Vegan Tournedos Rossini

[Vegan Filet Steaks with Vegan Foie Gras, Truffles, and Madeira Sauce]

...Julia says "tournedos Rossini takes the filet steak about as far as it can go"...also she uses artichoke bottoms instead of the more traditional canape...but those are just not commonly available here...so I used the crouton...and also...about the truffles...I actually have a black truffle in my fridge...but I don't like truffle...at all...so I'm not using that either...

...there are a lot of steps here...but Julia's right...the result is pretty spectacular...

...so...I started by making the Vegan Foie Gras...

...I basically used the same Liver Pate method that I've used before...but I added some firm tofu this time...

...and just put it into a bowl to set up...as I need to put a slice on top of each tournedo...

...then I melted some vegan butter...

...took the filets out of the marinade...patted them dry...

...and sauteed them until nicely browned...

...then made the sauce in the same pan...I also strained and added some of the marinade...

...then just assembled everything...crouton first...

...top that with the filet...

...and then slice the vegan foie gras...

...and lay a slice on top of each filet...

...then spoon over the sauce...

...artistically...haha...

...and then you're supposed to garnish with truffle slices...but I used mushroom instead as I don't like truffle...it's a very pretty dish...

...we served it with baked potato and a salad...naturally...

...and it was a really delicious combination of flavors...

Substitutions:
...vegan butter for sauteeing...
...vegan steak...we used Tracy's filet recipe...
...vegan pate...we used walnuts, tofu, wine and mushrooms...

Recipe here: Mastering the Art of French Cooking

pp. 299-301

Vegan Marinade, for Vegan Filet of Beef

...this is one of Julia's English titled variation recipes...and the recipe itself is already vegan...and I used Tracy's Filet recipe to make the vegan Filets...

...so you start with some alcohol...white wine, Madeira, and cognac...I only had wine and cognac so that's what I used...and you add some salt...

...and peppercorns...

...and some herbs...thyme, basil and parsley...and finally some onions...and you're also supposed to add truffles...but I just can't seem to make myself like them...so I didn't add any truffles...

...then added my vegan filets...

...and covered with plastic wrap...Julia says to marinate for 6 hours or overnight...and I'll be using these filets to make Tournedos Rossini...Julia says "tournedos Rossini takes the filet steak about as far as it can go"...so that should be exciting...

Substitutions:
...none...just make sure your wine is vegan...

Recipe here: Mastering the Art of French Cooking

p. 306

Vegan Gratin de Pommes de Terre et Saucisson

[Vegan Gratin of Potatoes, Onions, and Sausages]

...this is just a variation of the VEGAN GRATIN DE POMMES DE TERRE AUX ANCHOIS...

...so first mince some onion...

...and then...as you often do...cook it until it is translucent but not browned...now sure why Julia almost always says this...I actually like a bit of browning on my onions...oh well...

...grease your casserole...I used Earth Balance...

...then layer your potatoes, onions and vegan sausage in the casserole...I used Field Roast vegan sausage...

...ending with a layer of potatoes...

...make a vegan Bechamel sauce...

...and pour that over the potatoes...

...I got some Chao vegan cheese out of the freezer and used that...but Julia calls for vegan swiss cheese...

...baked until bubbly and browned...

...we served it simply with some homemade collard greens...

...it was really creamy and good...perfect comfort food...

Substitutions:
Earth Balance for butter
Field Roast Sausage
VEGAN SAUCE BÉCHAMEL/SAUCE VELOUTÉ

Recipe here: Mastering the Art of French Cooking

p. 155

VEGAN PISSALADIÈRE NIÇOISE

[Vegan Onion Tart with Vegan Anchovies and Black Olives]

Julia says..."This is not a quiche, properly speaking, because it contains no eggs..."but it is in the section of the cookbook with all of the quiches...

...I spent a few weeks in the south of France...and I never heard of this dish...of course...it could have been offered to me and I was like eeeuuuwww...non merci...haha...sometimes called Provençal Pissaladière - The etymology of the word seems to originate from the Latin piscis "fish", which in turn originated pissalat, the name of an anchovy paste...

...first...you cook the onions very slowly in the olive oil with the herb bouquet, garlic, and salt for about 1 hour, or until very tender...a really long time...and the weirdest thing is there is a pinch of powdered cloves in there...I thought that was an odd flavor to add to this savory dish...

...I'm using capers as a vegan sub for the anchovies...and black olives...of course...

...when the onions are finally done...spread them onto your prepared crust...I saw images of this crust as more like a pizza dough...but I just made a VEGAN PÂTE BRISÉE for a regular pie crust...

...so you just spread a layer of onions over the crust...

...add you vegan anchovies...i.e. capers...

...Julia says to "Arrange anchovy filets over it in a fan-shaped design. Place the olives at decorative intervals..."

...then you give it a drizzle of olive oil and bake it...

...we had ours with a salad and green beans...

...it's an interesting dish...haha...still not sure about the cloves...the onions are very sweet so there's a nice contrast with the salitiness of the olives and capers...

Substitutions

subs for theVEGAN PÂTE BRISÉE
capers for the anchovies...

Mastering the Art of French Cooking (p. 151)