

And so the color of her dreams changed, and she slipped into something safe.

____________________________

The girl behind the counter was a teenager, fresh faced and with her hair in twin braids. She had a dusting of freckles across her thin nose and smiled happily when Jester walked through the door of the little bakery in the nowhere town that they had stopped in for the night. It was bright and early the next morning, and Jester had snuck out apart from her friends in hopes of finding something that answered her prayers. The Traveler truly was with her in this endeavour.

"What can I get you this morning?"

"What do you have?"

"Would you like savory or sweet?"

"Sweet, always sweet," Jester said seriously, because sweets were no laughing matter at all.

"We have muffins, blueberry, cinnamon swirl, and cornbread. We also have cinnamon rolls, and we do have cupcakes."

"What kind of cupcakes?" Jester asked excitedly.

"We have a honey-apple cupcake, gingerbread cupcake, and a carrot cake cupcake. The carrot cake is our topseller."

"Carrot cake," Jester grumbled, feeling her nose scrunch. She knew that it was a popular flavor, but she just couldn't wrap her mind around a vegetable in a cake. But she did know from Beau's grumbles that she enjoyed carrot cake even though, as Caleb had pointed out, it was rather nerdy and old-fashioned of her. Beau had given him a solid punch in the arm at the teasing and had disagreed in the way she did where she wasn't really disagreeing but more arguing for the sake of arguing. "Alright, I'll take a dozen, but like a mixed dozen. Four of each flavor?"

"Absolutely, that'll be four silver."

Jester slid the girl six silver and smiled.

"You keep the change," Jester told her and watched as the girl's eyes widened and she nodded vigorously. The girl quickly packed up the cupcakes and tied the box with a string before handing it off to Jester. She smiled and thanked her again before heading off. Jester walked for a little bit, finding the apple tree just outside of the inn that they were saying. Carefully she set her box on the ground as she pulled out her own handkerchief and settled it amongst the roots. She carefully opened the box of cupcakes, careful not to jostle any of them. She lifted one out from the box, the honey-apple cupcake Jester assumed based off of the drizzle of honey that covered the swirl of vanilla buttercream.

“I thought we might share this,” Jester said as she crossed her legs, feeling the morning dew and the sunshine dappling her face as the trees shifted with a breeze. She lifted the cupcake to her lips and took a bite. She sighed at the flavor of the sweet floral honey infusing the cake with its buttery undertones and mellow vanilla crumble, the sharp flavor of the apple-filling that was syrupy and made decadent with brown sugar and cinnamon and the tang of lemon, and of course the melting buttercream frosting that dissipated like a vanilla cloud. Jester felt a hand touch hers, and a shoulder bump against her own.

“Thank you, Jester,” the Traveler said whispered and when Jester blinked there was a second bite taken out of her cupcake.

Jester laughed, and went to take another bite.

#critical role #critical role fanfiction #jester lavorre #5+1 fic #food descriptions galore #read with a snack

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coffeelevel8-blog · 5 years ago

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Creamy vegan risotto with mushrooms & sausage

Want to impress your Valentine? Make this creamy vegan risotto with mushrooms and sausage.

Risotto isn’t difficult to make. But it does take a bit of babying. The effort is totally worth it – bite after luxurious bite.

Thank you to Herbivorous Butcher for sponsoring today’s post! The contents, photos, and opinions expressed are fully my own.

There’s a thick blanket of snow outside. And I am under a thick blanket of cotton inside…

This time of year, it’s hard to fight against the pull of cozy. A warm home, thick slippers, and a couple of purring cats are endlessly persuasive when the air is biting and gray.

So what’s a person to do on special occasions like Valentine’s Day? Bring the fun of going out to the comfort of your own kitchen!

Herbivorous Butcher: Valentine’s Day Dinner for Two

All year ’round, you can order from the Herbivorous Butcher on their website. They have a wide array of plant-based meats and cheeses (including the best vegan bacon out there!)

Their vegan meats and cheeses are also available in some stores, including grocery stores in Iowa City & Des Moines.

Plus, throughout the year they offer special packages online.

I was delighted when Herbivorous Butcher reached out about partnering for a few of their upcoming packages. I’m sharing what the packages include, as well as a recipe to go with each of them!

Today’s recipe is for creamy vegan risotto with mushrooms and sausage. You are going to love it! But more on that in a bit…

(Of course, even if you are unable to order the package or if you’ve missed the ordering deadlines, you can still make the recipes any time!)

Regular readers know that I’m a longtime fan of Herbivorous Butcher. No visit to the Twin Cities is complete without a stop at their brick and mortar location. Their plant-based meats & cheeses are artisanal quality.

So I’m beyond excited to share their Valentine’s Day Dinner for Two. It’s sure to make your loved one swoon! (And yes, everything in these pictures is 100% vegan!)

The Valentine’s Day pack includes:

Two Filet Mignons (7 ounces each)

Garlic Sausage (13 ounces)

Havarti Reserva (5 ounces)

Fondue Cheese (16 ounces)

Two 1-minute mug cakes from Coconut Whisk

The Valentine’s Day pack won’t start shipping until February, but I got an early peek at the goods. (Get all of the ordering details on the Herbivorous Butcher website or at the bottom of this post!)

Havarti Reserva

David and I celebrated Valentine’s Day early with a vegan cheeseboard – including Havarti Reserva and melty fondue cheese for dunking.

Can you believe the gorgeousness of that Havarti Reserva?

It’s made by reducing red wine, and then marbling it in the cheese sauce before it hardens. This buttery cheese has a mild flavor. And it spreads onto crackers like a dream.

Fondue

Before I went vegan, I loved having birthdays and anniversaries at a fondue restaurant in Los Angeles. I’d get all of my friends to come out. And we’d make a meal of little bites dunked in melty cheese.

So it really took me back to get the fondue pot going for this velvety cheese dip.

To take this fondue experience to the next level, add a wide array of dippers. This seriously could be a meal all on its own!

Dippers for vegan fondue:

Toasted bread chunks (I used garlic sourdough. Marbled rye would also be good!)

Soft pretzels

Herbivorous Butcher garlic sausage, browned in bite-sized pieces

Tiny roasted potatoes

Roasted Brussels sprouts

Roasted cauliflower

Cornichons

Olives

Cherry tomatoes

Regarding the soft pretzels, I recommend leaving them whole on the charcuterie board. Then you can just pull off a part before dunking. (Obviously read the ingredients first, but it’s usually not hard to find frozen soft pretzels that are vegan in the grocery store.)

For more ideas, just think of anything that would be improved with a ladling of salty, tangy cheese, and pop it onto the board.

Filet Mignon

Something I love about Herbivorous Butcher’s steaks & filets is that they can really take a good sear without drying out. In the summer, I cook them on the outdoor grill. In the winter, I take to the grill pan.

And my favorite part is getting a good, crusty exterior that you can crackle through. You don’t have to worry that it’s going to dry out the insides to get some color on the outside.

The filet is really thickly cut, which makes for an impressive looking entrée. You can serve it whole, or put it in slices on a plate.

I’m surprised again and again at the filling nature of their seitan. David and I usually split one filet between the two of us!

To finish off this romantic meal, I made creamy vegan risotto with mushrooms and the Herbivorous Butcher garlic sausage.

Risotto has “special occasion” written all over it, because it does take a little more attention than your standard weeknight rice dish. However, it’s not complicated to make. It just means that you have to focus on the one thing you’re doing.

For this risotto, I used Arborio rice. It is a plump grain that holds its shape, and has a starchiness that lends itself to risotto.

But this vegan risotto is not just creamy from the rice alone. I also finish it with cashew cream. It’s almost like vegan risotto meets mushroom alfredo.

It makes for a really indulgent, full-bodied dish that feels downright decadent.

How to make creamy vegan risotto

Start by browning bite-sized pieces of seitan sausage in a large skillet. Then move them to a plate for later.

Then sauté mushrooms in the skillet until they release their juices and brown. Push them to one side of the skillet, and add onions and garlic. Sauté until fragrant.

Add the Arborio rice, thyme, rosemary, and pepper. Get everything fully coated.

Then it’s time to start slowly adding in vegetable broth – one or two ladles at a time from a pot of warm vegetable broth on the stove.

With each ladling of broth, allow the rice to fully soak it up before adding another. Keep stirring. As it cooks, the risotto will start to thicken.

Keep adding ladle after ladle of broth until you run out. This will take about 25 minutes. By the time you finish, the rice should be al dente.

Add cashew cream to the pan (made with raw cashews and water). Also add the seitan sausage back into the pan. Combine everything and let it cook for about a minute more.

The risotto should be creamy and luxurious, but not overly wet.

Serve this creamy vegan risotto with seitan filet mignon, and a green vegetable like steamed broccoli or grilled asparagus.

How to place an order for the Valentine’s Day Dinner for Two

You can place an order for Herbivorous Butcher’s Valentine’s Day Dinner for Two on their website. They ship to all 50 states & Puerto Rico. They do not ship internationally.

Get the feast shipped to you for $90 (includes postage and handling). Or if you’re a Twin Cities local, you can pick it up in the store for $65.

If you place your order by January 27th, it will be shipped on February 4th.

If you place your order by February 3rd, it will be shipped on February 11th.

Cadry Nelson

About 3 1/2 cups of risotto

Creamy vegan risotto with mushrooms & sausage

This full-bodied risotto is extra creamy by way of cashew cream. It's a vegan main or side dish that really feels like an indulgence. It's loaded with mushrooms and seitan sausage. Worthy of a date night!

10 minPrep Time

38 minCook Time

48 minTotal Time

5 based on 2 review(s)

Ingredients

1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons raw cashews*

1/2 cup water

3 1/2 cups vegetable broth**

2 teaspoons organic canola oil (or other neutral-flavored high heat oil), divided

1 cup (6 ounces) chopped seitan sausage (I used Herbivorous Butcher garlic sausage), small to medium bite-sized pieces

8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced

Pinch of salt

1/2 cup chopped yellow onions

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup Arborio rice

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary

Pepper, to taste

Instructions

Make the cashew cream. Put the raw cashews into a high speed blender with 1/2 cup of water. Blend until it is completely smooth, a thick cashew cream. Set aside.

Bring a small pot of vegetable broth to a low heat on the stove. You'll come back to it in a bit.

Bring a large non-stick skillet to a medium heat with one teaspoon of oil. Brown the seitan sausage pieces in the skillet to give them some color on both sides. This should just take a couple of minutes. Remove the sausage pieces from the skillet, and transfer them to a plate for later.

Add a half teaspoon of oil to the skillet, as well as the sliced mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Allow the mushrooms to release their liquid and brown in the skillet. Once the mushrooms are brown on one side, flip them. (Moving the mushrooms too often will slow their browning.)

Once the mushrooms have some nice color, push them to one side of the skillet. Add the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of oil to the empty side of the skillet, along with chopped onions & garlic. Saute the onions and garlic for a couple minutes, until fragrant. Then stir them together with the mushrooms.

Add Arborio rice, dried thyme, dried rosemary, and a grind of black pepper to the skillet. Use a spatula to fully incorporate all of the ingredients. Cook for a minute or so.

Now it's time to start incorporating the warm broth. Add one or two ladles of warm broth to the skillet. Stir the Arborio rice mixture almost constantly. The ingredients in the skillet should be at a low simmer. You don't want everything to boil off quickly, but you also don't want the heat so low that it takes forever to cook.

Once the rice has fully absorbed the first round of broth, add another ladleful and allow that to be absorbed, continuing to stir often. Keep going in this manner - ladle by ladle - until all of the broth is used. (Once the broth is gone out of the small pot, remember to turn off the heat.) As it cooks, the risotto will start to thicken. It should take about 25 minutes for all of the broth to be absorbed into the rice. Take a bite. The rice should be perfectly al dente. (It's unlikely, but if it still feels too hard, you can add a splash more of water to the rice until it reaches the right texture.)

Now it's time to add the cashew cream. Pour the cashew cream into the skillet, and fully combine. Allow the risotto to cook for a minute or so longer. It should be velvety and rich. Taste for salt & pepper, and add more if necessary. Serve right away.

Notes

*If you aren't using a high speed blender, you'll need to soak the raw cashews in additional water for several hours to soften and then drain before continuing with the recipe. Or grind the dry raw cashews in a clean coffee grinder until they are fine like a flour. Then add them to your standard blender with the water. If you're using a high speed blender, you can skip this step.

**If you'd prefer, instead of vegetable broth you can use 3 1/2 cups of water + 1 Tablespoon Better Than Bouillon in the no-chicken base. Just stir the Better Than Bouillon into the warm water until it dissolves.

7.8.1.2

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https://cadryskitchen.com/2019/01/14/vegan-risotto/

Recipe video music: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music

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Source: https://cadryskitchen.com/2019/01/14/vegan-risotto/

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0 notes

condorbill36-blog · 5 years ago