Vegan Quenelles aux Huîtres

[Vegan Fish Quenelles with Oysters]

...Julia doesn't introduce this variation of VEGAN QUENELLES DE POISSON at all...which I have made before...the method is exactly the same...you just stick a vegan oyster in the middle of each quenelle...

...you start with a little bit of minced shallots or green onion...

...and for the oysters...I'm just using some regular button mushrooms...I would have used 'oyster' mushrooms if I could find them here...haha...

...and in my 'outdoor' kitchen...I sautéed the onions...

...then added the mushrooms...

...and the white wine...

...and a nori sheet for some flavor of the sea...I just dropped it in whole...as I didn't want a lot of little seaweed particles...just the flavor...

...and then we had quite the DOWNPOUR out there...the wind was howling and the thunder crashing and the rain blowing in through the screens...sooo...

...I packed everything up and went back inside...and made the pâte à chou...

...and then you just roll a vegan oyster into each cylinder of the pâte...

...using two spoons...roll it into a little oval...

...and then you poach them in barely simmering water...

...until they are fully cooked and doubled in size...

...and then I made a quick white sauce...

...and poured it over the quenelles...

...and we served it with baked tofu and fried cabbage...

...they reminded me so much of Klub...it's a Scandanavian sort of potato dumpling that we had in North Dakota.....Vegan Potet Klub...(Kloob)...

...so it was good...nice poufy little stuffed dumpling pillows...

Substitutions

VEgan Butter
Vegan Oysters - we used button mushrooms sautéed with nori....
...and all of the subs for the pate a chou

Recipe here: Mastering the Art of French Cooking (pp. 188-189)

Vegan Homard aux Aromates

[Vegan Lobster Steamed in Wine with Herb Sauce]

...Julia says 'This is not a variation of lobster Thermidor...' funny...but it is a lot like it...

...we used Lobster Mushrooms soaked in a brine made with boiling water and Nori sheet...for a little bit more flavor of the sea...like we did for the Vegan Lobster Thermidor...

...chopped up some carrots, onions, and celery...the Aromates...

...then put those in a pot with the Lobster mushrooms...

...then you boil down the liquid...Julia says the carrots need not be removed...so I just left it all in there...

...then you blend together some flour and vegan butter...

...and stir that in off heat...

...bring it back to a simmer...

...then add the vegan cream by tablespoons...

...it should resemble a thick soup...

...we served it over toast...with a side of glazed carrots and spinach...

...it was pretty yummy...and I think it would be really good as a soup too...

Substitutions:
Nori and Lobster Mushrooms for the Lobster
Vegan Butter - we used Violife
almond milk for the cream

Recipe here: Mastering the Art of French Cooking p. 223

Vegan Soupe aux Moules

[Vegan Mussel Soup]

Julia says "The very same recipe may also be turned into a mussel soup."

...so we just took the leftover Vegan Pilaf de Moules...and added some almond milk...Julia uses cream...of course...

...and made a delicious soup...I wish I had the little oyster crackers because they'd be perfect for this soup...

...and it makes a very good chowder-y kind of soup...

Substitutions

Vegan mussels...I used mushrooms...but you could use seitan or tofu too...
almond milk for the Cream...
Vegan egg replace for the eggs...
Vegan Margarine for Butter - I used Earth Balance...

Mastering the Art of French Cooking (p. 231)

Vegan Pilaf de Moules

[Vegan Sauced Mussels in a Rice Ring]

...so this is exactly the same recipe as this one...VEGAN MOULES EN SAUCE MOUCLADES/MOULES À LA POULETTE/MOULES À LA BÉARNAISE...just served in a rice ring instead of in little shells...and that one was really good so I'm going to follow that same method again...

...so the first thing I did was to make some rice...I used a medium grain so that it would stick together like sushi rice and make a nice ring that wouldn't 'leak'...

...then I sautéed the mushrooms for a bit and then added some wakame...

...and made the cream sauce...it does have a slight greenish tinge from the seaweed...

...pressed the rice into a nice ring...

...and added the sauced vegan mussels to the center...

...we had it with baked tofu and spinach...and it was pretty good...

Substitutions

Vegan mussels...I used mushrooms...but you could use seitan or tofu too...
almond milk for the Cream...
Vegan egg replace for the eggs...
Vegan Margarine for Butter - I used Earth Balance...

Mastering the Art of French Cooking (p. 231)

Vegan Sole Bonne Femme

[Vegan Fish Filets with Mushrooms]

...so how about another vegan poached fish/tofu recipe...

...this is another of Julia's variations...and you can see from the spreadsheet where I keep track of all the recipes I've done...that there are not that many left...about 80 or so I think...so this 'project' could wrap up in the next year or so...whew...

...I started by making my pretty little fluted mushroom caps...VEGAN CHAMPIGNONS GRILLÉS...

...poached the tofu filets...

...made the sauce Bercy...

...and decorated with the mushrooms...

...it is a pretty presentation...

...we served it with spinach, a salad, and a vegan croissant...

...another pretty delicious variation...

Substitutions:
Earth Balance for the butter
tofu for the fish
Vegan écrivisses
all the subs for the VEGAN SOLE À LA DIEPOISE

Recipe here: Mastering the Art of French Cooking p. 216

Vegan Sole à la Nantua

[Vegan Fish Filets with Vegan Écrevisses]

...Julia says this about this variation of the VEGAN SOLE À LA DIEPOISE..."Same as the sole à la dieppoise, but the fish is garnished with écrevisscs, and shellfish butter, page 104, rather than plain butter is beaten into the sauce."

...so getting ready to poach the tofu filets...finely chop some shallots or green onions...

...add your tofu filets...some more onions...and dot with vegan butter...

...I'm also adding some wakame for some 'from the sea' flavor...

...and white wine...

...and cover with waxed paper...

...and then into the bottom third of the oven...

...I'm using my vegan shrimp for the écrivisses (crayfish)...to make the vegan shellfish butter...

...just whizz that together with the stick blender...

...Julia says 8-12 minutes should be sufficient...and obviously my tofu was already 'done'...

...so take the filets out of the poaching liquid and reserver it...

...make your vegan white sauce...and add in your vegan shellfish butter...

...and strain in the reserved poaching liquid...

...arrange your tofu filets and vegan écrivisses in a serving dish...

...and top with the sauce...

...we served it with a spinach and arugula salad and some grilled french bread...

...it was a nice lunch...

...the tofu filets were tasty and of course the sauce was delicious...

Substitutions:
Earth Balance for the butter
tofu for the fish
Vegan écrivisses
all the subs for the VEGAN SOLE À LA DIEPOISE

Recipe here: Mastering the Art of French Cooking p. 216