VEGAN BLANQUETTE DE VEAU À L’ANCIENNE/Vegan Blanquette d’Agneau

[Vegan Veal Stew with Onions and Mushrooms/Vegan Spring Lamb Stew with Onions and Mushrooms]

...Julia says that this Blanquette de veau is "a much-loved stew in France"...and that the lamb version "is cooked exactly like the blanquette de veau on page 362 in the Veal section"...

...you add a whole onion studded with one clove to some vegan chicken broth...along with carrot and celery...and a medium herb bouquetwith parsley stems (not the leaves), bay leaf, and thyme...

...then she gives explicit instructions for cooking and 'skimming' the veal...I tore a block of tofu into chunks and boiled it in the broth for about 15 minutes...

...and then cooked it in the air fryer...and it has the perfect texture...and should hold up to the stew...

...then I added the peeled pearl onions...

...and then the vegan veal chunks...

...and again my mushrooms weren't really 'button' sized...so I quartered those...

...and added them to the stew...

...then I made the VEGAN SAUCE BÉCHAMEL/SAUCE VELOUTÉ...and added that to the stew...

...then for the cream and egg yolk enrichment...I used the Trader Joe's vegan cream and the Just Egg Copycat recipe that I've used before...it's made with mung beans...

...you stir that in a spoonful at a time...

...not letting it come to a simmer...

...and we served it over linguine noodles as Julia suggested...it was really really good...and her word 'delicate' definitely describes the sauce...

Substitutions:
Tofu cooked in Vegan Chicken bouillon for the veal
Vegan butter
Vegan Cream
Vegan egg substitute

Recipe here: Mastering the Art of French Cooking pp. 362.364

Vegan Champignons à la Grecque

[Mushrooms à la Grecque]

...I've already made several of the à la Grecque recipes...

...Julia specifies 1 lb. fresh mushrooms, button size if possible...I don't think these will qualify as 'button size'...

...and she says if they're small to leave them whole...or quarter if large...so I'm quartering these...

...then you make the LÉGUMES À LA GRECOUE...Vegan Court Bouillon...and simmer the mushrooms for about 10 minutes...

...then you remove them with a slotted spoon...

...and cook down the remaining court bouillon to make a sauce...

...and then spoon that over the mushrooms..

...cover and chill...Julia also says these will keep 2-3 days in the refrigerator...

...and actually the 'chilled' part is the oddest thing about this recipe...as I'm just not used to eating cold mushrooms...

...we served them as a simple side dish with some baked tofu, mashed potatoes and peas and carrots...and they were actually good like this as they were so different and tangy...just an interesting take...think more salad than sautéed mushroom...

Substitutions

None
Recipe here: Mastering the Art of French Cooking p. 537

VEGAN VEAU SYLVIE

[Veal Roasted with Ham and Cheese]

...you start with a marinade...I used Tracy's Filet recipe again...

...and I used Violife cheese and Tofurkey for the ham...

...you cook the onions and carrots in the casserole...without browning...

...if you're making a big roast seitan you'll make multiple slits and put a slice of vegan cheese and vegan ham in each slit...but since I'm doing single servings it's just one slit...and you position that on top of the onions and carrots...

...I added some bacon bits instead of the slices...and you bake it basting it with the reserved marinade...

...we served it with new potatoes and glazed carrots...it was pretty delicious...

Substitutions

seitan for the veal
Tofurkey for the ham
Violife cheese for the cheese

Recipe here: Mastering the Art of French Cooking pp. 357-359

*VEGAN POULET POÊLÉ À L’ESTRAGON

[Vegan Casserole-roasted Chicken with Tarragon]

...not sure if I ever mentioned this before but an asterisk before a recipe indicates that the recipe can be prepared ahead of time or in part...this was to help home cooks make the most of their time by allowing them to prepare some elements in advance...

...Julia is using a whole chicken...but I'm using to 'breasts' that I cut out of tofu...but you brown them in vegan butter...

...then you set your casserole on the heat and add vegan butter, onions and carrots...and cook slowly for 5 minutes without browning...

... then add some tarragon...

...and set the vegan chicken over the vegetables...

...cover with foil and roast for an hour and twenty minutes...

...of course we didn't roast this small casserole for that long...but about a half hour so that everything melded together well and cooked through...

...then you make a brown tarragon sauce, with vegan broth, and cornstarch that you've blended with Madeira (which I never have so I used white wine)...

...pour the sauce over the casserole...

...we served it with rice and peas...

...really delicious...

Substitutions

Tofu for the chicken
Vegan butter
Vegan broth

Recipe here: Mastering the Art of French Cooking pp. 249-251

VEGAN CÉLERl-RAVE BRAISÉ

[Vegan Braised Celeriac — Celery Root]

...Julia says that Celeriac, a delicious winter vegetable, is not nearly as common in American markets as it should be...

...and based on how difficult it is to find...I definitely agree...

...since I wasn't thrilled with the raw version of celeriac...I'm happy to try a cooked version...

...you start by peeling the celeriac...

...which is not super easy to do...

...cut it into a 1/2 inch dice...

...drop it into a saucepan of boiling water...

...and cook for 5 minutes...

...mince some onions...

...and then cook the onions and bacon in a casserole without browning...I used vegan bacon bits...

...then arrange the celeriac in the casserole...

...and spread the onions and bacon on top...

...pour over some vegan bouillon...and bring to a simmer on the stovetop...

...then cover with buttered foil and bake for an hour...

...the celeriac is done when it is tender...

...we served it with beans and greens and cornbread...as I thought it was kind of like turnips...and I definitely prefer the cooked celeriac...still not my favorite food...and these are the only two recipes in MtAoFC...so I won't need to go searching for it again...

Substitutions:
Vegan Bouillon

Recipe here: Mastering the Art of French Cooking pp. 492-493