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, April 29, 2014

Vegan Potage Crème d'Épinards

[Cream of Spinach Soup]

...this is basically the same recipe as the Vegan Potage au Cresson...you just use spinach instead of Water Cress...
...and you cut the leaves in chiffonade...
...and add them to the cream soup...which you don't purée...
...it makes a delicious and pretty first course...
...I think I've loved all of the cream soups I've made so far...I'll defnitely make this again...

Substitutions:
Earth Balance for the Butter
Vegan Chick'n stock...I used G. Washington's Golden
....or you could make your own stock
Vegan Cream for the cream - I used soy milk mixed with soy milk powder
...and flax seed goo...for the egg yolks...

Recipe here: Mastering the Art of French Cooking
p. 43

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

VEGAN BEURRE BLANC/BEURRE NANTAIS

[White Butter Sauce]

...Julia says that this sauce originated in Nantes...and that it's really just warm butter flavored with shallots, wine, vinegar, salt and pepper...

...but it's a tricky sauce...wanting to turn oily and separate...and she gives instructions for when it has 'turned'...
...start with some white wine vinegar...
...add some finely minced shallots...
...some dry white wine...
...some salt...
...and white pepper...
...boil down until they have reduced to about 1 1/2 tablespoons...
...then off heat...start adding your Earth Balance...two pieces at first...
...then just keep adding Earth Balance...
...the sauce will be thick and ivory coloured...
...about the consistency of hollandaise...
...we put the dish of beurre blanc in a bowl of warm water so that it wouldn't separate...Julia calls this 'Holding the Sauce'...
...and served it with some baked tofu...
...it was (of course) buttery and delicious...

Substitutions:
Earth Balance for the Butter

Recipe here: Mastering the Art of French Cooking
pp. 96-97

VEGAN CANNED PEAS

...well this one doesn't need a translation...

...Julia says..."Here is a way to improve the flavor of canned peas"...
...not much to it...

...open the can and drain and rinse the peas...add some vegan stock (I used G. Washington's Golden)...and some onion...
...salt and pepper and Earth Balance...
...that's it...improved canned peas...

Substitutions:
Earth Balance for the Butter

Recipe here: Mastering the Art of French Cooking
p. 467

Vegan Purée de Navets Parmentier

[Turnip and Potato Purée]

...so first you braise some turnips...VEGAN NAVETS À L'ÉTUVÉE (pp. 486-487)
...and then you just add them to some mashed potatoes...
...a simple and different side dish...

Substitutions:
Earth Balance for the Butter
(almond milk in mashed potatoes)

Recipe here: Mastering the Art of French Cooking
p. 487