Vegan Love

I'm one of the few restaurants in town that go out of my way to serve vegetarians and vegans. Typically they are able to get a sauteed vegetable pasta or a hearty salad, but there's so much more than that. One of my recent favorites is cashew cheese.

Not really cheese per se, but a simple little concoction that serves as a base for many other items. Take enough cashews to half fill your food processor. Add any seasonings that you like - I've tried Indian, Southwest, Jamaican and a few others, then add boiling water, slowly, until you get a thick slurry. Don't over-process so the cheese has some texture. Taste, adjust and then let it sit for about 30 minutes to allow the moisture to absorb into the nuts.

Next you can either use it as a filling (think samosa, egg roll) or shape it into a ball and coat it. And finally fry or bake fry. The salad above is our current vegetarian/vegan option - a Thai seasoned cashew cheese, fried, served on local organic greens with fresh mango and a sweet and sour vegetarian fish sauce.

Recent Dishes

A "simple" little dessert - chocolate sablé, 3 layers of dark chocolate cake soaked with espresso liqueur, Hazelnut dacquoise, Tanzanian coffee ganache, dark chocolate mousse, passionfruit.

Part of my new chocolate line-up: Passionfruit coconut, Tanzanian coffee, Fiery Maple, Tahini/Honey

Pastry Frames

I've had a set of 1" aluminum pastry frame bars for quite some time thanks to the Chocolate Doctor - Kerry Beal, but recently I had our local glass shop make me these:

I can't remember the material but its not plexiglass. I think the material was like polycarb. They weren't cheap. The set of three (notice two different thicknesses) ran just about $175.

Recent Dishes

This was my 2011 signature Christmas dessert. Back in June I made a cacao based mincemeat that was macerated in three boozes until last week. The mincemeat was served with a fresh ginger ginger cake, passionfruit coulis and orange creme anglais.

The week before I served this: chocolate sablé, almond dacquoise, passionfruit bavaroise, dark chocolate mousse, coconut gelée

I've also been playing around with colored chocolate. Here is an attempt at a frog with red and yellow speckles and gold luster. I'm really wanting my airbrush now.

A savory dish for my friends at Bauscher - Moroccan spiced fermented cashew cheese, spiced beets, piñones and pumpkin seed streusel

Last week's dinner special - leek ash ravioli filled with local goat cheese and my own preserved lemons.

Curious Kumquat

Book Review: The Art of Eating Cookbook

Recipes that are timeless. Recipes that have endured. Recipes that hold enough cultural significance that they’ve adorned the pages of Art of Eating magazine. The Art of Eating Cookbook is a no fuss, no frills anthology of recipes that work, taste great, and are doable by any level of cook.

You can read the full review HERE.

Book Review: Momofuku Milk Bar

What has become my most attention grabbing review to date, below is my lukewarm coverage of a cult following cookbook.

Momofuku Milk Bar cookbook is the American reader’s chance to jump back to his or her youth with memories of being raised on Cap’n Crunch and Corn Flakes. In a follow-up to David Chang’s best-selling Momofuku Cookbook, his pastry chef, Christina Tosi, presents her most popular recipes including the famed Compost Cookies and Crack Pie. But beware of her overly sweet recipes if you prefer your desserts a bit more subtle and understated.

Read the rest of the review HERE.

My Thanksgiving Gift to You - Passionfruit with Spiced Pumpkin

For Thanksgiving week I've prepared this special dessert and am sharing the recipe here for you to make at home. Its not as complicated as it may look so give it a try.

For gluten-free-ers, this should be on your menu because the base is a dacquoise - a meringue based nut cake. Start by deciding how you want to present the dessert. You might want to try a 9x13 for your final shape, or you could do this in a wine glass - or a highball glass would make a fun presentation. If you are going to put it in a glass, then simply bake the dacquoise as suggested and cut the final shape needed to be fitted into your glass.

Dacquoise
70 g Hazelnuts, ground
100 g Powdered sugar
90 g (3) Egg whites
3 T Sugar
1 C Hazelnuts, roughly chopped

Sift ground hazelnuts & powdered sugar together & set aside. In a bowl whisk egg whites until foamy then gradually add in sugar and whisk until stiff peaks. Fold hazelnut mixture into the whites then spread mixture evenly onto a 9x13 baking pan lined with parchment paper. Scatter hazelnut halves on top then press down slightly. Bake in a preheated oven of 330ºF for 25-30 mins or until browned. leave to cool. If you are going to make the final dessert in the 9x13, then remove the dacquoise so you can slip off the parchment and return to the pan. If you're going to use glasses, then remove the dacquoise and cut into shape placing in the bottom of the glasses.

Ganache
75 g Cream
100 g Chocolate (I used 65%)

Heat cream in glass measuring cup in microwave until just boiling, set on counter and add chocolate, letting rest about one minute. Stir until glossy and smooth. Spread the ganache on the dacqoise.

Passionfruit Curd
250 ml Passionfruit juice or purée
112 g Butter
3Yolks
3 Eggs
150 g Sugar
2 Sheets gelatin (silver) (or 1 T powdered gelatin softened in 4 T warm water)

Combine juice and butter in saucepan and heat until simmer. In mixing bowl, combine yolks, eggs and sugar and whisk until just combined. Temper egg mixture with hot juice and return all to stove cooking until thickened. Remove from heat and add softened gelatin and strain. Pour onto ganache.

Spiced Pumpkin Mousse
1 Large can of pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
30 ml Lemon juice
90 ml Root liqueur or spiced rum
7 Sheets gelatin (or 4 T powdered in 16 T water)
180 g (6) Egg whites
198 g Sugar
103 ml Corn syrup or glucose
517 ml Cream whipped to stiff peaks

In saucepan warm pumpkin and then add lemon juice and liqueur. Soften gelatin and add to purée stirring to combine thoroughly. Let rest to cool.

In mixer, whisk egg whites until frothy. While whisking bring sugar and syrup to boil cooking to 248º F (120ºC). Slowly pour the boiled sugar into the whites and beat until stiff peaks are formed and mixture has cooled.

Fold pumpkin into whipped cream and then egg whites into the final mixture. Spread into 9x13 or glasses.

Passionfruit Gelée
150 g Passionfruit juice or purée
350 g Mango juice or purée
25 g Glucose or corn syrup
1 T Vanilla (I like to use vanilla paste for this recipe)
25 g Sugar
5 Sheets gelatin

Warm the two purées and corn syrup. Add vanilla, sugar and softened gelatin, gently stirring until the gelatin in melted. Remove from heat and bring to room temp. Pour over the top of the dessert, chill until you're ready to serve.

I hope all of you have a nice Thanksgiving (for my US readers) and a nice holiday season for all!