VEGAN CERVELLES EN MATELOTE

[Vegan Calf's Brains in Red Wine with Mushrooms and Onions]

...all Julia has to say about this recipe is that it 'makes a complete course in itself...'

...and I chose it for Valentine's Day Dinner because of the little heart shaped croutons she suggests...

...I'm using tofu as the brain substitute again...so I just took a whole block of firm tofu and kind of shaped it like a brain...

...Julia says to use a good young red wine...I used a Cabernet Sauvignon...

...add some stock...I used Washington's...

...add some herbs...I put mine in my tea ball...

...simmer for 20 minutes...and then allow to cool in the cooking liquid...

...next you'll need some VEGAN OIGNONS GLACÉS À BRUN...a pretty simple recipe...

...and you'll also need some VEGAN CHAMPIGNONS SAUTÉS AU BEURRE

...and luckily Julia says these can be made in advance...

...beat in some tomato paste and boild down rapidly until reduced...

...add some flour/vegan butter paste to thicken...

...then make some Vegan Canapés - Croutons...but...here's the cute part...Julia says to make them heart shaped...

...arrange the onions and mushrooms around the brains...

...pour the sauce over...

...decorate with heart shaped croutons...

...it does make a rather pretty presentation...

...it was delicious...

Substitutions

firm tofu for the brains
Vegan Butter for the butter

Recipe here: Scribd and then search for Mastering the Art of French Cooking (pp. 415 - 416)

...go to Scribd and search for the book...it shows up under documents...and once you open that file you should be able to search for the page number listed in the recipe...

VEGAN OIGNONS GLACÉS À BRUN

[Vegan Brown-braised Onions]

...Julia says these onions are used 'whenever you wish a brown effect, such as in brown fricassees like coq au vin and boeuf bourguigon, or in a mixture with other vegetables...'

...it's a pretty simple recipe...

...take 18-24 peeled onions...and saute them in a mixture of vegan butter and oil until the brown...

...then pour over some brown stock...and simmer for 40-50 minutes until the liquid has evaporated...

...you can do the braising in the oven or on the stovetop...

...Julia says these can be cooked hours in advance...so we set ours aside...after all that cooking they have to be overdone...but they do smell delicious...

Substitutions

Vegan Butter for the Butter

Recipe here: Scribd and then search for Mastering the Art of French Cooking (p. 483)

...go to Scribd and search for the book...it shows up under documents...and once you open that file you should be able to search for the page number listed in the recipe...

VEGAN MOUSSE À L'ORANGE

[Vegan Orange Mousse - a Frozen Dessert]

...Julia says "a becoming way to serve this delicate mousse is in the scooped-out halves of oranges"...

...the first thing I did was to scoop out my orange halves...I needed the orange part for the juice in the recipe anyway...

...and instead of sugar...I'm going to use a few drops of this Valencia Orange Stevia...and instead of egg yolks I'm using tofu...

...so I put those ingredients into the Vitamix with some cornstarch and lemon juice...and with the additional orange flavor of the stevia...I'm omitting the liqueur...

...put it into a saucepan and cook until thickened...Julia gives specific instructions for 170 F...but that's for the egg yolks...

...I just cooked it until it was thickened...like a nice sauce or gravy...

...then I got the aquafaba out of the freezer...and started whipping that...I did this twice...once with some cream of tartar added for the egg whites...and then again with some sugar added for the whipped cream...

...gently fold in the egg whites/aquafaba...

...folding from the outside in...

...and then again with the whipped cream/aquafaba...

...the same procedure...

...and then spoon it into your orange halves...or just use cups or ramekins if you want...I popped the halves into ramekins because I wanted to make sure they didn't tip over in the freezer...

...cover and freeze several hours or overnight...

...pop them out of the ramekins or leave them in...

...this dessert reminded me a lot of orange sherbet...only fluffy...it's creamy and sweet...very delicious...

...and this version is practically fat free...

Substitutions

silken tofu for the egg yolks
aquafaba for both the whipping cream and the egg whites


Recipe here: Scribd and then search for Mastering the Art of French Cooking (pp. 603 - 604)

...go to Scribd and search for the book...it shows up under documents...and once you open that file you should be able to search for the page number listed in the recipe...

VEGAN POMMES À LA SÉVILLANE

[Vegan Apples Braised in Butter, Orange Sauce - a hot or cold dessert]

...it's odd...but Julia doesn't say anything at all about this dessert...

...so let's get started...peel some golden delicious apples...and core them and put them in acidulated water...ie., with Lemon Juice...

...ok...a couple of things...it's only the Man and me for dinner...so I'm making ours in little fireproof ramekins...and I 'broke' my apple trying to core it...so I quartered it...and cut the core out...and it fits in the little pyrex cup perfectly...

...sprinkle with sugar and put a teaspoon of vegan butter in the center...

...add some white wine...

...and cover with a buttered round of waxed paper...and bake taking care that the liquid doesn't boil dry...keep them just at a simmer for 25 - 35 minutes...

...while the apples are baking...peel an organic orange with a vegetable peeler...and then cut that into thin strips....

...boil for 10 to 12 minutes...

...and dry...

...by now...your apples should be done...

...they're just soft...and smell delicious just like this...and there's still quite a bit of liquid/juice in the cup...

...mix the orange peel with some current jelly and cognac...and spoon that over the apples...

...and make some white bread canapes...Julia says to make rounds...but I went with long triangles as it fits my single servings better...

...they were cute and delicious...

...the buttery triangle canapes were perfect...it was like a citrus-y apple tart...and we were supposed to serve this with cream poured over...and I actually had cream in the fridge...but completely forgot to take it to the table with the dessert...

...but it was totally perfect just like this...

Substitutions:

Homemade Vegan Butter...for both the apple and the canapes...

Recipe here: Scribd and then search for Mastering the Art of French Cooking (pp. 628 - 629)

...go to Scribd and search for the book...it shows up under documents...and once you open that file you should be able to search for the page number listed in the recipe...

VEGAN PURÉE DE MARRONS

[Vegan Chestnut Purée]

...I wasn't sure if I'd ever complete this recipe...actually I was sure I'd complete it but unsure if I'd actually eat it...

...because...

...years ago...when I was in France...I got quite sick after eating Marrons Purées...and I remember the taste quite well...

...but I forged ahead and put some chestnuts, celery and herbs in a pot with some vegan bouillon...in water of course...

...this store brand of beef flavored bouillon is accidentally vegan...

...my sweet sissie told me about it years ago...

...next...you pass your chestnuts through a food mill...

...and you're left with this mush...smelling fragrantly of chestnuts and herbs...

...add some vegan butter...

...and vegan cream...it's kindof like making mashed potatoes...

...and it's exactly how I remember it...sweet...creamy...earthy and very rich...

...I actually ate that small spoonful on my plate between the biscuit and the potatoes...and I didn't get sick...I know...that's not a very glowing recommendation for this recipe...

Substitutions:

Homemade Vegan Butter
Vegan Cream...I used Coffee Rich Creamer

Recipe here: Scribd and then search for Mastering the Art of French Cooking (pp. 518 - 519)

...go to Scribd and search for the book...it shows up under documents...and once you open that file you should be able to search for the page number listed in the recipe...