Blended with water, walnuts turn into a viscous cream—a smooth, dairy-free base that can stand in for heavy cream, mayonnaise, or Greek yogurt. From November 4–18, six restaurants in New York and Los Angeles are putting it to work for our Discover California Walnuts Week, in partnership with California Walnuts.

Across both cities, walnuts are showing up in everything from a fall ice cream, a walnut-shaped petit gâteau, and an egg custard tart to a Sicilian vodka slice, a creamy miso dressing, and even a whipped foam for an iced latte. Toasted, candied, or blended, California walnuts can carry a dish from your morning coffee through to your late-night dessert, and nearly all of them are grown by multigenerational family farms in the Central Valley.

Visit the participating restaurants, order up the California walnut cream special, scan the QR code to share your feedback, and you might just take home a whopping $1,500 cash prize.