VEGAN SAUCE HOLLANDAISE

[Hollandaise Sauce]


Since I was not using any egg yolks - I whisked up some flax seed goo - I know I've talked about it before - but it is certainly egg-like - actually more like the white part of the egg than the yolk - but I figured I needed some rich sort of slimy-ness in this recipe...

Luckily, I have a measuring spoon for that vague PINCH of pepper - and I used white not black...

...then I melted two Tablespoons of the vegan butter into the lemon and flax goo...

- only just melted...

...then I had to depart from the recipe quite a bit - as I had nothing to thicken the sauce - so I added a Tablespoon of cornstarch to a half cup of soymilk - whisked that together and added it to the lemon/flax-goo/vegan butter mixture...

...I cooked that until it just started to thicken...

...then I whisked in the rest of the vegan butter (this is a very buttery sauce) by driblets...

...the finished sauce was glossy and smooth - rich and lemony and very very good!

Original Recipe here:

Substitutions:
Vegan Margarine for Butter
Flax Goo for Egg Yolks
also cornstarch and soymilk for Egg Yolk for its thickening properties.

VEGAN ASPERGES AU NATUREL

[Boiled Asparagus - Hot or Cold]

Asparagus is plentiful right now and fairly inexpensive - and we almost always have it for Easter Dinner...

Julia says not to use a vegetable peeler - because it won't go deep enough - I used mine and just made more than one pass...

...15 minutes or so later you'll have a peeled stack of asparagus...

...trim the tough ends off...

...divide the trimmed aspargus into bundles...

...and tie twice with twine...

...keep one stalk separate to test for doneness - Julia thinks of everything...

...lay the bundles in rapidly boiling salted water - and boil uncovered 12-15 minutes...

...lift out with 2 forks to a cloth covered plate...

We added Hollandaise sauce to ours - it's a really simple dish - and so good and fresh and tender...

VEGAN LA TARTE DES DEMOISELLES TATIN

[Upside-down Apple Tart - hot or cold]

We needed a special dessert to top off our Easter Feast...

...I used my favorite crazed white quiche dish - another wedding gift from many years ago...

...generously greased with vegan butter...

...sprinkled with organic beet sugar...

...organic Braeburn apples peeled and sliced 1/8 inch thick (or thereabouts)...

...and tossed with some sugar and cinnamon...

...and arranged over the bottom of the quiche dish and dotted with more vegan butter...

...then spread your Pâte Brisée Sucrée over the top and trim the edges...

...then pop it into a 375 degree oven...

...tarte is done when you see a thick brown syrup bubbling up around the crust...

...invert immediately onto a heatproof dish - I just used a plate because I wasn't sure my fancy cake plate was heatproof - let it cool there...

...and then transferred it to my pretty cake plate for serving...

Vegan Pâte Brisée Sucrée

[Vegan Sweet Short Paste]


Place flour sugar and salt in a bowl...

...and blend in (LOTS of) vegan butter...

...There's a little bit of vegetable shortening in there too...

...then start the fraisage or final blending...

...this was so foreign to me - as a good Southern Girl - I was taught that the less you handle a pie crust (or biscuit dough) the flakier it would be...

...but I persevered with the fraisage and got a smooth dough...

...wrapped it in plastic and popped it into the freezer for an hour (you can also refrigerate it overnight if you wish - but we needed it this afternoon)...

...then roll it out...

Vegan Potage au Cresson

I special ordered a bunch of watercress from our green grocer and was thrilled when he called to say that they had come in. I had never bought watercress before - but I even called Mom about 'Creasy Greens' - they used to grow by the creekbank and my sister and I would cook them on our Susie Homemaker stove - Creasy Greens are related to the watercress and they have the same peppery flavor. Scout loved the little bundle and asked if we could 'grow' them - so we popped them in a dish and set them on the counter - I'll let you know how that turns out...

First you follow the directions for Potage Parmentier omitting the cream and butter until later - add a cup of packed greens (tops and tender stems)...

...simmer for 5 minutes...

...process with a food mill...

...garnish with a few watercress leaves boiled for 1/2 minute in water - rinsed and drained...

...This made a lovely 'green' soup for St. Patrick's Day - although Scout didn't like the flavor of the cress raw - he liked it in the soup...

Recipe link here.

Substitutions:
Earth Balance for butter
Soy Milk with 2 Tablespoons of Soy Milk Powder (Better than Milk) for cream

VEGAN CARBONNADES À LA FLAMANDE

[Vegan Beef and Onions Braised in Beer]

I much prefer cooking in the daytime as the photos are so much better...

...ah well...for supper we had CARBONNADES À LA FLAMANDE...

I had some beef flavored TVP chunks from my last visit to the SDA store in NC that I wanted to use up...

I got my onions cooking - in some Earth Balance instead of the rendered fat...

I added some boiling water to my 'vegan beef' - quicker and easier - but when I make this again - I'm going to make some heftier seitan chunks...

Cook the onions until lightly browned...

Remove from heat and stir in garlic, salt and pepper...

Arrange half the 'vegan beef' in the casserole...

Top with half the onions...

Then do it again...

Make up your herb bouquet - I used my tea infuser again - it works perfectly...

I stole one of the Man's Blue Moons - and added some vegan beef bouillon...

You're supposed to let it cook 2 1/2 hours - and if I had been using seitan I would have - but with the TVP - we only cooked it about an hour - at a simmer in the lower 1/3 of the oven...

Then you remove the herb bouquet and drain the liquid into a saucepan...
Julia and her pots - she doesn't care how many dishes you dirty up - she even says 'A pot saver is a self hampering cook. Use all the pans, bowls and equipment you need...'

Beat in some arrowroot powder and vinegar...

Simmer for 3-4 minutes until thickened...

Serve with parslied potatoes and a salad - oh yeah - and a beer - I'm not much a beer drinker at all - but it did go well with this dish...

I think I'll definitely make this again...

Very very tasty!

Recipe here: Mastering the Art of French Cooking

p. 317-318