Vegan Tarte aux Poires

[Vegan Pear Tart]

...this is just a variatioon of the VEGAN TARTE NORMANDE AUX POMMES...the only difference being that you use pears instead of apples...

...and since it's a tart you'll also need to make a Vegan Pâte Brisée Sucrée...

...vegan butter flour and sugar...

...crumbly mixture...

...I roll mine out between the layers of a large plastic bag...

...while the crust par-bakes...peel and slice your pears...

...toss them with some cinnamon and sugar...

...make your custard...I used silken tofu for the egg this time...

...sugar, flour, vegan cream, and vegan egg substitute...

...some brandy...

...then arrange your pears in your partially baked crust...

...pour the custard over...

...then you bake it for about 10 minutes...

...and take it out and dust it liberally with powdered sugar...

...and Julia says to bake it until the cream begins to puff...

...it's done when the top is browned and a knife comes out clean...

...Julia says it can be served cold...but it is better warm...it's very creamy and delicious...like pie and ice cream...there was very little difference between this pie with apples and with pears...it's too sweet though...so definitely cut back on the sugar...

Substitutions

Vegan Butter
Tofu for the egg
Almond milk for the milk

Mastering the Art of French Cooking (p. 638)

Vegan Sole Walewska

[Vegan Fish Filets with Vegan Shellfish and Truffles] ...Julia says this is the same as the VEGAN SOLE À LA DIEPOISE...but it's garnished with vegan shellfish and vegan lobster...and instead of plain butter you use the Vegan Beurre de Crustacés...

...first you need to poach you vegan fish...I just used extra firm tofu and added some Nori sheets...

...and I cooked my Lobster Mushrooms with some Nori sheet as well...

...and I saved that liquid...along with the poaching liquid from the tofu...

...I strained the Nori sheets out...

...and added that 'broth' back to the pot...

...added 1/4 cup of homemade almond milk...

...and Vegan Egg for the egg yolk...

...just a heaping tablespoon...

...a few drops of lemon juice...I just used the bottled kind...

...and then you finsh the sauce with the Vegan Beurre de Crustacés...

...slice some truffles...

...and then assemble the dish...

...I topped each 'filet' with a vegan scallop...and then a single truffle slice...

...and lined the sides with the vegan lobster...

...it makes a pretty dish...

...it was good...very rich and fish-y...I'm still not a fan of the truffles at all...and a single slice is plenty for me...

Substitutions

Vegan Beurre de Crustacés
Sophie's Vegan Scallops for the shellfish
Nori sheet for cooking the vegan lobster mushrooms
Tofu for the sole
Almond milk for the milk

Mastering the Art of French Cooking (pp. 215-216)

Vegan Beurre de Crustacés

[Vegan Shellfish Butter]

...Julia says you can use this flavored butter for sandwiches, spreads, canapés, hard boiled eggs, and decorating cold dishes...

...I made it because it's specified in the next recipe...Sole Walewska...

...I'm using these vegan scallops for my shellfish...

...and since it comes breaded...I'm soaking off the breading...it's not heavily breaded...

...and to give them even more of the 'flavor-o-the-sea'...I'm cooking them with some nori...

...Julia says to melt the butter...but I just added my Earth Balance to the blender cup softened...tossed in my vegan scallops...

...and blended it all up...these blend up pretty smoothly...but Julia gives instructions for blending twice...but I did not...

...and finally you pass the blended butter through a fine mesh strainer just to make sure there are not bits...

Substitutions

Sophie's Vegan Scallops for the shellfish
Nori sheet for cooking the vegan scallops
Earth Balance for the butter

Mastering the Art of French Cooking (pp. 104-105)

Vegan Sauce Vin Blanc

[Vegan Hollandaise with Vegan White Wine Fish Fumet]

Julia says 'When a hollandaise type of sauce is to accompany vegan filets of fish poached in white wine...the vegan fish-poaching liquid is boiled down to a concentrated essence, or fumet and is used in place of lemon juice as a flavoring for the sauce.'

...so...the first thing you need to do is make the vegan fish fumet...

...I just broke up a piece of Nori and added it to some white wine...I used Sauvignon Blanc...and as it becomes very concentrated...I'd recommend a nice mild white...

...and then you just boil that down...

...you start with a cup and then reduce until it's just a couple of tablespoons...it replaces the lemon juice in the hollandaise...and it's pretty concentrated in both acidity and 'fish'-y-ness

...I'm using Julia's electric blender method for making the sauce...so I'm just adding everything to the blender...

...first the vegan egg yolks...I'm using Vegan Egg for that...haha...

...three tablespoons for three vegan egg yolks...

...and then for the liquid part of the vegan yolk...I'm using almond milk...

...then add the vegan fish fumet...I poured it through a small strainer just to make sure I didn't get any little green flecks in...add a pinch of salt and blend this vegan egg mixture until nice and smooth...

...I used the Country Crock plant based butter - the almond variety...and just melted it in a jug in the microwave...

...and then with the blender running...you just drizzle the melted vegan butter into the mixture...

...until everything is nicely emulsified...

...for the poached vegan fish filets...I baked some extra firm tofu in white wine and more of the nori sheets...

...and then just poured the sauce over...

...it is a very flavorful sauce...very rich and buttery...

...there's another version with cream...so I'll be making this again at some point...and I will probably not use the Vegan Egg for the yolks...but something milder...maybe aqua faba...again...

Substitutions

Nori sheet boiled in white wine for the fish fumet
VeganEgg and Almond Milk for the egg yolks
Country Crock Plant Based Almond for the butter

Mastering the Art of French Cooking (p. 84)