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Rainbow summer rolls

Time1 hour 30 minutes
YieldsServes 4 to 6
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If you’re going to a royal wedding watching party, or throwing one yourself, you know that the food will take the spotlight — after we all get a look at the wedding dress, of course.

To help craft the perfect menu — a Cali-British mash-up worthy of Los Angeles’ own Meghan Markle and Britain’s Prince Harry — we turned to Gaby Dalkin, creator of the popular Los Angeles lifestyle and food blog “What’s Gaby Cooking.” Her new cookbook, “Everyday California Food,” is a celebration of the way we eat here in Southern California, reflecting the region’s diversity, the abundance of fresh, vibrant produce, and the fact that we’re always tinkering with our diets. (Translation: Vegans, meat eaters, the no-carb and the all-carb crowds will all find something in its pages.)

“I can’t wait for it,” Dalkin said of the wedding. “I will be watching, absolutely. I love Meghan Markle, she a fascinating and independent woman. And she’s ours, she’s L.A.”

A royal wedding brunch could pay homage to Britain and the traditional high tea with scones served alongside clotted cream and lemon curd and finger sandwiches. (Shortcut: Make the sandwich of your choice, cut off the crusts and slice into triangles. Done.)

To add some California sparkle to the menu, there must be avocado, Dalkin said (her first cookbook was titled “Absolutely Avocados.”) She suggests an avocado toast bar and lots of homemade guacamole and salty, crunchy chips.

Countdown to the Royal Wedding » Your complete guide to the royal wedding 2018 »

Dalkin also shared three recipes from her new cookbook with us that would also represent L.A. at your watching party: a hot, cheesy poblano chile dip that would go perfect with those chips, Vietnamese-inspired spring summer rolls with a peanut dipping sauce and a fresh strawberry and lemon curd tart. You’ll also find more recipes — for scones, tea cakes and more — in our California Cookbook.

“There are so many negative things in the world right now, and a marriage and a wedding are really exciting,” Dalkin said, “so it’s great to gravitate to something so positive and happy. I think they are truly in love.”

Here’s to the happy couple!

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Dipping sauce

1

In a bowl, whisk together the hoisin sauce, peanut butter, rice vinegar, soy sauce, chili garlic sauce and toasted sesame oil. Taste and adjust the seasoning if desired with additional soy sauce. This makes a a scant ½ cup dipping sauce. Set aside until ready to serve.

Summer rolls

1

Fill a shallow bowl with very warm water. Soak one rice paper wrapper in the water until pliable enough to be rolled, about 30 seconds. Transfer the wrapper onto a clean cutting board.

2

Arrange the fillings along the bottom third of the wrapper leaving about a 1-inch margin on either end of the filling. I use about 2 tablespoons of the rice noodles; equal amounts of the cucumber, carrot, bell pepper, mango and scallions; a few fresh mint, basil and cilantro leaves; 2 avocado slices; and a butter lettuce leaf for each roll. Be careful not to overfill the wrappers or they will be hard to roll.

3

Fold the wrapper over the filling and start rolling it up. About halfway through the roll, stop and fold in the sides, burrito style, then finish rolling until you have a tight roll. Transfer the finished roll to a clean plate, seam side down and drape with a damp kitchen towel while you assemble and roll the remaining summer rolls. Once all of the rolls are finished, serve immediately with the dipping sauce alongside.

Adapted from a recipe in “What’s Gaby Cooking: Everyday California Food” by Gaby Dalkin.