Vegetable Pie!

When we went to Oxford before Christmas, we had the most delicious savory pies in the covered market. I have been promising V. that I would make him one ever since, and yesterday I finally got around to it. It's definitely time consuming, and therefore more of a Sunday dinner, but it was well worth it in the end, and we have enough leftovers for at least another 2 meals during the week!

The crust is quite crumbly and not quite like what we had in England, but it's buttery and delicious and therefore, who cares?!

Whole Wheat Pie Crust

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) butter or vegan margarine, or a combination of both

salt

cold water

Pulse the 2 flours with the salt in the food processor.

Cut the butter into slices and pulse with the flour until combined (10-15 seconds, no longer)

Transfer to a bowl and knead with your hands, adding a little bit of water at a time, until the dough holds together.

Wrap in saran wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Pie Filling

1/2 butternut squash

2 red potatoes

2 cups trimmed and chopped string beans

3 medium sized carrots, sliced

2 stalks celery, sliced

About 2-3 cups cremini mushrooms

1 small yellow onion

3 cloves garlic

olive oil

1-2 cups white wine

3 cups vegetable broth

all purpose flour

salt

pepper

oregano

paprika

Pre-heat oven to 400F.

Cut the butternut squash and potatoes into small cubes. Toss in a bowl with olive oil and thinly sliced garlic. Spread out on a sheet pan, sprinkle with salt and bake until the squash starts to caramelize (about 30-40 minutes), then remove from oven and set aside.

In a skillet, sautee the mushrooms in olive oil, with the garlic and onions. As they cook, add a dash of white wine and some salt, pepper, oregano and paprika. When most of the liquid has cooked down, move to a bowl and set aside

In the same skillet, heat some water and cook the sliced carrots and celery until soft. Drain and set aside.

In a saucepan, heat 2-3 cups of vegetable broth, with 1/2 - 1 cup of white wine. Let it simmer and add all-purpose flour a tablespoon at a time, whisking constantly until a thick gravy forms. Season with more salt and pepper if necessary. Add all the vegetables, including the uncooked string beans, to the gravy.

Pre-heat oven to 375F.

Roll out the crust on a floured surface and line a 9 inch springform pan with the dough. If it breaks, patch up the cracks by pressing in excess pieces of dough. You want the crust to be well sealed.

Using a ladle, spoon the vegetable-gravy mixture into the crust. Roll out another piece of dough and cut out a 9 inch circle, using your pan. Lay it on top of the veggies and roll the sides down, pressing gently, to seal everything in.

Place the springform pan on a sheetpan, to catch any leaks.

Bake until crust starts to brown (about 45 minutes).

Do not remove the sides of the pan after baking. Cut slices and serve. It will be runny and messy and delicious!

Vegan Berry Tart in Winter!

A client asked me for a vegan mixed berry and cherry tart last week. I thought I would have to use a lot of frozen fruit, but Whole Foods had fresh cherries (not organic, and NOT local, and very expensive) and very good blueberries (organic! also not local! but on sale!). I supplemented with frozen cranberries, and also bought some dried cranberries and raisins. I cooked most of the fruit with some sugar, so it turned into a very jammy and comforting, wintry dessert! Who knew?!

I had also been looking for a decent vegan tart crust forever, and finally found a recipe for this nut crust. It's crumbly and much like a big, fragrant nut cookie! It might even replace my regular short crust as a favorite!!

My tart pan was 13 inches in diameter, ie bigger than most. I have cut the recipe for the crust to what is needed for a 1o" tart, but you may have some filling left over (no problem! It's great on waffles or pancakes)!!

Vegan Oat-Nut Crust (variation on a recipe from the Whole Food Bible)

1 cup ground almonds

1 cup walnut pieces

2 cups rolled oats

1 cup all purpose flour

salt

6 Tblsp. canola oil

6 Tblsp. maple syrup

vanilla extract

Toast the walnuts in the oven (400F) or the toaster oven, until brown and fragrant.

Grind in the food processor with the rolled oats to form a coarse meal. Add salt, ground almonds and flour.

Pre-heat oven to 375F.

In a small bowl, mix the oil, maple syrup and vanilla.

Add the liquid ingredients to the dry and process until everything holds together.

Run hands under cold water and then press the dough into the tart pan with damp hands (you will have to re-wet your hands several times).

Bake until golden brown (about 20 minutes).

Tart Filling

1 lb blueberries (frozen or fresh)

1lb cherries

1lb cranberries (frozen or fresh)

1 cup raisins

1 cup dried cranberries

peel of 1 orange

1-2 cups of sugar (depending on your sweet tooth...I found 1 cup to be plenty).

In a pot, cook everything except the cherries over medium heat. After about 10 minutes, strain the fruit and set aside. Bring the juice back to a simmer and let it reduce until it forms a thick syrup. Stir occasionally to prevent burning. This will take a while, so be patient!

When syrup is done, mix it back into the fruit.

In the meantime, pit the cherries and cut in half.

Pour the berry mixture into the baked tart pan. Evenly distribute the cherries throughout, cut side up. Let everything set and serve at room temperature.

Will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days.

Optionally, toast some slivered almonds and make a border for the tart!

Favorite vegan lasagna!!

This lasagna has evolved over the years from an initial experiment when I was new to vegan cooking. It's so good that even when there is half a dish left after dinner, there still somehow aren't any leftovers by the next morning! Without vegetable layers it's very quick (except for the 40 mins or so in the oven). If you want to add cooked mushrooms, greens, zucchini, or anything else, it pays to pre-cook them, and it will take a little longer. (Although it's also a great vehicle for leftover veggies from another meal)!

Vegan Lasagna

1 box lasagna noodles

2 1/2 jars organic tomato sauce (I use Muir Glen Roasted Garlic)

2 8 oz. packages tempeh, crumbled

Olive oil

1 package Follow Your Heart vegan mozzarella

1/2 bag shredded Daiya cheese

1 cup raw cashews

salt

pepper

Optional: Sauteed mushrooms, greens, zucchini, or any other veggies you might love.

In a bowl, combine all the tomato sauce and crumbled tempeh. Set aside.

In a food processor, mix the cashews with 1-2 cups of water, salt and pepper, to make a creamy sauce (not too runny).

Cook the lasagna noodles in saltwater according to instructions on the box (7-10 mins). When drained and rinsed with cold water, rub lightly with olive oil to prevent sticking while you work.

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

Slice the Follow Your Heart cheese very thinly.

In a lasagna or casserole dish, start with a layer of tomato sauce, then a layer of pasta. Spread another layer of sauce, then Follow Your Heart mozzarella, then a thin layer of cashew cream sauce. Continue to layer noodles, sauce, veg cheese and cashew cream. (If adding veggies, include layers of these). End with a layer of tomato sauce.

Sprinkle a generous amount of Daiya cheese on top. Bake, uncovered for about 40 minutes.

Pink!

Pink is the color for cupcakes! These were for a princess themed 3-year old's birthday party. I had a lot of fun decorating! A little time consuming, but well worth the effort, I think!

Yellow Cake

Vanilla Buttercream

Raspberry Buttercream

Kings Rejected!

Have you ever seen that Far Side comic where the Fourth wiseman gets rejected from the manger because he brought fruitcake? Well here's what else he would have been turned away for: chocolate puff pastry!

It's an abomination that only the American market could support. For however many centuries the French have been making puff pastry, they knew instinctively that the only way to make it chocolaty was to fill it with big chunks of chocolate. To flavor the actual pastry with cocoa powder creates something that is sort of neither here nor there...not chocolaty (is that even a word?) enough to be good, but enough to get in the way of the other flavors.

It serves me right for being too lazy to make my own puff pastry from scratch. But this company, DuFour, makes a frozen one that is easily as good as anything I could do, so I went to the store, grabbed a box, and put it in the fridge to defrost at home. I made my frangipane filling for a traditional Galette des Rois (Kings' cake), pulled out my puff pastry, and noticed the little brown label in the corner: chocolate.

In a further (and more incriminating) onrush of laziness, I neglected to go back to the store and exchange it, and instead talked myself into trying a new thing.

I will post the recipe anyway, because I think with regular pastry this would have been perfectly delicious. Make changes at your own risk!!

Frangipane

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup ground almonds

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

3 tblsp. flour

2 tblsp. amaretto

pinch of salt

1 packet puff pastry

1 egg for egg wash

Mix all the ingredients for the frangipane and set aside.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees.

Lay out the puff pastry and cut in half. Whisk the egg for the egg wash with a fork and add a tiny bit of water. Brush the rim of one pastry sheet with the egg wash. Using a spoon or a big piping bag, place a layer of frangipane within the egg wash rim (not too thick or it will spill out during baking...maybe a quarter inch or a little more).

Place the second layer of puff pastry on top and press down the edges so they stick together. Brush the top of the tart with egg wash, making sure not to get any on the sides (otherwise it won't puff up). Using the back of a knife, gently score the egg wash to make any pattern you desire.

Bake at 450 for 10 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350 and bake another 20-25 minutes, until it turns golden brown.

Serve the same day for best results!

Last minute dessert!

We had wanted to make caramelized apples with vanilla ice cream for christmas dessert. There was no room in the freezer for the ice cream though, so we left it outside in the snow, where it melted into a soupy mess! And the stuffing with dinner contained apples, so we switched gears at the last second, while everyone was digesting their three or so helpings of food.

My mom had frozen berries so she cooked them up with some sugar. My friend Maike and I whipped up some cream, mixed in a cup of sour cream, and enough powdered sugar to sweeten. A raid of the liquor cabinet produced a bottle of Cointreau. We started out with 2 tablespoons, then 4, then 6, then a few more generous swigs of the bottle! Just short of the cream getting runny, we layered it with the berries in glasses.....voila....one of the most delicious desserts ever! No need for long prep! Hooray!!