Foods with a little something extra...on top

"Squab with Lemon-Thyme Butter Sauce Demi-Glace and Butter-Tarragon Peas"  My husband looks over at me while we watched an episode of Top Chef and said "I...don't know what half of that is.  What did they say? Semi what?  Tear-a-gone? And what the hell is squab?"

TV programs like this showcase unbelievable talent and it's a feast for the eyes for us watching at home.  And although I rearrange my schedule to engage in Top Chef (no, I'm not on the Tivo boat yet), I'm not about to go into my kitchen and make something that I can barely pronounce.  What about all these fancy words?  I usually stay away from making anything with an accent...Paté, Béchamel, Consommé, Canapé... It's usually too labor intensive, too expensive, or too un-vegetarian for me to make.

But I thought I would try to research to try a couple of recipes that are do-able.

Impress a crowd with Cashew-Mushroom Paté.  This recipe was kindly shared by the Loving' Spoonfuls vegan restaurant in Tucson, Arizona.  This is a beautiful and filling appetizer, and surely a crowd pleaser! 

One of my favorite chefs is Jeremy Fox.  Try making his Pea Consommé.

This is sooooooooooooooo good.  Please try it.  And if my extra o's aren't convincing enough, hear this: the secret ingredient is white chocolate! This recipe is very creative and pretty forgiving.  He even accepts using frozen peas for lazys like me!  I substituted the macadamia nuts with hazelnuts, because I didn't have any macadamia nuts.  But you must roast them!  I subbed the Champagne vinegar with rice wine vinegar.  Don't skip any of the other ingredients.  Each ingredient adds a little something extra, just like an accent!