VEGAN CHOU-FLEUR EN VERDURE

[Purée of Cauliflower and Water Cress with Cream]


...a pretty and colourful Cauliflower Casserole...

...perfect for a chilly fall supper...

...the Man went grocery shopping with Scout...and they came home with a nice organic cauliflower...this is just slightly unusual here...I've seen organic cauliflower in the grocery before...but it's really not that often...and as I wouldn't dream of using the frozen stuff for one of Julia's recipes...(unless it's called for - and she does condescend to give us some tips on using frozen or canned food occasionally)...it was a nice thing to have...

...separate the florets...

...then chop up the stalk...

...cook the cauliflower for a few minutes in boiling salted water...

...then add your watercress and cook a few minutes more...

...meanwhile...make a thick VEGAN SAUCE BÉCHAMEL...

...purée the cauliflower and watercress through a food mill...

...this is quite a bit of work...but Julia says on more than one occasion how much better the texture of food-milled versus food-processed or blended...

...make some fresh bread crumbs...I do use the food processor for that...

...fold in the Béchamel Sauce...

...then add some cream...being careful not to thin the purée too much...

...Julia says it should hold it's shape when a bit is lifted on a spoon...

...y'all know what a difficult time I have getting vegan food here...and the only cheese I had on hand was some tofutti slices...so I put those in the freezer for a few minutes...and then chopped them up...(the recipe calls for swiss cheese - so this will be milder)...

...fold in the grated cheese...

...fold the purée into a buttered (with Earth Balance) baking dish...

...top with bread crumbs...

...more cheese...

...and melted butter...

...bake to heat through and brown the cheese and breadcrumbs...about 30 minutes...

...serve as soon as possible...

...this was a nice mild yummy cauliflower casserole...


Substitutions:
Soymilk mixed with powdered soymilk to make a thick 'cream'
VEGAN SAUCE BÉCHAMEL...and it's substitutions
Vegan cheese for the swiss cheese - I used slightly frozen Tofutti slices chopped
Earth Balance for Butter

Recipe here: Mastering the Art of French Cooking

pp. 460-461

VEGAN CHARLOTTE AUX POMMES

[Apple Charlotte, Unmolded - a hot or cold dessert]


...this was a pretty, easy, and delicious fall dessert...

...and a good way to use up some of those fall apples too...

...Julia recommends Golden Delicious apples for this recipe...I had one and then some other apples that were given to us...

...Peel...Quarter...Core...and Slice...

...put them in a pan with no water over very low heat and cook for about 20-30 minutes...

...meanwhile make your crust...cut some homemade bread to fit your mold...

...I don't have a Charlotte mold so I used a pyrex dish...

...cut a circle for the bottom and some strips for the sides...

...I did a test fit...sort of like the VEGAN CHARLOTTE MALAKOFF AUX FRAMBOISES...only with bread instead of Lady Fingers...

...dip the strips in melted Earth Balance...

...and sauté the round for the bottom...you may need more than one piece to cover the bottom of your mold...if so sauté them all...

...by now, your apples should be just about tender...

...so add some apricot jam - Julia says forced through a sieve...but mine didn't have any bits of apricot in it anyway...add some sugar and rum too...

...line your mold with the bread...

...and trim the tops of your sides...

...your filling should be thick and have all the moisture evaporated....

...fill your mold leaving it slightly domed in the center...

...top with more bread...I used the trimmed of tops of the side pieces...

...bake until golden brown...

...make a sauce with the apricot jam...sugar...and more rum...

...stir until smooth...

...invert the Charlotte onto a serving dish...

...top with the glaze...

...spread the glaze over the top and let the extra drip down the sides...

...Julia seems really worried that the filling won't hold it's shape...

...but ours held up just fine...

...and was easily slice-able...

...If you like buttery toast and applesauce...this is definitely the dessert for you...the Man thought it would be good for breakfast as that's when we usually have toast and applesauce...

...Julia says to serve this warm or cold...and I think warm is definitely best...and there's an optional creme sauce...like the one on the ASPIC DE POMMES where it was really needed...this dish is fine without it...

Substitutions: Earth Balance for Butter

Recipe here: Mastering the Art of French Cooking

pp. 623-624