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, May 17, 2016

Vegan Clafouti à la Liqueur

[Cherry Flan with Liqueur]

...there's really nothing new about this recipe...it's just the VEGAN CLAFOUTI with some extra kirsch or cognac...my bottle of kirsch has some age on it...having been bought in 2010 for this impressive recipe...and then rarely used since...a strong cherry flavored liqueur is just not something we have very often...but I don't really think kirsch goes bad...and we keep it in the freezer...it remains liquid all the time...amazing science...
...basically you follow the master recipe above...but first you let the cherries stand for an hour or so in the kirsch and sugar...and then use part of that liquid for part of the milk in the batter...
...start with the 1/4 inch layer of batter...then add the marinated cherries...
...then top with the rest of the batter and bake...
...the texture is like a soft pancake...not like the pudding that I usually associate with the word 'flan'...
...really, really delicious...I think I like this version with the kirsch even better...

Substitutions:

Earth Balance for Butter
Soy Milk for milk
Flax Seed Goo for Eggs

Recipe here: Mastering the Art of French Cooking p. 656

Tuesday, May 3, 2016

Vegan Tarte aux Pommes

[Apple Tart - warm or cold]

...we were having company for dinner...and I thought that a traditional French Apple Pie would be just the thing for dessert...

...I actually had this same tart when I was in Paris many years ago...it consists (Julia says) "of a well flavored applesauce spread over a partially cooked pastry shell...over which you place thinly sliced apples in a design of overlapping circles..."
...you start with the Vegan Pâte Brisée Sucrée [Vegan Sweet Short Paste]...
...which I rolled out on my handy-dandy Pie Crust Helper...
...Julia of course uses a special two part French Tarte Pan...but I don't have one...so I used my springform pan...because this tarte is served unmolded...freestanding...crust exposed...and since my pan is not fluted...I tried to make a pretty top to the crust...
...poked and prebaked...
...then you peel and thinly slice some apples...Julia specifies quartering them...but I used my little corer slicer thingy...and then just sliced those slices again...put those slices in a bowl with some lemon juice and a little bit of sugar...
...then use the rest of the apples to make an applesauce...Julia gives several options for mixing in...I only used vanilla, sugar, Earth Balance...
...and cinnamon...of course...I can hardly imagine an apple pie without cinnamon...
...then...spread the applesauce in the partially baked crust...
...and arrange your apple slices in pretty neatly overlapping circles over the top...
...there's a picture in the book...so I tried to make mine look like that...
...then you just bake it until the apples have browned lightly and are tender...mine took about 40 minutes...at 375° F....
...then you brush on some Vegan Gelée d'Abricot
...then unmold the tarte and slide it onto the serving dish...
...thankfully the crust held its shape...
...we served it still warm...but not hot...
...it was a pretty and delicious company dessert...
...but also...not a difficult dish to make for any day...really except for the applesauce and the glaze no more difficult than 'American Pie'...

Substitutions:

only Earth Balance for the Butter

Recipe here: Mastering the Art of French Cooking pp. 635 - 637...