On June 13, 2017 I was invited to be a judge at the International Culinary Center founded as The French Culinary Institute, my alma mater, for the graduating pastry class. It’s so much fun. I get to taste and critique tarts, petit fours, chocolates, viennoiserie, caramels and brioche.

Everyone did an amazing job and I wish the whole class much success. Here is a picture of me with Chef Jurgen David, my teacher from 1998, and Chef Kir Rodriguez, another Pastry Chef instructor.

I also took a picture of the pastry text book I helped work on which won the James Beard award.

Now on to our recipe…

Trying to get whole grains into your diet can sometimes be a bit of a challenge. That’s why this salad is so great.

Tabuli is a Mediterranean salad with a main component of bulgar. Bulgar is made from hard wheat berries. It is high in Niacin, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Iron and a good source of fiber. Tabuli can be made with fine bulgar, but I prefer the texture of coarse bulgar. Alexander and I created this recipe using the fresh mint from our mint plant. His favorite task is to squeeze the lemons with the reamer.

Enjoy!

Avec Amour, Victoria and Alexander

Cilantro Mint Tabuli

Yield – 4 Servings

1 Cup Coarse Bulgar

2 1/2 Cups Water

1/4 Cup Lemon Juice, extra lemon wedges for garnish

1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 teaspoon Kosher Salt

3/4 Cup Cilantro, chopped

1/2 Cup Mint, chopped

1 Medium Cucumber, seeded and diced

1/2 Cup Cherry Tomatoes, halved

1 Small Onion, finely diced

1. Bring water to a boil and pour over bulgar in a large mixing bowl,

cover with a plate and let sit for 1/2 hour, drain excess water.

2. In a small mixing bowl pour lemon juice into olive oil while whisking until combined, add salt.

3. Toss bulgar with cilantro, mint and dressing,

toss with remaining ingredients,

serve with wedges of lemon and sprigs of mint and cilantro.