Tarts, Tests, and Tantrums

Ah finals. Hate them!

Reasons why I hate finals:

Stress.

Long weekends that only serve to make you stress more.

Knowing that you really don't have anything to worry about but you do anyway

A professor who thinks his study guide is a gift, but really just confuses you more

Buses that don't seem to care about being on time

Scantrons that should never have been invented

Teachers who don't seem to remember why you can't use Scantrons.

An overwhelming desire to scarf down every sweet thing in site in hopes of relieving your stress.

Oh yes, finals. Three times per year is three times too many.

But the one thing that might make finals a little better is knowing that a nice long breaks lies just 24 hours in the future. And even better, this break involves one great holiday- Thanksgiving.

So, in honor of Thanksgiving, and in need of emptying out the refrigerator of all my farmers' market finds, I decided to combine a few classic fall flavors into one great holiday pie. Of course, it's not even seven days away yet and, three days after making this delicious dessert, it's nearly gone. That's stress and a lack of breakfast eats for you!

Now go get ready and make this pie / tart / dessert / whatever you want to call it!

Pickin’ Pie

Note: I think next time I will caramelize or partially cook the apples before putting them on top of the squash filling (and will bake the filling for 30-40 minutes instead of 20 so that it doens't over-bake). The way I did it this first time, the apples came out kinda chewy.

Crust

132 g. sugar

18 g. molasses

120 g. flour

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

2 tsp. vanilla

60 g. rolled oats

76 g. Earth Balance stick margarine, cut into cubes

2-4 tbsp. apple cider

1. Combine sugar, molasses, flour, baking soda, slat, vanilla and oats. 
2. Cut in margarine with your hands, rubbing it until you get small, pea-like pieces of fat.
3. Add enough cider to bring the dough together into a workable dough.
4. Form dough into a disk, wrap and chill for 1 hour or overnight.
5. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9” pie plate with high sides or a 9” cake pan.
6. Roll dough out to about a 10” disk (easiest way is between plastic wrap). Transfer to the greased pie plate. Dough should come about 1/2 to 1” up sides.
7. Bake 12-15 minutes, or until browned and firm to the touch. Meanwhile, prepare squash filling.

Squash Filling

2 cups butternut squash puree (from about half a small, roasted squash)

2 cups apple cider, cooked over medium heat until reduced to 1 cup

1 tbsp. molasses

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ginger

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

5 tbsp. tapioca starch

1 tbsp. coconut oil or shortening

8 . Combine all filling ingredients in a blender, pureeing until completely smooth and evenly distributed.

9.Pour into baked crust. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile prepare apples.

Apples

3 medium, semi-tart, firm apples (ex. Empire), peeled, quartered, and thinly sliced

3 tbsp. brown sugar

the juice of half a lemon

3 tbsp. tapioca starch

1 tsp. fresh grated ginger

10. Toss apples with all other ingredients. Let sit for at least 10 minutes (can do ahead of time and keep in fridge)

11. When filling is starting to set, remove pan from oven and arrange apples in a single layer on top. I arranged mine in sort of a rose pattern, overlapping apples slightly in rings, but you can do it however you like it best.


12. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until apples have begun to brown.


13. Remove from oven and cool completely. Serve immediately or store in the fridge.

Great with banana "ice cream" (especially pumpkin-flavored)! Get the basic recipe here! Also great for breakfast!!!!

Oh and by the way: If you like all the great, creative treats I've shared on my blog, please check out my Etsy page! Thank you!

Bread Withdrawls

Today I'd like to talk about bread. And snowstorms. And power outages.

How are these all related? Well, if you are one of the unlucky people (i.e. me) who live in the Northeast Connecticut, you know that we had a freak Halloween snow storm last weekend. As in 10 days ago. As in still in October (not that it would have been any better in November or December or January of February or ever)! And if you are further still one of the unlucky people who lives in Farmington Connecticut, you'd know that we are mostly still without power.

Yes, 10 days without power.

Though I must say I am lucky in that respect; I'm not a high-school student anymore, so I don't have to be sitting home without power while my April vacation days get used up because we have no school. Instead I get to be in a nice college apartment, feeling rather weird as I talk to my parents on my cell phones since cable and phone services are also still out.

So I have power here at school. And power... well.. gives me power. The power to do so many things. Delicious things. Like baking bread. And then scarfing down the whole loaf of said bread in a matter of... 4 days?

Yeah, it's that good.

Actually, that makes the second great thing that came out of a power outage. Because there was a previous loaf of said bread, which started last Saturday morning, as the first flakes of winter snow were falling, along with a few precious branches of our new pear tree. Of course, me being me could not decide what to bake, except that I knew I needed to bake something for breakfast. Fast. Like before I couldn't any more.

The recipe I chose, called Amanda Bread (from America's Test Kitchen Baking book), needed to rise for a total of 3 hours. Add to that the time it was going to take me to veganize (and just generally Carinaize) it, and the 10 minutes of mixing, 40 minutes of baking... you get the point... kind of a risk under a time crunch.

So the power went off at minute 20 during baking.

Thanks to the bread goddesses, I kept the door closed on my bread and the oven finished its baking magic, creating a not-quite-brown but still delicious bread.

Fast forward 24 hours, the power still out, the loaf half gone, and my mom decides we should try getting me back to school. So we hurriedly get all my books and food together and head off. One thing we left behind- my delicious bread!

Withdrawals!!!! So much for the delicious toast I was looking forward to starting my week with!

Five long days later, I finally had some time to make more bread. And so my weekend started off with a great breakfast once again. Not quite as delicious as the first one (maybe the power outage is the secret to great bread after all? Or maybe it's just that I like cranberries and hazelnuts together better than almond and ginger? Idk). Now all that's left is 1" chunk; just enough for breakfast. Hence the bad picture. Trust me, it's delicious you won't be able to wait long enough for a proper photo!

Crazy Amanda Bread
(based off a recipe from America's Test Kitchen)

227 g. almond milk (or any other non-dairy milk, but almond provides the best flavor)
57 g. oil
78 g. coarse cornmeal
425 g. whole wheat flour (hey if you're going to eat so much of it, might as well get some fiber in!)
33 g. vital wheat gluten
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cardamom (optional)
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
76 g. lukewarm water
2 1/4 tsp. instant yeast
1 tbsp molasses
4 tbsp honey (or 2 tbsp. each agave and brown rice syrup to make it completely vegan)
1 heaping cup total add-ins (my favorite is equal parts toasted, chopped hazelnuts and plumped, dried cranberries)

1. Microwave milk and oil until simmering. Stir in cornmeal, then microwave 15 more seconds, or until the cornmeal has absorbed the milk. Let cool to room temperature.
2. Combine flour, vital wheat gluten, salt and spices in a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.
3. Combine water yeast, honey and molasses in a measuring cup.
4. Add cooled cornmeal mixture to the flour mixture and mix on low speed for about 1 minute, or until combined.
5. Still on low speed, slowly add the liquid mixture.
6. Once all liquid is Incorporated, increase to medium speed and mix for 5 minutes.
7. Add plumped fruit and/or nuts. Mix for an additional 6 minutes.
8. Form the dough into a ball, then place in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Place in a slightly warm oven and let rise for 1 1/2 hours, or until doubled.
9. Remove dough form bowl onto a very lightly floured surface. Flatten slightly into a rough rectangle. Fold the top edge of the rectangle towards you, gently pressing into the center. Press the other side in as well so you have one, fat loaf.
10. Place loaf in a greased loaf pan. Cover and proof for another 1 1/2 hours.
11. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat a pan of water in the oven to simmering.
12. Once proofed, you can brush the bread with more oil and sprinkle with cornmeal or nuts, if desired. Bake, with steam bath in place, for 40-45 minutes, or until the top of the bread is lightly browned.
13. Let cool in pan until cool enough to handle, then remove form pan to cool completely (you can keep it in the pan, but the bottom gets a bit soggy- but not enough to really bother me! Yum!!!

Cracking the Coconut, among other things

Ever since Cupcake Hero died out, I've been on the hunt for any blog baking-related challenges. Finally I think I've found one! Vegan Mofo's Iron Chef Challenge.

There's just one problem.

I only got three days to do it!!!!!

Day 1: Ponder what to make
Day 2 Ponder some more, decide on what to make, then halfway through change your mind.
Day 3: Wait for your masterpiece to be at its peak of flavor and photo perfection and your mind at its best writing potential, then realize that the deadline is not 11 pm like most other Vegan Mofo deadlines, but 3 pm. What?

Well, might as well post it anyway. Because it's quite delicious, if I do say so myself. An quite unusual too. Part chocolate, part fruity, part creamy coconut and gelatinous panna cotta (side note; can someone please figure out a way to make agar agar more gelatinous and less grainy?), and with a slight hint of:

Curry!

Yes, I said curry. Now don't freak out! It's just a dusting. You put ginger on your mango, right? Well curry has that same kind of spicy kick, and we already know how friendly it is with coconut. So, here you have it: One great desert!

Curry Coconut Bombe

Beanie Brownie

85 g. bean puree
71 g. coconut oil
179 g. sugar
76 g, lite coconut milk
8 g. corn starch
1 tsp. instant espresso
1 tsp. vanilla
95 g. all purpose flour
32 g. cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper and grease lightly.
Puree beans in a food processor until smooth.
Add coconut oil and sugar and blend until smooth.
Blend in coconut milk, cornstarch, espresso and vanilla.
Gently blend in flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt, just until combined (finish last bit of mixing by hand).
Spread evenly in prepared pan.
Bake 15-20 minutes, or just until set.
Cool completely.
Cut a 6" round of the brownie with a round cutter or the top edge of a 6" round pan. This will eventually be the bottom of your dessert.


Caramelized Mango

1 tbsp. oil
1 mango, peeled, removed from pit, and cut into 1/2" wide strips
about 2 tbsp. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. fresh ginger

Heat a fry pan with the oil over medium high heat.
Add mango strips; they should sizzle as they hit the pan. Quickly add remaining ingredients and toss to coat.
Cook 1-2 minutes per side, until caramelized.
Remove from heat and let cool completely.


Coconut Panna Cotta

1/4 cup sweetened coconut
1 cup light coconut milk
1/2 tsp. curry powder
1 1/2 tbsp. agar agar powder
100 g. sugar
1 1/4 cup coconut water
3 tbsp. corn starch

Line a tall 6" round pan with plastic wrap, leaving excess at the top so you can pick it up easily.
Arrange 5 of the best looking mango slices in a star-like pattern on the bottom of the lined pan.
Toast coconut in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly to prevent burning. Once toasted, add coconut milk and curry powder. Turn off heat and let steep for 5 minutes. Strain the coconut out of the milk, reserving for later.
Add agar powder to the infused coconut milk, whisking as you add it. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Reduce heat slightly, then simmer for another 5-10 minutes, or until agar is completely dissolved.
Add sugar and cook until dissolved.
Dissolve corn starch in the coconut water. Slowly add to boiling agar mixture, whisking constantly.
Bring mixture back to a boil.
Remove from heat and pour into prepared pan.
Working quickly, place the cut round of brownie on top of the custard. Cover and chill overnight, or until set.
When ready to serve, invert dessert onto a plate. Remove plastic wrap and garnish with reserved coconut.

Late Blooms

Ok, I know what you're thinking. You're thinking that you've given up on me- the spontaneous blogger who has way to many ideas choose form and can never choose one to write about. Okay, so that's all true- but I'm also a student with a busy life. But know one thing readers, you are on my mind.

So, amidst all the piles of homework, recipes awaiting conversion to be made for a soup-kitchen crowd, and endless ideas that are limited by my financial and experiential status- I am pausing my life for a few moments to share some culinary inspiration with you.

Since I've come back to Providence (very very, very sadly and begrudgingly), I've missed the variety of ways that Portland has to satisfy a vegan's palate. So, for better or worse, I've had to turn to my own culinary devices and creativity. Meanwhile, my sweet-mates are wondering what all the clatter is and why I can possibly be baking something new nearly every day. Oh and they are probably also wondering how I got peaches from a farmer's market in October. Yes, I said peaches. Sweet, juicy, overripe peaches. Blame my mother for that one. Alas, despite my sincere efforts to buy locally- the peaches for my latest creation did not come form a Providence farmer's market, but from Stew Leonards. Though I guess that's better than getting them frozen or even form Stop & Shop.

So, what did I do with a hankering for dessert, a basketful of bruised peaches, and a brain chock full of ideas? I made pie. Not cupcakes, not cookies, but pie. Well, ok, a tart, but close enough (and maybe next time I'll make a pie crust anyway- I think that might have a better texture). And, ok, I did make mini versions, in the form of cookies, afterwards. But the idea itself, purely pie.

For some reason, I have been craving a vegan lemon meringue pie lately. But I had several problems:
1) I don't have enough lemons to make an extra lemony lemon filling for said pie
2) I haven't been able to successfully make a vegan lemon curd that is rich enough to taste like the real thing
3) I wanted something unique
4) I had 5 peaches that got a little too bumped around and needed to be used fast
5) Ever since I'd had a taste of one great peach pie made by a certain sweet-mate (not vegan by the way)- I've been craving it (and yes, I did consider that the few pies I've made in my life are pretty much limited to Pie & Tarts lab freshman year).

Oh, and I did have one more nagging reason.... I wanted to satisfy another spot in the "State Cookie Lineup" that I could post on my new and growing Etsy page (please check it out!!!!!) - I'm trying to post the most unique, fresh, flavorful products first. Ok, so I guess there were ulterior motives....

Anyway, I set about constructing this pie. I knew I wanted something a bit risky... hence the vegan meringue topping instead of a second pie crust (I've had ups and down getting good quality vegan meringue- this time I succeeded!) I also knew I wanted to keep the filling simple- peaches, brown sugar, some sort of starch... maybe a flavoring or two, and that's it.

The last piece of the puzzle was the crust. I wasn't quite in the mood for waiting for pie dough to chill (because then I'd have to wait all the way until tomorrow to roll it out- who wants that?)... and the sugar addict that I am didn't want to savory quality of a traditional pie crust. And then there's my conscience, which wanted some sort of excuse to think this dessert was healthy.

So, I opted for a simple, press-in pie/tart crust, with a blend of almond flour, whole wheat flour, and a hint of sugar for just the right flavor balance.

Put all the components together, add some heat, a bit of broiling to give the camp-fire, "toasted marshmallow" appeal, and you have one great dessert everyone, vegan or not will be raving about. Just be sure not to forget you pie is under the broiler!

Vegan Peach Meringue Pie (and Alabama Cookies)

Yield: 1 9” tart or pie (for pie, make twice as much peach filling)

Crust

(Based off “Samoa Tart” recipe from Vegan Desserts: Scrumptious Sweets for Every Season by Hannah Kaminsky)

140 g. whole-wheat flour

40 g. almond meal

10 g, granulated sugar

Pinch of salt

50 g. (¼ cup) canola oil

57 g. (¼ cup) non-dairy milk (preferably almond milk)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

½ tsp. almond extract

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9” tart shell with removable bottom of a heavily grease a 9” pie plate.

2.  Sift dry ingredients.

3.  Add wet ingredients, mixing just until combined. Knead gently if necessary to help dough come together.

4.  Press dough into greased pan, starting by making an even layer of crust on the bottom, then working it about an inch up the side.

5.  Poke the bottom of the crust several times with a fork to prevent puffing. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until set. Meanwhile, prepare peach filling.

Peach Filling

5 medium peaches, sliced thinly (peeled or unpeeled - your choice)

100 g. (1/2 cup) brown sugar

48 g. (6 tbsp.) tapioca starch or cornstarch

1 tbsp. fresh lemon or orange juice

1 tsp. vanilla extract

6.    Toss the peaches gently with all other filling ingredients, coating evenly.

7.    Dump filling into baked crust, evening out the top.

8.    Bake 30-40 minutes, or until filling is reduced and thickened. Cool to room temperature.

“Meringue”

(Based off “Meringue Kisses” recipe from Vegan Desserts: Scrumptious Sweets for Every Season by Hannah Kaminski

¼ cup EnerG Egg Replacer

½ cup plus 1 tbsp. hot water

75 g. (6 tbsp.) granulated sugar

½ tsp. vanilla

½ tsp. almond extract or 1/4 tsp. amaretto flavoring

9.    Combine EnerG Egg and water in the bowl of an electric mixer (make sure it’s clean!), fitted with a whip attachment. Once incorporated, increase speed to high, and beat for 5 minutes, or until tripled in volume and peaks have formed.

10.With mixer still on high speed, slowly stream in the sugar, letting it incorporate fully. The entire process of adding sugar will take about 5 additional minutes.

11.Remove form mixer and fold in extracts.

12.Pipe or mound meringue on top of peach filling, covering all of the filling but only the inner edge of the crust (otherwise the meringue may droop over the edge of the tart).

13.Broil the pie for 1.5 to 2 minutes. Be careful, the meringue burns fast! (I had mine in for 2.5 minutes the first time and the entire top burned. I was able to peel it off and add a little more meringue and broil again. That time I only did it 1.5 minutes and it was slightly droopy, so I would go another 15-20 seconds next time).

14.Cool back to room temperature and then serve. Can be stored at room temperature for a couple of days. I don’t think the refrigerator would be kind to this dessert.

 

Cake Explorations

So it's been goodbye Portland nad hello again Connecticut. And I'm not that happy about it, though not as unhappy as I expected (despite hte fact that my door blew shut one time a couple weeks ago; leaving me in my room for a few hours, and the fact that I can't go as I please; I don't think there is even a bus running through Niantic) Days on the beach and daily swinms in hte bay have been nice, but I definitely miss the diversity, the hustle and bustle, and the easy-to navigate streets of Portland; going whereever, whenever I wanted!

So, in an effort ot relive a little of portland, I decided to make my Mom's favorite cupcake- at least of the ones we sold at the bakeshop- Mocha. But I couldn't just leave them plain, of course, I had to add my own little flair. A little mroe punch, some great Oregon coffee, and salted caraeml. Yum!

Well, at least I htink they were yummy. I didn't get to have one because they're not vegan. But then smelled great and the caramel was tasty (its vegan... shhh!) And the ones I saved for my family are half gone so, that's always a good sign.

So with the summer heat kicking in and everyone wishing for a great, sweet treat, here's a different way ot have you caramel frappochino and eat it too! Sorry, the recipe is a secret, for now!

But, if you are a baking nut like me, I'm sure you can't wait to get into the kitchen and bake something, so here's some more inspiration! Get yourself a copy of Flour: Spectacular Recipes from Boston's Flour Bakery + Cafe by Joanne Chang.

Got the book? Ok, now find the recipe for "Vegan, Low-fat Chocolate Cake".

What? You're not vegan? You're not dieting? I don't care, cause i'm sure you know someone who is. And I'm also sure that if you don't tell anyone it's vegan, they won't care or notice a difference. I mean whoever created this recipe was some kind of genius. No egg replacer required!

So, now whip yourself up a triple batch - that's enoug for 2 9" pans (that's the only flaw with this recipe- apparently Flour Bakery has a much smaller appetite than me- Joanne's version only makes one 6" cake).

When the cake are baked and cooled, remove from pans and prpeare to frost. i frosted mine with raspberry jam and a bit of vegan ganache. Then I put the other layer on (please remember ot flip it upside down if you're not going to level off the top; it makes frosting a lot easier; trust me!) And frosted with a creamy vegan chocolate frosting (sorry, that's a secret too, a happy mouse-making accident that too many people love for me to share- I do have a bakery in the works after all!). Of course, just about any frosting would work on this cake- vegan or not!

Now serve it at your favorite Bunco Night nad let everyone ooh and ah and compliment on that "long hours of hard work" it took you to make this!

Actually, maybe you should make a 4x recipe so you have a bit leftover.......

Cause then you can make cake balls!!!!!!! Or should I say cake truffles!

But of course I didn't have any leftover cake- I was going to eat all the leftovers thank you very much!
So I whipped out another 1.5 recipes of this delicous cake batter, poured it into a parchment-lined half-sheet pan, and let it bake for 25 minutes. Like magic!

Once cooled, I crumbled the cake (yes, I'm sorry, you do have to destroy all the moist layers- this is probably why you should use leftover cake- but I don't think I could ever have enough cause I would jsut snack on hte scraps). Anyway, once you have the entire cake crumpled into fine crumbs in a large bowl, add a small amount (1/2 to 3/4 cup) frosting and mush with your hands until the frosting is evenly distributed and teh crumbs comes together like a dough.

Form into balls (mine were the size  of  small plums and the recipe made about 25) and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet.

Let the balls sit a bit, then dipped in melted (preferably tempered) chocolate. Make sure you have enough- I was using a big bowl with only about 8 or 9 ounces of chocolate in it, and it was hard to get an even coat. I coated mine with the help of a fork (don't stick the fork into the cake ball, just use the flat part of it to help roll the ball around and pick it up once it coated. You should also tap off some of the excess chocolate while the ball is still on the fork. Sprinkle the top of each ball with chocolate sprinkles- or whatever you like. Serve on a decorative platter, and surprise everyone!