Veganmofo III, day 3
I was going to take the day off from blogging this weekend and just stick with blogging every weekday, but instead I’m going to show off the awesome lunch I had today. Flore Cafe has been having themed all you can eat buffets on the weekends for $10. Today was vegan soul food including mac and cheese, black-eyed peas, collard greens with tempeh, cole slaw and a corn muffin. What could be better than all you can eat vegan macaroni and cheese? I ate 2 1/2 plates of food, so I think I got more than my money’s worth. The cole slaw was honestly the best slaw I’ve ever had in my life. I don’t even particularly like cole slaw but I wanted to eat tons of this stuff. It was fresh, crunchy and sweet. So good. Sunday, they have their all you can eat vegan brunch which I highly recommend.They have some great vegan french toast and seitan cutlets. There honestly isn’t a better brunch deal out there.
Vegan Crème Brulée Experiment
I decided to embark on the wonderful challenge of making vegan crème brulée. This has always been one of my favorite desserts, but I never considered trying to make a vegan version myself. I wanted to try to use a cashew base instead of relying on tofu, as I find that often desserts that have a subtle flavor and a good deal of tofu can some times be too plain. After mixing my first batch, I tested the uncooked custard before it went in the oven and it had a very strong cashew flavor. Since I had extra of all the ingredients, I thought it would be best to try another batch with a different recipe, to make a less intense version. Here are the results and recipes to go along with them.
Vegan Crème Brulee v.1 ¼ cup silken tofu ½ cup sugar 1 cup raw cashews ¼ cup Mimicreme or soy creamer 2 Tbsp corn starch 1 Tbsp vanilla 1 tsp lemon
Vegan Crème Brulee v.2 1 cup silken tofu ½ cup sugar ½ cup raw cashews ¼ cup Mimicreme or soy creamer 1 Tbsp corn starch 2 Tbsp vanilla 2 tsp lemon
The process for each version is nearly the same, version 2 just has to cook a little longer.
1. Preheat oven to 325° Place your dishes on a cookie pan. Depending on your dishes, this will make 4-6 servings.
2. In a food processor, blend the tofu until it is smooth. While the processor is still running, add the sugar and let blend until smooth before adding the cashews and soy creamer together. Blend until there are no chunks, this should take a few minutes. Finally, add the cornstarch, vanilla and lemon, blending until everything is combined.
3. Pour the custard into your dishes and place in the oven. Cook for 15-20 mins for version 1 and 25-30 for version 2. The outsides will be slightly firm and centers still slightly soft.
4. Let cool to room temperature and then place in refrigerator. Refrigerate for approximately 2 hours or until cold.
5. Sprinkle with sugar, enough to make a thin layer over the top of the custard. Use a butane torch to caramelize the sugar. If you don’t have a torch, you can try putting them under the broiler for a few minutes.
I was impressed at how good these were. Both have a strong cashew flavor, but it isn’t overwhelming. I believe this is mostly due to the flavor of the Mimicreme which is also made from cashews/almonds. I think next time I’d like to use a generic soy creamer to make it a bit lighter. Version 1 was much denser. The flavor was smoothed out when it baked and was very pleasing and rich. Version 2 was lighter and creamier but wasn’t quite as custard like. Back to back, they didn’t have major flavor differences, they did have the same ingredients after all, it was mostly just a difference of consistency and intensity.
I have only had one vegan crème brulée ever, which was amazing, so I know that a fantastic vegan version is possible. These were really good (I’ve eaten 3 already!) but I know they could be even better. This is one experiment I won’t mind repeating.
VeganMoFo III and deep fried brussel sprouts
The time has finally come for the Vegan Month of Food 2009. To start things off I wanted to share a fairly easy recipe for something undeniably delicious: Deep fried brussel sprouts. Oh yes, deep fried. Brussel sprouts are one of the most tasty vegetables in existence and there are so many great and easy ways to prepare them. This is one way that is a little unusual but absolutely worth trying.
Now let me preface this by saying that I’m no expert when it comes to frying things, especially in hot oil. So if I can do it, so can you. Please, oh please, be careful though, because this isn’t just hot oil, it’s burn off your flesh in an instant hot. Ok, if I haven’t scared you off yet, here is how to prepare these guys.
1. Fill a medium sauce pan half full with a high heat oil. I used a combination of safflower oil and vegetable shortening. Put the oil on the stove on high heat. It is best to continue using a frying/candy thermometer.
2. Wash your brussels and pat dry, removing as much water as possible. Cut the bottoms off and then cut each sprout in half. Remove any wilted or brown leaves.
3. When your oil has reached approximately 350° very carefully put the sprouts into the oil. I recommend pushing them off your cutting board with a knife or other implement so that your hands are nowhere near the oil. It will bubble and splatter!
4. Let the brussel sprouts fry, checking the larger pieces at the bottom occasionally with a spoon, to see when they start to brown on the outside. Once they do, remove them with a slotted spoon and place on a towel or paper bag.
5. Once you have taken all the sprouts out of the oil, place in a medium bowl. Season with salt, fresh ground pepper and a sprinkle of cayenne.
6. Enjoy!
Frying these sprouts makes them tender, crunchy and slightly caramelized. The flavors are gently enhanced by the spices and the heat of the cayenne is cut back by the residual oil. This is a great way to convince those who have misconceptions about brussel sprouts that they have an amazing flavor and are not a bland boring vegetable.
