Vegan Bistro Meal

There's something about the start of fall...the dove gray sky, the newly fallen leaves that haven't yet gotten their act together and decided on a color to be--you know the ones, a mottled display of all the choices presented...orange, yellow, green, specs of brown. I like to attribute the non-commitance to the fact the trees in question reside in the South, where one day is crisp, cool, and everything Fall is meant to be...and the very next day will be a revisitation to summer...temperatures above 80, people pulling the tank tops and shorts out for another go, a dinner menu of salads because it's enough to make you so disgusted you can't even be bothered to cook. It's almost as if Fall has taken a sick day, and the temp sent is completely unaware of the new system. At any rate, for the time being, Fall has finely arrived...if only for a fleeting moment.
I always get the taste for Bistro food when this day arrives. Perhaps it's the delusion that my kitchen/dining room will magically be transformed into one of those dark and rustic spaces where simple white candles elegantly dance on the tabletops made from reclaimed wood and where all the patrons swirl blood-red wine in one hand, while somehow managing the impossible of making smoking look inherently cool with the other. Perhaps it's images of people so thoroughly engaged in worldly conversation, so as to not even notice the perfectly executed, beautifully simple dishes lingering on the tables below them. Maybe it's all of these things, combined with the notion that somehow amazing jazz music will begin to seep magically from my walls to further complicate the image, should I be so inclined as to prepare some of the classic dishes found in such places. Then again, maybe I'm just tired of eating salads...

In any case, the recipes that follow should take you back to the City of Lights and Romance...what with the Grilled Portabello Steaks with lots of fresh black pepper, herbes de Provence and maitre d'hotel butter, a twist on the classic Steak au Poivre. The Crispy Garlic Potatoes--easy to prepare, delicious and requiring minimal ingredients, are the essence of bistro fare and are even more tasty with a side of vegan sour cream or creme fraiche. There's also a peppery cress salad with satsumas (a nod to the south) to cleanse the palate and then finally cap off the meal with the quintessential fall dessert...an unassuming warm plum crisp, served alongside a generous scoop of non-dairy vanilla ice cream and lightly dusted with freshly grated nutmeg...

Happy eating and have a wonderful evening :-)