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 551/524 (from Julie's count)...but really 629

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Vegan Gnocchi Gratines au Fromage

[Gnocchi Baked with Cheese]
...just arrange your gnocchi in a buttered (with Earth Balance) baking dish...
...sprinkle with Vegan Cheese...and dot with vegan butter...
...Julia says to reheat and brown them slowly under a moderate broiler...

...these were really good...buttery...and cheesy...crispy and soft...simple and basic flavors...

Substitutions:

Vegan Cheese for the cheese...we used Daiya Mozzarella Vegan butter for the butter - we used Earth Balance

Recipe here: Mastering the Art of French Cooking
p. 182

VEGAN GNOCCHI DE POMMES DE TERRE

[Potato Gnocchi]

...first...you'll need to make some VEGAN PÂTE À CHOUX...and have that ready and warm...
...boil some potatoes in salted water and run them through a ricer...I used the smallest blade in my ricer...I didn't get a good photo of my ricer...but it's like the one here...I like it a lot...it has little grooves at the end to fit over the edge of the bowl or pot for stability...
...then you dry the potatoes by stirring them over heat until a film forms on the bottom of the pot...
...stir in the warm pâte à choux
...then you can start forming your gnocchi...Julia makes hers huge...2 1/2 inches long by one inch in diameter...and they double in size as they cook...so hers are going to be huge...I didn't make mine that big...
...slip the formed gnocchi into simmering water...
...watch the temperature carefully and keep the water below the boil...or your gnocchi may disentegrate...
...just keep making and cooking your gnocchi...the recipe makes a lot...
...drain them on a towel...(scrupulously clean of course)...
...I used some of mine to make the Gnocchi Gratinées au Fromage...and packaged and froze the rest for later...

Substitutions:

None really for this recipe...but you'll need the cream, egg and butter substitutes for the pâte à choux

Recipe here: Mastering the Art of French Cooking
pp. 181-182

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

VEGAN SOUPE DE POISSON

[Vegan Strained Fish Soup]

...Julia says the Soupe de Poisson has the same flavor as bouillabaisse, but it is strained and has past or potatoes cooked in to give it a slight liason...she says to use tiny Mediterranean fish or clam juice...so of course I used Sushi Nori to give it the fishy flavor...
...you start with onions cooked in olive oil until tender but not browned...as usual...
...stir in some water...
...some garlic and spices along with some orange peel...I used my tea ball...but I could have just thrown them in because this soup is strained anyway...
...then you stir in tomatoes...or tomato paste which is what I used...
...then for a little bit of thickening (liaison) you can either add some pasta or a potato...since I was going to make the Rouille as well...I used the potato...
...then you add your fish substitute...I used a full sheet of Sushi Nori...
...she says to add 2 big pinches of saffron...I used the whole little bottle...it probably wasn't two big pinches worth...but it was all I had...more than one pinch...but less than two...
...cook uncovered 30-40 minutes...
...take out the potato...we'll use that for the Rouille...
...and strain the soup...
...it's just a lovely clear soup...
...ladle it into bowls...
...add a dollop of peppery Rouille...
...stir it in and enjoy...

...this was really good...actually much better than I expected...I didn't think that I would like this fishy soup...but it really has a lot of flavor...

Substitutions:

Sushi Nori for the fish

Recipe here: Mastering the Art of French Cooking
pp. 50-51

Vegan Rouille

[Garlic, Pimiento, and Chili Pepper Sauce]

This 'strong' sauce is passed separately with the Vegan Soupe de Poisson...
...boil some red bell pepper for several minutes in salted water...
...drain and add the potato that we cooked in the soup...

...Julia says to pound in a mortar until very smooth...but I used our new stick blender that we got for Christmas...
...drizzle in the olive oil...drop by drop like you're making mayonnaise...
...it really did have the consistency of a thick glossy mayonnaise...

Substitutions:

none...another vegan recipe...YAY!

Recipe here: Mastering the Art of French Cooking
p. 52