I'm always veganizing recipes that I love...so...I'm working my way
through all of the amazing recipes in Julia Child's
Mastering the Art of French Cooking...
...making a Vegan Version of each one...... sometimes successfully - sometimes not...Recipe Count 518/524 (from Julie's count)...but really 629

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Vegan Caneton à l'Orange

[Roast Duck with Orange Sauce]

...So, this was our Christmas Dinner...

...the main course was the Duck with Orange Sauce - and it was almost too perfect...

...I started early in the afternoon simmering some soymilk to make the Yuba...

...I've never made Yuba before but my Book of Tofu has excellent instructions on how to make it...

...this is my first poorly formed sheet of yuba - and I didn't have any place to hang my sheets to dry so I had lined the counter top with parchment and laid the yuba sheets there to dry a bit - I got better at is as I went along...

...the skin would form every 5-6 minutes or so...

...and I would lift it off and set it to dry a bit - see I got better at it...

...then I got worried that they were still too wet - so I got out the dehydrator...and dried the sheets for a few minutes there - it made handling them much easier...
...and by the end I was getting full - intact - yuba sheets from my round pot...

...then I sort of followed the recipe on Bryanna's blog for Roast Duck...but I didn't want an Asian flavor - so I used just a little bit of sesame oil mixed with some canola - to brush over the sheets...

...first I brushed some oil on the parchment and then on top of each sheet of yuba...

...I just kept layering and brushing...

...I used up all my sheets - even the not so pretty ones...

...and I baked my 'duck' instead of frying it...

...it puffed up so nicely...

...then I got busy on the sauce...I peeled some oranges...

...that always smells so good...

...then julienned the strips...

...boiled them in water...

..then drained them...

...then made the sauce base...with wine vinegar and sugar...

...vegetable stock...

...and arrowroot powder mixed with red wine...

...simmer until clear, limpid and lightly thickened...

...add the orange peels...

...then you were supposed to cut the oranges into neat skinless segments - I've done this successfully before - but not today - my segments pretty much fell apart...

..arrange the orange 'segments' over the 'duck'...

...add some orange liqueur to the sauce...

...then stir in some butter (Earth Balance)...

...pour the sauce over the 'duck'...

...and serve...

...it was so very good - Scout loved it - I really have no idea what duck tastes like - but this was very rich - sweet and orangey - and layers of chewy nutty goodness surrounded by a crispy 'skin'...

...really a perfect Christmas Dinner...

Substitutions:
Earth Balance for Butter
Vegetable stock for stock
Yuba Roast Duck for the duck


Recipe here: Mastering the Art of French Cooking

pp. 276-278

Monday, December 27, 2010

VEGAN POTAGE VELOUTÉ AUX CHAMPIGNONS

[Cream of Mushroom Soup]


...this was the first course of our Christmas Dinner...and it was so very good - I love mushroom soup and thought that I made a pretty good 'from scratch' version already...but this mushroom soup definitely outshines any that I've had...

...begin by mincing some onion...

...as with so many of Julia's recipes you begin by cooking some onions slowly in butter (Earth Balance) until tender but not browned...

...add some flour...

...off heat add some stock - I used vegetable stock...

...separate the mushroom stems from the caps...

...and chop the stems...

...add the stems to the stock...

...and you can't see it here but my tea ball is in there with the parsley and thyme and bay leaf...

...let that cook for about 20 minutes occasionally skimming off the foam...

...thinly slice the mushroom caps...I used my handy-dandy Veg-O-Matic...

...add those to a pan of foaming butter (Earth Balance)...

...then add a little bit of lemon juice...

...and some salt...

...cover and cook slowly for 5 minutes...


...remove the tea ball (or sprigs of parsley if you did it that way) from the soup base...

...and strain the soup base - pressing the juice out of the mushroom stems...

...add the prepared mushroom caps to the soup base...

...and reheat to the simmer...

...add two flax seed goo eggs (about 4 tablespoons) to 1/2 cup of cream (soymilk enriched with 2 tablespoons of powdered soymilk)...

...whisk in some of the hot soup base...

...then add the 'egg' mixture to the pot of soup...

...just before serving - stir in some butter (Earth Balance)...

...isn't that pretty...

...thick and creamy...

...and oh so good - a perfect start to our Christmas Dinner...

Substitutions:
Earth Balance for Butter
Soymilk mixed with soymilk powder for the cream
Flax seed goo for the eggs
Vegetable stock for the stock

Recipe here: Mastering the Art of French Cooking

p. 40-41