Bryanna Clark Grogan’s Vegan Feast Kitchen/ 23rd Century Table

You may have noticed that I don't post many dessert recipes.  That's because, though we're not "on a diet", we are of a certain age and need to "watch our weight', as the saying goes.  So, we generally only eat desserts at other people's tables, or when we have company. And I try to go easy on the fat in my dessert recipes, without ruining the texture and flavor of the dish.

We had dinner with some old friends last week, and I brought this pie for dessert.  It's actually a recipe (slightly altered) from one of my old cookbooks, Soyfoods Cooking for a Positive Menopause (not my biggest seller, I must say-- perhaps partially due to the anti-soy hysteria of the last decade or so).  The filling is a richer version of the Tofu Chocolate Mousse in that book.

Our hosts (not vegans) LOVED this pie!  It's really a winner-- easy to make, and so silky, creamy delicious. It's a low-fat as I could make it, but certainly lives up to expectations!





Printable Copy

BRYANNA'S VEGAN CHOCOLATE CREME PIE
Yield: 1/ 10" pie; 10 servings
Easy to make and richly delicious without excessive fat. NOTE: Nutrition facts are for the pie without the whipped creme topping. See Tips below for calorie and fat counts for toppings.

Filling:
1 cup unbleached sugar
7 Tbs strong liquid high-quality coffee, preferably espresso
9 Tbs unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 cup (6 oz.) dairy-free semisweet chocolate chips
24.6 oz extra-firm SILKEN tofu-- that's two 12.3 oz. boxes.
2 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 pinches salt
3 Tbs rum, or a liqueur or flavored Italian syrup (used for special coffee drinks)-- coffee, chocolate or orange liqueur flavors
NOTE: You could use the grated zest of 1 large orange instead of the liquor or syrup, if you prefer.
Crust:
One pre-baked and cooled 10" pastry crust (my standard lower-fat vegan recipes here and here) or your favorite crumb crust (I prefer the pastry crust).
Variation:
For Chocolate-Banana Creme Pie, place sliced ripe banana over the crust, spread on half the chocolate filling, another layer of banana, and then the remaining filling.

Place the silken tofu, vanilla, salt and liquor or syrup (or orange zest) into a large food processor or high-speed blender. Set aside. Now, mix the sugar and coffee in a small saucepan and stir over high heat until dissolved. Lower the heat to medium or medium-low and stir in the cocoa until a paste forms. Add the chocolate chips and stir until melted. Use a silicone spatula to scrape the chocolate mixture into the food processor or blender, on top of the other ingredients. Process until VERY smooth.

Spread the mixture evenly in a pre-baked and cooled 10" crust of your choice (you may have a bit leftover for tasting).  Chill thoroughly.

Before serving, top with your favorite non-dairy creamy whipped topping, such as So Delicious CocoWhip! or (in Canada) Gae Lea Real Coconut Whipped Cream. Both products are delicious and much lower in fat and calories than whipped canned coconut milk. (See Tips below recipe for calorie and fat counts and website links.)

Nutrition Facts (See Tips below for topping suggestions & links, and calorie/fat content of toppings.)
Nutrition (per serving without whipped topping): 296 calories, 91 calories from fat, 10.6g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 248.8mg sodium, 282.4mg potassium, 42g carbohydrates, 3.5g fiber, 21.4g sugar, 9.1g protein, 8.8 points.
(This was calculated using regular Mori-Nu Extra-Firm Silken Tofu.)

TIPS:
Whipped Toppings:
So Delicious CocoWhip! contains 60 calories and 4g fat per 1/4 cup.

Gae Lea Real Coconut Whipped Cream contains 30 calories and 2g fat per 1/4 cup.

According to this pretty standard recipe for whipped canned coconut milk, 1/4 cup contains 126 calories and  9.4g fat, 8.4 of those saturated.

Enjoy!

My Almond Cream Whipped Topping on the Lemon Tiramisu from my book, World Vegan Feast.

For many years (like most vegans, I suspect) I tried to make a tofu whipped cream that I really liked.  I finally came up with a version that was acceptable, but it was always evident that it was tofu.  While developing recipes for my subscription newsletter, The Vegan Feast (it ran for 5 years but I am no longer producing it), I developed a delicious, light, clean-tasting, not-too-sweet whipped topping made mostly from almond milk, and it remains my favorite still. ( I prefer not to use whipped coconut milk, which feels too heavy for my taste and is full of saturated fat.)

I tried making it with commercial almond milk, but it just didn't have the fine taste and the body of that made with homemade almond milk.  However, that's not really a deterrent because nut milk is really easy and relatively quick to make.  In fact, the whipped topping is very easy to make, especially if you use a microwave to do the cooked part. (Scared of microwave ovens?  No need to be-- here's some info I've collected and here's an article from The Sierra Club. And, in the book "Cooking Green: Reducing Your Carbon Footprint in the Kitchen", author Kate Heyhoe tells us that microwaves can save up to 80% energy compared to doing the same tasks made on the stovetop or in a conventional oven-- so it makes sense to use it for little tasks like heating a cornstarch mixture.)

I'm sharing the recipe with you below (after some photos of the topping used on some yummy desserts), and I hope you'll enjoy it!

More desserts heaped with this delicious (and fairly low-fat) homemade vegan whipped topping:

On Scottish Trifle, from my book, World Vegan Feast.

           

On a Blueberry Shortcake

On  Mango Trifle with Indian Spices, from my book, World Vegan Feast.

                      

In Tiramisu from World Vegan Feast

On a peach shortcake

Troubleshooting: This cream is not as stiff as whipped cream and cannot be used for an icing. But, as you can see from the pictures, it is whipped enough for topping a shortcake or pudding or fruit. 1.) You need to follow the directions exactly, 2.) use the homemade almond milk-- don't try using commercial almond milk beverage; it's not creamy enough-- and 3.) make sure that the agar powder is cooked properly (the microwave method works best, IMO). It MUST be translucent (not white). 4) Also, do not substitute agar flakes for powder-- you would need to use 6 times more flakes than powder and flakes must to be cooked longer. 5.) Chill for AT LEAST 3 hours. That's all I can think of-- I've made it many, many times with no problem.

Printable Recipe


BRYANNA’S ALMOND CREAM WHIPPED TOPPING
Makes about 2 cups, GF (Recipe from my book, World Vegan Feast.)
This is my all-purpose whipped topping – rich, creamy, and light, with a lovely, subtle almond flavor. It can be the perfect shortcake topping when made with a little less agar powder (1/2 teaspoon) because traditionally, the cream for shortcakes is not whipped to stiff peaks, but left soft. PS: This topping is NOT stiff enough to use for a cake icing!

For best results, make the topping at least 4 to 6 hours before serving, but it can be made several days ahead of time. (The recipe is easily doubled.)

1 cup blanched, slivered raw almonds
2 cups hot water
2 tablespoons unbleached organic sugar (light-colored)
2 tablespoons cornstarch (you can choose an organic one) or  wheat starch (which is GF) OR 3 tablespoons white rice flour
3/4 teaspoon agar powder NOTE: Do not use agar flakes (Agar powder is actually less expensive than flakes if you compare by weight!)
1/4 cup firm silken tofu (NOTE: if you prefer to leave this out, use 1 tsp. agar powder instead of 3/4 tsp.)
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
1 pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Optional: 1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract

1.) To make the Almond Milk (this just takes a few minutes):
In a blender, combine the almonds and hot water and blend until very smooth. Be patient and let it run for several minutes. Strain the resulting almond milk through a cheesecloth-lined colander over a clean pot, measuring pitcher or bowl. Use 2 layers of fine cheesecloth from a fabric store (or use a nut milk bag). Gather the cheesecloth up to make a “bag” and twist and squeeze the “bag” to squeeze out as much of the almond milk as possible. You can use the almond meal for a facial scrub. NOTE: Do NOT substitute commercial almond milk beverage for the homemade almond milk-- the recipe will not work with the commercial stuff.

2.) In a small saucepan, mix 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons of the almond milk with the sugar, agar and cornstarch. Stir the mixture over medium heat until thickened and translucent. Or use the...
Microwave Option: Mix in a 2-quart microwave-safe bowl (with room for the mixture to rise up) and cook 30 seconds on 100% power (default setting), whisk and repeat 3 more times or until thickened and translucent. (See note about microwave cooking in the text above the recipe.)

3.) In the blender, combine 1 cup more of the almond milk, the silken tofu, salt, lemon juice, vanilla, and almond extract, if using. Scrape the cooked mixture into the blender. Blend until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate for about 1 hour, then beat the mixture briefly so that it is creamy. Chill again for at least 3 hours.

Nutrition Facts:
Nutrition (per 1/4 cup): 133.4 calories; 58% calories from fat; 9.3g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 47.3mg sodium; 149.0mg potassium; 9.7g carbohydrates; 2.0g fiber; 4.2g sugar; 7.7g net carbs; 4.6g protein; 3.0 points.

Enjoy on your favorite desserts!

Cheers!

See update here.

Sound too good to be true? It's not! Julie Hasson and I are working with some unusual ingredients and experimenting, in our own kitchens miles from eachother, and in our own ways, sharing our experiences, failures, and successes. The results so far have been pretty amazing, witness the following successful experiments:


"Whipped creme"!!


Only 27 calories per 1/2 cup!


Strawberry Shortcake with the above "whipped creme"


Vegan "Marshie creme or fluff"-- a spin-off from the "whipped creme" recipe!
UPDATE: The recipe is on this blog post!


It's sweet, sticky, fluffy and it lasts!


I couldn't resist trying it on small fat-free chocolate cakes (Light and Easy Chocolate Cake from my book "The Almost No-Fat Holiday Cookbook".



Can you see why we're excited? But there's alot of work to do, perfecting the recipes, figuring out the limitations, and the possibilities. Souffle? Angel Food Cake? Meringue? Pavlova? Mousse? Rocky Road Ice cream? Good thing there's no fat involved, or we would turn into blimps!

So stay tuned to both my blog and Julie's for more developments!

All the best!