Vegan Gallettes au Camembert

[Vegan Camembert Biscuits]

Julia says that "This dough may substitute for the usual pastry dough for tarts and turnovers." but I'm having them just as biscuits...they sound delicious...a nice cheeze-y biscuit...

...first...you'll need some vegan Camembert...I used the 'flavoring' from Joanne Stepaniak's recipe for Camembert Vegetables from The Uncheese Cookbook...but then used the 'cheeze' (it's agar based) for the Brie from the same book...the Camembert is more of a sauce...

...it turned out perfectly...

...it makes a pretty wheel of Camembert...

...and it's perfectly sliceable...we sampled some on crackers and it's delicious...you'll only need about 6 ounces for this recipe...

...you'll need some vegan cheese...although they're called Camembert Biscuits...Julia says you can use Brie or Liederkranz (I've never had that one) as well...some softened butter...the equivalent of 2 vegan eggs - I'm using Just Egg...just because I happen to have some this week...salt...pepper and a pinch of cayenne pepper - I didn't use a full 'pinch'...along with some sifted all-purpose flour...

...I used a pastry fork to blend everything together...

...Julia says to "knead everything together for a moment to make a smooth and fairly supple dough. Knead in a tablespoon or so more flour if dough seems too soft."

...and then roll it out 1/4 inch thick...

...and Julia says to cut into rounds...but I used my old Tupperware heart shaped cookie cutters...a wedding gift from Mom...

...they're so cute...

...I always let my biscuits bake for a few minutes...and start to form a crust...and then I brush them with some Earth Balance on top...to help them brown...Julia brushes hers with egg...

...and here they are all nicely browned...don't they look sweet?...

...we had them with a side of VEGAN CAROTTES GLACÉES...and the Man's Ras el Hanout lentils...which are quite spicy...so I had a vegan horchata to drink with that...

...and these featherweight biscuits were the perfect accompaniment...

...the texture is perfect...

...they're delicious and I'll definitely be making this recipe again...

Substitutions:

Vegan Camembert...I used the 'flavoring' from Joanne Stepaniak's recipe for Camembert Vegetables from The Uncheese Cookbook...but then used the 'cheeze' (it's agar based) for the Brie from the same book...
Vegan Egg - I used Just Egg
Vegan Margarine for Butter - I used Earth Balance...

Mastering the Art of French Cooking (p. 198)

Vegan Charlotte Malakoff au Chocolat

[Vegan Almond Cream with Chocolate]

...Julia says to use the ingredients for the master recipe...VEGAN CHARLOTTE MALAKOFF AUX FRAMBOISES...but without the strawberries...because you'll use chocolate instead...

...I used Baker's...because that's what I had on hand...

...4 ounces...

...melted in a little bit of coffee...

Julia says to make the almond cream as directed in the master recipe...but fold the melted chocolate into it, and only 1/4 cup of orange liqueur...I did not use any orange liqueur...

...and then...if you can find them...you can use vegan store bought Ladyfingers...but if not...you'll have to make some VEGAN BISCUITS À LA CUILLER...and they really are delicious on their own too...

...and then I made the whipped cream...just aqua faba and a little bit of sugar...

...this is seriously always so amazing...and delicious...and cheap...and lowfat...

...then fold in the chocolate almond cream...because of the pulverized almonds...it's not perfectly smooth...

...but just fold it in a bit at a time...

...until it's all incorporated...it's so delicious...like a chocolate mousse...

...I lined the mold with a round of parchment...and then arranged my ladyfingers on top...

...and then carefully stood up a row of ladyfingers around the edge...

...and started carefully filling the mold...I didn't want the standing wafers to fall over...

...all done...and into the fridge...

...after a few hours of chill time...I cut off the tops of the standing ladyfingers...so that I could invert the mold...

...all pretty uniform in height now...

...a plate over the top and a quick flip...

...and it unmolded beautifully...

...and held it's shape quite well...I'm always a little bit worried that things like this won't set up properly...

...but it's really pretty...

...nice and round and tall...

...I sliced it with a pie server...and it stayed in a triangular shape without spilling...

...and it's so delicious...really...one of my favorite desserts ever...

Substitutions:

Vegan Margarine for Butter - I used Earth Balance...
Vegan Whipped Cream - I used whipped aqua faba...


Mastering the Art of French Cooking (pp. 607-608)

Vegan Fonds Brun

[Vegan Brown Stock]

...Julia says that 'Brown stock is used for brown sauces, consommes, and for the braising of vegetables...and I plan to use the broth for cooking some collards in a little bit...

...she also says...'To give the stock a good color, the meat, bones, and vegetables are browned before they go into the kettle...and she does this in the oven...

...but I thought I'd use my new grill/griddle to accomplish that...it's quicker...and I get a nice caramelization using the griddle...

...Julia puts her herbs in cheesecloth...but I use my tea ball for that...it's thyme...bay leaf...parsley sprigs...and 2 whole cloves...

...put that and the browned veg into a pot...with some celery...a clove of garlic...

...I added a beef bouillon cube and covered it all with water...

...and some Gardein beefless tips...

...set it over moderate heat...and then there's a really long cooking time...maintain liquid at a very quiet simmer — just a bubble or two of motion at the surface — for 4 to 5 hours or more...

...and then I just poured the broth into a jar to use a little bit later...

Substitutions:

vegan beef bouillon
Gardein beefless tips for the beef shank meat, cracked beef and veal bones

Mastering the Art of French Cooking (p. 110)

Vegan Farce Duxelles

[Vegan Mushroom Stuffing]

...we had about half of the Vegan Poulet Rôti leftover and I thought this stuffing would be a good way to serve it again...

...mince some mushrooms and then twist the mushrooms into a ball in the corner of a towel to extract their juice...

...mince some shallots or green onions...

...and saute them in hot butter and oil with the shallots or onions for 5 to 8 minutes...

...then to sub for the liver and gizzards...I used some black walnuts...I've had good results using walnuts as a sub for iron-y tasting offal...

...pour the wine into the mushroom cooking skillet and boil it down rapidly...

...adding the breadcrumbs...

...and the vegan cream cheese and vegan butter...

...Julia says to do the 'mixing' in a bowl...but I used used the same pan for everything...

...added tarragon and parsley...I wanted to add sage...of course...as that's the herb I most associate with stuffing...but I did not...haha...

...and this is the leftover piece of the Vegan Poulet Rôti...

...so... I just cut a slit into it and opened it up and stuffed if full...

...and plated the stuffed Vegan Poulet Rôti on a bed of the remaining stuffing...

...and this will probably be the last meal on the Christmas dishes for this year...we'll undecorate on the 6th...(Epiphany)... ...simply served with peas and carrots and rice...

...it was a delicious way to serve the Christmas Dinner leftovers...

Substitutions:

Black Walnuts for the liver
Vegan Cream Cheese...we used Violife
Vegan butter...we used Earth Balance...

Mastering the Art of French Cooking (pp. 251-252)