Miscellaneous...

I'm so happy it is August.  My CSA box this week should be over-flowing (I hope).  I am hoping to finally bust out the dehydrator that Mary Therese and family gifted me...I have big plans!

My New Moon resolution for this month is to de-clutter.  This is something I strive to do every month, but it seems that for as much clutter that I get rid of, I seem to attract new clutter.  So this month I thought I'd start in the boys' playroom.  I think I finally worked that room into a manageable space.  I don't think it will ever look clean on a daily basis (since they play in there every day), but at least it will be easier to pick up and organize.  My next mission is the upstairs bedroom, and that is going to be a hard one.  It's easy for clutter to accumulate up there since we can just close the door.  So we'll see how that goes...

I also have another unofficial New Moon resolution for this month, and that is to simply reduce the number of tofu-based meals I make per week.  I am NOT, in any way, worried about soy consumption, but it occurred to me a couple weeks ago that I am using tofu and tempeh about 4 times per week, and while I still don't think that that is  a bad thing, I would like my seasonal veggies to be the center of our dinners, especially in this season of abundance.  It's just so easy to make, say a yummy BBQ tofu, then have veggies and rice on the side.  So instead of on the side, I want the veggies to be the centerpiece.    That doesn't mean I am giving up tempeh bacon or stir-fried tofu (no way!!), I am just reducing the frequency of its appearance on our dinner plates.

This month's Daring Bakers challenge is very exciting!!  I am still waiting for my opportunity to make it, hopefully late next week.  I'll be posting my results at the end of the month.

Luka and Cas have been my kitchen helpers lately, and I have a couple cute pictures to post, which I will do when I have a moment.  Cas likes to stir things, and Luka is getting really good at using a measuring cup.  He tries to find opportunities to add chocolate to everything we make (smart boy!), and he practically knows Dreena Burton's chocolate chip cookie recipe by heart.  It's a lot of fun having these two little guys cooking with me!  While I dream of them becoming big-time vegan chefs when they grow up, I'll settle for them knowing how to feed themselves.

It's Farmers Market Day, so the kids and I are going to head out soon and see what tasty treats we can find.  I just love this time of year!

It's Daring Bakers Reveal Day!!

Good morning!  Today is the day the Daring Bakers reveal the results of this month's challenge.  Our assignment this month, Filbert Gateau with Praline Buttercream, was brought to us by Chris of Mele Cotte.  I have to admit that I wavered back and forth about even attempting this challenge.  As a vegan baker with a husband allergic to tree nuts, this sort of felt like Mission Impossible.  But...I joined Daring Bakers to learn new techniques, step out of my comfort zone, and most of all to have fun, so I decided to give it a go.

Before I launch into my story of doom and disaster (with a happy ending, however), click here to see the original (LONG) recipe.

OK, here we go...I kept putting off this challenge because there were just so many steps and, I was intimidated by the number of eggs.  On Monday night Nate was out with his friend Bill and by some rare stroke of luck, Luka and Cas both fell asleep at a reasonable time (!).  I took this as divine intervention and decided this would be the night I take on the challenge.

I absolutely LOVE my baking time in the kitchen!  It is almost therapeutic.  So even though this night of baking would end with a huge mess, it was well worth it!

To substitute the seemingly endless eggs (ok I'm exaggerating, but that is what it felt like), I decided to use a blend of bananas, silken tofu, and a little Ener-G egg replacer thrown in for good measure.  (The recipe also called for butter and heavy cream, which were easily substituted by Earth balance and hemp milk).  Since Nate is allergic to tree nuts, I was not going to use the hazelnuts.  I used peanuts instead.  All was going well, the batter tasted awesome and the aroma from the oven was wonderful.

While the genoise was baking, I decided to get started on the nut paste.  How could you go wrong with melted sugar?  Well, you could almost burn it.  For some reason unknown to me, I decided to stir in the nuts anyways.  I really should have started over, but I was on a roll, lol.  So I should not have been surprised when I spread the candied peanuts on the wax paper and they were black.  (The candied peanuts were supposed to form into a brittle, then go into the VitaMix to be processed into a paste which would then be added to the buttercream, which at that point I had not yet made.)  I decided not to get too upset about it and try something else instead...a peanut butter buttercream.  I used the recipe from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World by Isa Chandra Moskowitz.  At this point I realized I had very little hemp milk left, so I used what was there and replaced the rest with coconut milk.  The buttercream was decadent!!

The timer sounded and it was time to take the genoise out of the oven.  It did not rise.  It was flat.  Thankfully I was in a pretty good mood that night and had to laugh.  I was still going to make this work!  I let it cool and then took it out of the round pan, only to have half of it fall apart.  I then shaped it into a rectangle, piecing together the remnants.  (Yes, I was determined...while most people would probably have started over at this point, I was a woman on a mission.)

So there I am with my flat rectangle, and I have to somehow fashion it into three layers.  Thanks to some patience and a very sharp knife, I was able to do that.  I started doing the layering with the sugar syrup and my peanut butter buttercream.  My buttercream started out nice and thick but my kitchen was very hot, and soon it was running all over the place.  By the time I applied the ganache, I had a crazy mess on my hands.  Honestly, it looked like I had just baked a giant burrito with mole!!

I chilled it in the fridge and then Nate and I gave it a try.  It was SO good!!!!!!  SO ugly, lol, but so insanely delicious!  It was even better when we finished it (!) last night after it spent 24 hours in the refrigerator.  So I did end up with a wonderful dessert!

I think that one of my problems was my punk rock approach to the egg replacement.  I think bananas + silken tofu kind of weighed down the "sponginess" of the cake.  I also realize that burning the peanuts was my own fault, but I was happy with the peanut butter buttercream as a replacement.

So no, I don't have a picture to post.  It was that ugly.  But it was yummy, so thank you Chris for the challenge!  I look forward to seeing what the Daring Bakers have in store for me next month...

Slacking...

I just realized it's been almost a month since I've blogged about anything!

Stay tuned...this month's Daring Bakers challenge is scary, I will no doubt have some kind of story about that one...

Daring Bakers July Challenge: Danish Braid

I am proud to say that I actually completed this challenge AND it was a success! My final product was a little crazy looking, but oh so delicious...

This month's challenge was brought to us by Kelly of Sass & Veracity and Ben of What's Cookin'. The recipe itself is from Sherry Yard's The Secrets of Baking.

When I first read over this recipe, I was intimidated. This seemed like an easier recipe to veganize than the challenges of the past two months (cheesecake pops and opera cake), but it involved several steps and apparently patience, and those are the kinds of recipes I tend to skip over. But, I am so glad I gave it a go.

Here is the recipe as written, pre-veganization:

DANISH DOUGH

Makes 2-1/2 pounds dough

Ingredients
For the dough (Detrempe)
1 ounce fresh yeast or 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1/2 cup whole milk
1/3 cup sugar
Zest of 1 orange, finely grated
3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped
2 large eggs, chilled
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
3-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt

For the butter block (Beurrage)
1/2 pound (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour

DOUGH
Combine yeast and milk in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low speed. Slowly add sugar, orange zest, cardamom, vanilla extract, vanilla seeds, eggs, and orange juice. Mix well. Change to the dough hook and add the salt with the flour, 1 cup at a time, increasing speed to medium as the flour is incorporated. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes, or until smooth. You may need to add a little more flour if it is sticky. Transfer dough to a lightly floured baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Without a standing mixer: Combine yeast and milk in a bowl with a hand mixer on low speed or a whisk. Add sugar, orange zest, cardamom, vanilla extract, vanilla seeds, eggs, and orange juice and mix well. Sift flour and salt on your working surface and make a fountain. Make sure that the “walls” of your fountain are thick and even. Pour the liquid in the middle of the fountain. With your fingertips, mix the liquid and the flour starting from the middle of the fountain, slowly working towards the edges. When the ingredients have been incorporated start kneading the dough with the heel of your hands until it becomes smooth and easy to work with, around 5 to 7 minutes. You might need to add more flour if the dough is sticky.

BUTTER BLOCK
1. Combine butter and flour in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle and then beat for 1 minute more, or until smooth and lump free. Set aside at room temperature.
2. After the detrempe has chilled 30 minutes, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a rectangle approximately 18 x 13 inches and ¼ inch thick. The dough may be sticky, so keep dusting it lightly with flour. Spread the butter evenly over the center and right thirds of the dough. Fold the left edge of the detrempe to the right, covering half of the butter. Fold the right third of the rectangle over the center third. The first turn has now been completed. Mark the dough by poking it with your finger to keep track of your turns, or use a sticky and keep a tally. Place the dough on a baking sheet, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Place the dough lengthwise on a floured work surface. The open ends should be to your right and left. Roll the dough into another approximately 13 x 18 inch, ¼-inch-thick rectangle. Again, fold the left third of the rectangle over the center third and the right third over the center third. No additional butter will be added as it is already in the dough. The second turn has now been completed. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.
4. Roll out, turn, and refrigerate the dough two more times, for a total of four single turns. Make sure you are keeping track of your turns. Refrigerate the dough after the final turn for at least 5 hours or overnight. The Danish dough is now ready to be used. If you will not be using the dough within 24 hours, freeze it. To do this, roll the dough out to about 1 inch in thickness, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and freeze. Defrost the dough slowly in the refrigerator for easiest handling. Danish dough will keep in the freezer for up to 1 month.

APPLE FILLING
Makes enough for two braids

Ingredients
4 Fuji or other apples, peeled, cored, and cut into ¼-inch pieces
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Toss all ingredients except butter in a large bowl. Melt the butter in a sauté pan over medium heat until slightly nutty in color, about 6 - 8 minutes. Then add the apple mixture and sauté until apples are softened and caramelized, 10 to 15 minutes. If you’ve chosen Fujis, the apples will be caramelized, but have still retained their shape. Pour the cooked apples onto a baking sheet to cool completely before forming the braid. (If making ahead, cool to room temperature, seal, and refrigerate.) They will cool faster when spread in a thin layer over the surface of the sheet. After they have cooled, the filling can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Left over filling can be used as an ice cream topping, for muffins, cheesecake, or other pastries.

DANISH BRAID
Makes enough for 2 large braids

Ingredients
1 recipe Danish Dough (see below)
2 cups apple filling, jam, or preserves (see below)

For the egg wash: 1 large egg, plus 1 large egg yolk

1. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll the Danish Dough into a 15 x 20-inch rectangle, ¼ inch thick. If the dough seems elastic and shrinks back when rolled, let it rest for a few minutes, then roll again. Place the dough on the baking sheet.
2. Along one long side of the pastry make parallel, 5-inch-long cuts with a knife or rolling pastry wheel, each about 1 inch apart. Repeat on the opposite side, making sure to line up the cuts with those you’ve already made.
3. Spoon the filling you’ve chosen to fill your braid down the center of the rectangle. Starting with the top and bottom “flaps”, fold the top flap down over the filling to cover. Next, fold the bottom “flap” up to cover filling. This helps keep the braid neat and helps to hold in the filling. Now begin folding the cut side strips of dough over the filling, alternating first left, then right, left, right, until finished. Trim any excess dough and tuck in the ends.

Egg Wash
Whisk together the whole egg and yolk in a bowl and with a pastry brush, lightly coat the braid.

Proofing and Baking
1. Spray cooking oil (Pam…) onto a piece of plastic wrap, and place over the braid. Proof at room temperature or, if possible, in a controlled 90 degree F environment for about 2 hours, or until doubled in volume and light to the touch.
2. Near the end of proofing, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Position a rack in the center of the oven.
3. Bake for 10 minutes, then rotate the pan so that the side of the braid previously in the back of the oven is now in the front. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F, and bake about 15-20 minutes more, or until golden brown. Cool and serve the braid either still warm from the oven or at room temperature. The cooled braid can be wrapped airtight and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, or freeze for 1 month.

And now, my substitutions...some of them are very easy, i.e. hemp milk for the whole milk, Ener-G Egg Replacer for the eggs in the dough, and apricot syrup for the egg wash. But then there was the issue of the butter block. My first thought was Earth Balance, but I was reading on the Daring Bakers forums that that may not work, unless I could find it in stick form, which I could not. So I decided on coconut oil, which has become one of my favorite things in the world since becoming vegan.

Our Alternative Daring Bakers virtual bake-along was held on the solstice, and unfortunately I was only able to pop online for a few minutes, but I am so glad I did! I told Natalie of Gluten A Go-Go my plan to use coconut oil, and she suggested that I mix it with some vegetable shortening to improve the consistency. So that is what I did, and my layers turned out beautiful!

After all the turns and proofing, this beauty was now ready to go in the oven. The baking aroma was heavenly! The lovely scent of cardamom, apples and coconut filled my kitchen, and seriously I could have just stood there all day breathing it in if I did not have two monkeys climbing me like a tree. Luka even commented how yummy it smelled, but then was disappointed that it wasn't chocolate, lol (a child after my own heart!).

Once I took the braid out of the oven, I took many many pictures of it as if it were my firstborn. The apricot glaze had made the top darker than I would have liked, but it still looked pretty. Nate and I had some for dessert, and it tasted wonderful! I did spend a few moments admiring my lovely layers between bites.

I will definitely make this again. I never thought that I would make something like this, but thanks to Kelly and Ben, I can now say that I have made Danish pastry! This would be a great addition to my family dinners at Easter time. We love our pastries in Easter baskets, and now I can make a pretty vegan variety!

Strawberry Moon and Baking for Barack...

Tonight's full moon is the strawberry moon. I mentioned a few posts ago that I am trying to get back into the habit of re-connecting with the moon cycles, and adding a special element to our dinner that corresponds with each particular moon.

There were a multitude of wonderful things I could do for the strawberry moon, but since our first CSA share comes this Friday and I am expecting strawberries, I didn't want to have to buy any more than I already have. Luckily, I had enough to make a no-bake strawberry pie with chocolate chunks, recipe courtesy of Colleen Patrick Goudreau's Joy of Vegan Baking. It is in the refrigerator right now setting. I took some pictures because it is a lovely "sunset pink" color, unfortunately my food photography leaves a lot to be desired and the photo made it look more like pepto-bismol.

This coming Saturday, Obama supporters across the country will be taking part in a "Hungry for Change" bake sale. This bake sale is organized by Move On to raise money for Barack Obama's campaign. My contribution will be banana chocolate chip muffins. Our local event here in Dearborn will be at Ford Field (Cherry Hill & Brady St. ) at noon. So stop by and buy some vegan muffins! :)

Hmm, what's missing from this post?

An opera cake, that's what's missing!  That was this month's Daring Bakers challenge.  I started the joconde (yes, I learned a new word!) late one night but never finished any of the other elements.  I'm hoping not to slack off for next month's challenge.  In the meantime, if you'd like to see a beautiful example of an opera cake, check out Bittersweet.

Paneer, part 2

I did it!  I finally made some good paneer!  I'm quite proud of myself too.  I have been working off of Angela Kasmala's vegan paneer recipe, but substituting whipped silken tofu for the cashew cheese because Nate is allergic to cashews.  Angela's recipe tastes great, but the tofu version is just not the same. It's good, but not great.  Last week I was enlightened with the fact that pine nuts are NOT, in fact, nuts, but rather, seeds from a pine tree.  Nate can eat pine nuts without any problems, so I decided to use them to make a blended cheese.  I used 1 cup of pine nuts, juice from 1/2 lemon, and some sea salt and blended it in my wonderful VitaMix, then added a package of  extra firm tofu and blended it all together.  Then I baked this creamy mixture for about 1/2 hour.  It was delicious!  So we will be having palak paneer for dinner tomorrow night, unless I eat all of the paneer before then...