Showing posts with label beefy seitan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label beefy seitan. Show all posts
Sunday, October 9, 2011
HOLIDAY BRUNCH MENU FROM "WORLD VEGAN FEAST"
HOLIDAY BRUNCH MENU (starred recipes are in World Vegan Feast)
Creole Grits and Grillades*
Clementines, mandarin oranges or tangerines
South American-Style Hot Chocolate* (recipe below)
Lemon-Ginger Pistachio Biscotti or Cranberry-Orange-Pecan Biscotti*
This menu was is entitled "Christmas Morning Brunch" in my new book World Vegan Feast, but it can be used for any holiday brunch, really (for instance, it would be a perfect Mardis Gras brunch dish). In any case, many of us are thinking ahead to the Fall/Winter holidays and special menus that we might serve to our guests or family.
Vegan Creole Grits and Grillades
The main course is one of my favorite recipes in the book because I love corn in any form and the creamy corn grits reminds me of soft Italian polenta. But combined with a heavenly braised vegan steak (the Grillades--pronounced gree-yahds) in a rich Creole sauce-- not to be missed! (This makes a good supper dish, too, BTW.) My version is much lighter in fat than the traditional one, but it is luxurious all the same. I assure you that this is one of the best seitan “beef” dishes you’ll ever have the pleasure of savoring.
Two kinds of vegan biscotti
The fruit, hot chocolate and biscotti on the menu make a festive but not-too-sweet ending to the brunch. Buttery, lemon-scented biscotti studded with candied ginger and pistachios, or a biscotti perfumed with orange zest and bursting with jewel-colored cranberries and toasty pecans are both irresistible. (I make these twice-baked treats every Christmas, but you don’t have to wait for the holidays to enjoy them with coffee, tea, hot cocoa, or wine.) These biscotti are larger, a little richer, and more “buttery” than the biscotti in my book, Nonna’s Italian Kitchen. Consequently, they can be enjoyed on their own, whereas the drier biscotti are best when dunked into one of the above-mentioned beverages. But we like them with this rich South American hot chocolate recipe from the book:
SOUTH AMERICAN-STYLE HOT CHOCOLATE
Serves 2 SFO, GF
Frothy, rich, intensely chocolate and only slightly sweet...
2 cups almond milk or full-fat soy milk
2 ounces bittersweet dark eating chocolate, about 70% cocoa solids, chopped (dairy-free, organic, fair trade)
1 tablespoon organic sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon (or more) favorite liqueur or liquor(rum, brandy, Peruvian Pisco), optional
1.) Heat the milk until almost boiling, in a medium saucepan on the stove or heat the milk in a
1-quart microwave-safe measuring pitcher in the microwave at 100% power (default setting) for
1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Stir in the chopped chocolate and stir until it melts. Stir in the sugar and vanilla.
2.) Now froth the chocolate. You can use a traditional molinillo, which you roll between your hands; or use a whisk, a plunger-type cappuccino frother (or electric version), or a hand-held immersion blender. Another option is to whiz the mixture in a regular blender for a few minutes, but be sure to leave the cap off the middle hole in the blender top and cover it with a folded towel, so that the steam doesn’t explode the hot chocolate all over you! You can microwave the chocolate for about 30 seconds at 100% power (default setting), if you like– the froth rises up nicely in the microwave! Add the liqueur, if using, and serve hot.
Enjoy!
Creole Grits and Grillades*
Clementines, mandarin oranges or tangerines
South American-Style Hot Chocolate* (recipe below)
Lemon-Ginger Pistachio Biscotti or Cranberry-Orange-Pecan Biscotti*
This menu was is entitled "Christmas Morning Brunch" in my new book World Vegan Feast, but it can be used for any holiday brunch, really (for instance, it would be a perfect Mardis Gras brunch dish). In any case, many of us are thinking ahead to the Fall/Winter holidays and special menus that we might serve to our guests or family.
The main course is one of my favorite recipes in the book because I love corn in any form and the creamy corn grits reminds me of soft Italian polenta. But combined with a heavenly braised vegan steak (the Grillades--pronounced gree-yahds) in a rich Creole sauce-- not to be missed! (This makes a good supper dish, too, BTW.) My version is much lighter in fat than the traditional one, but it is luxurious all the same. I assure you that this is one of the best seitan “beef” dishes you’ll ever have the pleasure of savoring.
The fruit, hot chocolate and biscotti on the menu make a festive but not-too-sweet ending to the brunch. Buttery, lemon-scented biscotti studded with candied ginger and pistachios, or a biscotti perfumed with orange zest and bursting with jewel-colored cranberries and toasty pecans are both irresistible. (I make these twice-baked treats every Christmas, but you don’t have to wait for the holidays to enjoy them with coffee, tea, hot cocoa, or wine.) These biscotti are larger, a little richer, and more “buttery” than the biscotti in my book, Nonna’s Italian Kitchen. Consequently, they can be enjoyed on their own, whereas the drier biscotti are best when dunked into one of the above-mentioned beverages. But we like them with this rich South American hot chocolate recipe from the book:
SOUTH AMERICAN-STYLE HOT CHOCOLATE
Serves 2 SFO, GF
Frothy, rich, intensely chocolate and only slightly sweet...
2 cups almond milk or full-fat soy milk
2 ounces bittersweet dark eating chocolate, about 70% cocoa solids, chopped (dairy-free, organic, fair trade)
1 tablespoon organic sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon (or more) favorite liqueur or liquor(rum, brandy, Peruvian Pisco), optional
1.) Heat the milk until almost boiling, in a medium saucepan on the stove or heat the milk in a
1-quart microwave-safe measuring pitcher in the microwave at 100% power (default setting) for
1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Stir in the chopped chocolate and stir until it melts. Stir in the sugar and vanilla.
2.) Now froth the chocolate. You can use a traditional molinillo, which you roll between your hands; or use a whisk, a plunger-type cappuccino frother (or electric version), or a hand-held immersion blender. Another option is to whiz the mixture in a regular blender for a few minutes, but be sure to leave the cap off the middle hole in the blender top and cover it with a folded towel, so that the steam doesn’t explode the hot chocolate all over you! You can microwave the chocolate for about 30 seconds at 100% power (default setting), if you like– the froth rises up nicely in the microwave! Add the liqueur, if using, and serve hot.
Enjoy!
Monday, September 19, 2011
A "STEAK DINNER" FOR VEGANS
Seitan Steak au Poivre
This is a French steak dinner for vegans! It's a simple but elegant menu from my new book "World Vegan Feast" and, though it was meant for a "Father's Day" menu, it makes a marvelous special occasion menu any time of the year, especially with a bottle of vegan red wine!.
Vegan “Steak Dinner” Menu:
Seitan Steak au Poivre
Oven-Fried "Patate Frite"
Green Salad with a simple vinaigrette
Chocolate-Hazelnut Praline Lava Cakes (with your favorite non-dairy vanilla ice cream)
The main dish, a French pepper steak, utilizes my homemade seitan steak recipe, which is also provided in the book. (You can make a batch of 16 and freeze the remaining steaks for future meals.) I've worked and re-worked my seitan recipes over the years to improve upon taste and texture, and this is one of our favorite "beefy" seitan recipes. It's easy to make and versatile, as it can be used for not only steaks, but roasts, stews and kebabs.
The "steaks" before cooking
The "steaks" after cooking, ready to use in a recipe or to freeze for future use.
The "steaks" coated with the pepper mixture before browning.
This dish is a successful vegan version of a French classic. It’s quick to make and quite impressive. I serve it with a simple green salad and the traditional “patate frite”, but I oven-fry the potatoes (directions in the book). In the interests of keeping fat even further to a minimum, I tried the wine glaze without the Earth Balance, but it just didn’t have the glossiness and richness that’s needed. It’s worth it for a treat now and then! However, I did use far less than the butter called for in classic recipes. (The seitan steaks are low in fat to begin with.)
After such a delicious main course, one must serve an elegant and equally impressive dessert. Chocolate-Hazelnut Praline Lava Cakes are incredibly decadent and moist individual chocolate cakes. They have a soft center of melted hazelnut praline filling that erupts from the cakes when you dig into them. Originally, “lava cakes” were French egg-based, flourless cakes that formed a molten center when the cakes were deliberately under-baked. More often than not, these days (due to concerns about under-cooked eggs) a rich cake batter containing flour is used and a frozen chocolate mixture is placed between layers of batter before baking. This is the type that I started with to make my original all-chocolate vegan version. My batter has very little fat in it, yet it is rich, moist, tender, and dark. The hazelnut praline filling contrasts perfectly with the dark chocolate cake, and the result seems rich enough that half a cake is plenty for one serving, especially when served with a scoop of your favorite vegan vanilla ice cream on top of or alongside.
Bon Appétit!
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