Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook (92 page)

Read Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook Online

Authors: Isa Chandra Moskowitz,Terry Hope Romero

Tags: #food.cookbooks

BOOK: Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook
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1¾ cups fresh brewed coffee
⅔ cup unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1½ cups granulated sugar
⅓ cup canola oil
⅓ cup applesauce
¼ cup cornstarch
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour or all-purpose white
flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons confectioners’ sugar
 
PREHEAT THE oven to 325°F. Lightly grease an 8- or 10-inch Bundt pan.
Bring the coffee to a simmer in a saucepan over medium heat. Once it is simmering, turn down the heat and whisk in the cocoa powder until it has dissolved. Remove from the heat and set aside to bring to room temperature.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, canola oil, applesauce, and cornstarch until the sugar and cornstarch are dissolved, about 2 minutes. Mix in the extracts. Once the chocolate has cooled a bit, mix that in as well.
Sift in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat until relatively smooth, about 1 minute with a hand mixer or 2 minutes with a whisk.
Pour the batter into the prepared Bundt pan and bake for about 45 minutes, until a toothpick or butter knife inserted through its center comes out clean. If your pan is on the smaller side, it could take up to 55 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let cool for about 20 minutes, then invert onto a serving plate to cool completely. Once cool, sift confectioners’ sugar over the top and enjoy.
SMLOVE PIE
 
SERVES 8
TIME:
1 HOUR PLUS 3 HOURS FOR CHILLING
 
 
This pie was inspired by the question “What would Paula Deen bake if she were vegan?” It’s a rich yet airy chocolate pie, smothered in peanut butter caramel, studded with maple candied pecans, and finished off with a chocolate drizzle for good measure. We use a graham cracker crust but a chocolate cookie crust would be nice and decadent, too. The pie filling is gluten free, so if you have a recipe for a gluten-free crust, you celiacs are good to go. If you don’t want to go through the trouble of making the toppings, the pie by itself is pretty yummy, too! Top it with soy whipped cream if you’ve got it.
 
 
Graham cracker crust:
12 graham crackers, or 1¾ cups graham cracker
crumbs
¼ cup canola oil
1 tablespoon soy milk
 
Chocolate pie filling:
1 pound silken tofu (not the vacuum-packed kind),
drained
¼ cup hazelnut liqueur (other liqueurs would work,
too, such as coffee or chocolate, or just use rice or
soy milk)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
12 ounces bittersweet vegan chocolate, melted (see
tip on page 243 for melting chocolate)
 
Maple candied pecans:
1 cup pecans
2 teaspoons canola oil
⅛ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
 
Peanut butter caramel:
⅓ cup natural peanut butter, smooth or chunky, at
room temperature
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons brown rice syrup
 
Chocolate drizzle:
4 ounces bittersweet vegan chocolate, chopped, or ¼
cup vegan chocolate chips
¼ cup soy or rice milk
 
PREHEAT THE oven to 350°F. Spray a 10-inch pie plate with cooking spray.
 
 
Prepare the crust:
 
Process the grahams into fine crumbs. Place them in a bowl and drizzle the oil on them. Use your fingertips or a fork to mix in the oil until all crumbs are moistened; sprinkle in the soy milk and mix again. Pour the crumbs into the pie plate and firmly press them to the bottom and sides of the plate. Set aside.
 
 
Prepare the filling:
 
First, melt your chocolate. Crumble the tofu into a blender or food processor. Add the liqueur, vanilla, and arrowroot to the tofu and blend until completely smooth. Scrape down the sides to make sure you get everything. Add the melted chocolate and blend again until completely mixed. Pour the filling into the pie crust and bake for 40 minutes. The center may still be jiggly, but that’s fine.
Remove from the oven and let cool on a rack on the countertop for 10 minutes, then chill in the fridge for at least 3 hours. The top of the pie should be firm to the touch.
Meanwhile, prepare your candied pecans: Cover a large plate with baking parchment. Preheat a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Add the pecans and stir them very frequently for 3 minutes, until they start to brown. Stir constantly for 2 more minutes, until they are a few shades darker and relatively uniformly toasted. (If a few don’t look toasted, don’t worry about it. That’s better than having them burn.)
Add the oil and salt, and stir for another minute. Add the maple syrup, stirring constantly for about a minute. The maple syrup should get bubbly and dry. Use a spatula to transfer the pecans to a plate and spread them out as much as you can; it’s best if they aren’t touching. Place in the fridge until ready to use.
Once the pie has been chilling for at least 3 hours, prepare the peanut butter caramel and chocolate drizzle. Have your pie out and ready to be assembled.
 
To prepare the peanut butter caramel:
Stir all the ingredients together in a small saucepan. Gently heat everything over low heat, stirring constantly with a fork, just until smooth and heated through. It should fall from your fork in ribbons. If it seems stiff, turn off the heat immediately and add a little extra brown rice syrup, until it’s fluid again. (This happens because different peanut butters have different amounts of moisture.)
Pour the peanut butter over the center of the pie, leaving an inch or two bare at the edges because it spreads. Get your pecans and place them on top of the caramel, pressing them in firmly. You may have to break the pecans apart from one another if they cooled touching.
 
 
Prepare the chocolate drizzle:
 
In a small saucepan, heat the soy milk to boiling, then add the chocolate and turn down the heat. Use a fork to stir until completely blended. Turn off the heat and let cool for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
You can drizzle the chocolate over the pie with a spoon, but we like to put it in a pastry bag fitted with a wide writing tip and drizzle it that way, in stripes. Chill the pie for at least 10 minutes before serving, so that the chocolate firms up a bit.
LOST COCONUT CUSTARD PIE
 
SERVES 6 TO 8
TIME:
ABOUT 45 MINUTES, PLUS CHILLING TIME
 
 
Lost, literally. That is, the recipe for this pie (which once appeared in an episode of
The Post Punk Kitchen,
our public-access cooking show) melted into the shadows soon after that episode was filmed and hasn’t been seen for years. Yeah, we could have actually just rewatched the show and maybe paid attention to how the pie was made, but where’s the fun in that?
But, whatever. This new and improved version of the recipe is better than ever: more fresh coconut flavor from more luscious coconut milk. Not to mention it’s now soy free, with the inclusion of rice milk. Because this pie originated as a dessert for Passover, we’ve included its “traditional” matzo crust. But swap graham cracker crumbs (or prepare a prebaked pastry crust) for matzo meal and this cool, sweet, and creamy dessert is the perfect finish to any summertime BBQ or Caribbean-themed meal. Serve it up with slices of fresh pineapple, mango, kiwi, or your favorite seasonal fresh berries.
 
Crust:
1 recipe Basic Single Pastry (page 262), rolled,
shaped, and baked, or Crumb Crust (recipe
below), prepared with matzo meal or graham
cracker crumbs
 
Filling:
1 cup rice or soy milk
2 tablespoons arrowroot powder or cornstarch
½ teaspoon agar powder, or 1½ teaspoons flakes
1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk, regular or lite
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup sugar
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon coconut extract (optional but good)
Pinch of salt
¾ cup shredded, unsweetened coconut
Optional garnishes: additional shredded coconut or
slices of fresh mango, pineapple, sliced strawberries
(sprinkle with lemon juice first before top-
ping), or any fresh, sliced fruit or berry.
 
PREPARE ANY of the crusts, bake it, and set aside.
In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together ½ cup of the rice milk with the arrowroot powder. Set aside.
In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, whisk together the remaining ½ cup of the rice milk with the agar power. Over medium-high heat, bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Allow it to boil for about 1 minute, then turn down the heat to medium-low. In a slow, steady stream, pour in arrowroot mixture (you might need to give it a brief stir before pouring), stirring this mixture constantly.
Pour in the coconut milk, lemon juice, and sugar. Using a wire whisk, stir constantly and cook until the mixture has thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in vanilla extract, coconut extract if using, salt, and shredded coconut. Immediately pour into the pie crust. If you have any leftover filling, pour that into a small serving dish and there you go, bonus coconut custard! Allow the pie to cool on a countertop for 15 minutes, then carefully transfer to the refrigerator and allow to chill for at least 2 hours. Cover tightly in plastic wrap until ready to serve.
CRUMB CRUST
 
If using graham cracker crumbs, for best results purchase whole crackers and smash them up yourself. This will give you coarser crumbs with a more interesting texture than premade graham crumbs. Why not do the same if using matzo, too?
½ cup unsweetened, shredded coconut
1¾ cups matzo meal or coarse graham cracker
crumbs, or vanilla cookie crumbs
2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons nonhydrogenated vegan margarine,
melted, or unrefined coconut oil
3-5 tablespoons soy or rice milk
 
PREHEAT THE oven to 350°F.
Combine the shredded coconut, matzo meal, and sugar in a large bowl. Pour in the melted margarine and toss to create soft crumbs. Add the soy milk, a tablespoon at a time, until the mixture is moist and holds together if squeezed. Gently but firmly pat the mixture into a 9- or 10-inch deep pie plate, pressing the mixture up the sides, and form a slight lip if desired. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until the coconut and matzo are lightly toasted and the crust is firm. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a rack before filling.
VANILLA ICE CREAM
 
MAKES 1½ PINTS ICE CREAM

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