Post Punk Kitchen Forum

I'm making dinner for 6 for New Year's Eve at our place. There will be 3 vegans and 3 omnivores. All of the omnis (husband included) like my food with no complaints!

I'm trying to finalize my menu using mostly local, organic foods from my CSA. Here is my tentative menu:

Homemade butternut squash ravioli (with either a light cream sauce, browned butter with sage, and/or marinara sauce as my husband doesn't like any creamy sauces)
Roasted beet salad with soy feta
Oven roasted green beans
Pillsbury Crescent rolls (accidentally vegan!)

Something chocolate-y for dessert (I haven't decided what yet though)

So, what do you think? I've been racking my brain about what goes well with butternut squash ravioli and then debating with myself if I should use that as an appetizer or the main meal. Then I debated making a potato-type soup, but didn't want it to be too heavy paired with ravioli. What chocolate dessert do you think will go well with this line-up? Any other ideas? I'm not married to the idea of roasting the green beans and am open to other suggestions there as well.

Thanks!

Sounds good to me :) I think I would probably serve the salad for starter and the ravioli as a main, although if you want to do the real Italian thing you should go for the pasta as the first course. I tend to think a rich but mild sauce works well with butternut and a marinara might be a bit overwhelming....
As for chocolatey dessert well you've so much choice there:
How about a tart?
These pear chocolate brownie tarts look good
http://www.myrecessionkitchen.com/Site/ ... TArts.html
Vegan Table has a good looking one too.

Or a rich chocolate mousse perhaps? Served with some fresh berries or sliced oranges?

Have a good NYE

Here's my menu- I'm having a quiet NYE this year. It's just my Mum and I and we're both a little fooded out with xmas and all so I'm not going too fancy or anything...
Roasted Portobello mushroom + avocado salad (Vcon) (without the chickpeas as it's a starter)
Tuscan white beans with sundried tomatoes (Vegan Table), Garlic Bread, (Vegan Table)
Gingerbread Apple Pie (VWAV)

Any suggestions or advice on any of these recipes would be much appreciated.
Thank you :)

I think your menu sounds great..

What about a roasted red pepper/tomato soup? That would be really pretty and yummy..

and for dessert, a simple chocolate pie spiced with nutmeg and orange?

That apple pie is awesome!

I'm making Thai Chick-Un Pizza from ED&BV, and maybe a caesar salad on the side. Probably just cookies for desert, I've been cooking so much lately, I'm also a bit fooded out.

I like how you think! I agree about the marinara not being the best thing for the ravioli, but I'm not sure what kind of sauce to put on it for my husband who doesn't like creamy or buttery sauces. He may have to go sauceless or just use the marinara anyway, while the guests get a light creamy sauce.

I like the idea of a rich chocolate mousse and was toying with that idea anyway. I then was considering making vegan lava cakes, although I've never made them before and I don't want the dessert to come out disastrous when I'm trying to impress guests for NYE.

I was also basing a lot of my menu items on what was scheduled to be in my CSA box this week. I just got it and there are barely enough green beans to feed 2 people, let alone 6! I may start off with a winter vegetable stew that I found in Vegan Italiano by Donna Klein. I may also go to the store to get some asparagus to have as my green vegetable instead (and in addition to the salad I'm having).

This sounds great, esp. if you're all "fooded" out as you expressed. For some reason the garlic bread is making my mouth water. Love it!

I love the idea of the roasted red pepper/tomato soup. I've never made that before from scratch. I'll have to check out some recipes to see if I'll do that or the winter vegetable stew I was planning. Thanks!

What about a parsley-walnut pesto?

I'm not doing a special NYE meal, just going to a party. I'm thinking of taking mini lemon tarts, and homemade crackers with colby uncheese. I may scratch the lemon tarts, make cookies for the sweet and make chickpea salad tarts instead. It really depends on how much I feel like cooking tomorrow.

Win! I just asked the hubby if he'd like to try the pesto on his ravioli and he was up for it. Why didn't I think of that earlier? Thanks!

Wonderful! My pleasure. Now I want ravioli.

Why didn't I think of pesto either?! Perfect!
What ravioli recipe do you use by the way? Or do you have your own you wouldn't mind sharing? I'd love to make butternut ravioli some time...Thank you :)

I used the ravioli recipe for the dough from this PPK thread
and this simple butternut nut squash ravioli recipe.

Keeping my fingers crossed that it turns out okay!