Chickpea and Aubergine Falafel
For a dinner I was invited to on Saturday, I made falafel. Falafel is like the kind of food I’m almost sure every vegetarian on earth has tasted at least once in his/her lifetime. It’s also one of the things I always end up eating every time I travel. However, I had several bad experiences when I tried to make these spiced chickpea balls at home – most of the times, the falafels wouldn’t hold together and consequently fall apart while cooking. This time around I approached the recipe in a different way though – instead of canned chickpeas, I used dried ones, which made all the difference in terms of structure. I also added grilled aubergines to the mixture to provide some depth in terms of flavour. When it comes to falafel, I like it fried more than baked, even though the latter method of cooking is clearly healthier than the former. If you’d rather have it baked, go ahead – just bare in mind the balls won’t be as crispier as if they were fried, even though that comes with the huge advantage of cutting down a bunch of extra calories. Also, frying is, at least for me, a bit of a scary technique – whenever I fry something (which I do rarely), I’m always afraid of getting burnt by the hot oil, so I keep this safety distance from the pan/pot in which things are being fried, and then when I finally decide to turn them over it’s usually too late and they’re already burnt. Anyway, for this post I tried to fry the falafels and the whole process went extremely well – the fact that they were quite firm (I let them sit a few hours in the fridge), has probably contributed to the success. I’ll leave you with this recipe then, but not without the promise of a soon come back.
Chickpea and Aubergine Falafel
(makes about 25 medium sized falafel)
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups (300 g) dried chickpeas
2 tablespoons cumin seeds, crushed
1 tablespoon coriander seeds, crushed
1 big handful coriander (aprox. 7 g)
1 big handful mint (aprox. 12 g)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ cup regular flour
¾ teaspoon salt
zest and juice of one lemon
2 medium sized aubergines (aprox. 580 g), cut into rounds of about 0.7 cm each
olive oil for frying or baking
1. Put the dried chickpeas in a large bowl and add enough water to cover. Let them soak overnight or for at least 8 hours before using. The day after, drain the chickpeas and wash them thoroughly under cold running water.
2. Now it’s time to salt the aubergine slices: put them in a large tray and add 2 to 3 tablespoons of salt. Leave them like that for at least 30 minutes – you’ll notice they’ll release some liquid and feel softer to the touch. Then, rinse the slices, wash them thoroughly and dry them with the help of a clean kitchen towel.
3. Add chickpeas and all the other ingredients, except the aubergines, to a food processor, and process everything until a thick paste comes together. Transfer the chickpea mixture to a large bowl and set aside.
4. In a large and lightly oiled grilling pan over medium/high heat, cook the aubergines’ slices for about 3 minutes on each side, or until they’re slightly browned or have grilling marks. When the slices are cool enough to handle, cut them into small pieces and add them to the chickpea mixture.
5. Shape the chickpea mixture into medium-sized balls and line them on a baking sheet. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours – the falafels should be cold and firm; if they’re not, let them sit in the fridge for a little longer.
6. Now, you can either fry or bake the falafels. If you want to fry them, heat about 5 cm (2 inches) of oil (I used olive oil) to aprox. 180 C (350 F) in a deep pan or pot. Add the falafels in small batches and fry them for 4 to 6 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer the falafels to a plate covered with paper towels to drain the excess oil. If you prefer to have them baked, brush the balls with olive oil and bake them in the oven (180 c / 350 F) for 15 minutes or until golden brown, turning halfway through for even browning.
7. Serve the falafels in pita bread with some yoghurt-based (I used a soy-based vegan yoghurt) sauce, chopped tomatoes, avocados and salad leaves.
Avocado and Kiwi Fruit Pudding with Lime
Avocado is one of those fruits I always keep handy. I used to use it strictly for making guacamole, but then I started incorporating it into salads and, more recently, smoothies and desserts. Fruit desserts and salads are something I’m particular fond of, and today’s recipe was born out of the need to use a great part of the huge bag of kiwi fruit my aunt gave us (she grew and picked it herself). Don’t be skeptical about the use of avocado in here: its primary function is to give creaminess, and you’ll barely feel its taste. On the other hand, if you’re planning on doing this, it’s key to use ripe kiwi fruit, otherwise it’ll taste bitter and give you this weird feeling in the mouth (at least that’s what happens to me when I eat it underripe). Also, and I know this comes with a bit of a delay, but I wish you all a great 2012, full of exciting projects and recipes (I made this list where I wrote down recipes I want to have on my repertoire, and Socca is the first in line, so I guess this is a hint of what might come up next in here).
*Another reason to convince you to try out the avocado-kiwi fruit combo: Jennifer and Jaclyn’s version of a similar pudding.
Avocado and Kiwifruit Pudding with Lime
(serves 4)
for the pudding:
2 avocados (I used one large and one medium sized), (320 g)
7 kiwis (310 g)
½ banana (50 g)
¼ cup (60 ml) agave nectar
zest of two limes
juice of one lime
garnish:
a few banana slices
2 to 3 kiwis, cut into cubes
fresh mint leaves
1. Put all the ingredients for the pudding in a food processor or blender and process until smooth.
2. Divide the pudding among four small bowls and add a few banana and kiwi fruit slices on top, as well as some mint leaves. Serve and enjoy!
Bolo-Rei
One of the most typical cakes eaten in Portugal around this time of the year is Bolo-Rei (“bolo” stands for cake, “rei” for king). It’s one of those cakes I always enjoyed eating since I was kid (even though it isn’t a kids-friendly type of cake) and now, as a grown-up, I decided to try to bake it myself. I did it yesterday and, even though the cake is a bit of a project (it’s yeast-based, so it has to rise two times), the end result is way better than its store-bought counterpart.
Firstly, I decided to bake two cakes, basing them on different recipes (which only varied slightly in terms of method and rising times). Then, I thought, “why-not-to-go-a-little-bit-further-with-this” and substituted sugar for agave nectar, butter for olive oil, eggs for tofu, and also added spelt flour to one of the doughs (while the other one was made only with regular flour). I was really satisfied with how both cakes came out : they had a soft and bread-like inside, filled with lots of nuts and dried fruits. I finished things off by covering them with a tangerine glaze and toasted shredded coconut. The recipe I’m sharing with you is the one in which I used 100% regular flour: not because it tasted better or anything (the cakes had a similar taste), just that it was the one I actually ended up taking notes of (anyway, I’m pretty sure you could sub half of the amount of regular flour called in the recipe for spelt or any other whole grain variety). Also, this time around I ended up measuring everything in grams, for which I apologise, even though I prefer to do it that way, especially when baking.
Bolo-Rei
(for one large cake)
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons (60 ml) agave nectar
4 tablespoons (60 ml) olive oil
100 grams tofu, crumbled
6 tablespoons (90 ml) soy milk, plus a few extra tablespoons
15 grams fresh yeast
250 grams regular flour
80 grams raisins
80 grams almonds, coarsely chopped
40 grams walnuts, coarsely chopped
55 grams dates (7 units), pitted and chopped
For the tangerine glaze:
freshly squeezed juice of 4 medium-sized tangerines
2 tablespoons (30 ml) agave nectar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
–––
2 to 3 tablespoons of shredded coconut, toasted
1. In a blender combine the first 4 ingredients and mix until smooth. In the meantime, dissolve the yeast in a few tablespoons (3 to 4) of slightly warm soy milk. Add the yeast mixture to the tofu mixture, and run the blender once again, until everything is well incorporated.
2. Sift the flour into a large bowl. Make a well in the middle and, gradually, add the liquid mixture. You’ll end up with a soft, sticky dough, which you want to knead for about 5 minutes (resist the urge to add more flour to it).
3. Transfer the dough to a slightly oiled large bowl, cover it with a clean towel, and leave it to rise in a warm place for about 2 hours or until doubled in size.
4. Once the dough has doubled in size, it’s time to add the chopped nuts (almonds and walnuts) and dried fruits (raisins and dates) to it. Knead the dough in the bowl for 1 minute, or until all the nuts and dried fruits are well incorporated into it.
6. Now, shape the dough into a log, joining the two ends together in order to form a crown. Transfer the cake to a large baking tray lined with parchment paper, cover it again with a clean towel and leave it to rise for additional 45 minutes.
7. Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC (375ºF).
8. Bake the cake in the lower third of the oven for about 30 minutes, or until it slightly browned (see picture above) on top.
9. To make the tangerine glaze, add the tangerine juice, 2 tablespoons agave nectar and 1 teaspoon of cornstarch to a small pan over medium heat, until it reduces and thickens up (do not forget to constantly whisk the mixture).
10. Once the cake is done, cover it with the glaze (you might end up having more than what you actually need) and sprinkle it with the shredded coconut.
Recipe inspired by Ingrediente Secreto, by Henrique Sá-Pessoa, published by Casa das Letras in 2011.
Chestnut and Mushroom Soup
A few days ago, I’ve come across a variety of chestnut soups both online and in some cookbooks. In most cases, the chestnuts were paired with mushrooms, but I’ve also spotted some soups which combined the former with cauliflower, parsnips, or even lentils (such as this one). I never thought of using this ingredient in a soup before, but it seemed perfectly logical to do that, as chestnuts, when puréed, are extremely velvety. So, hereby follows my version of a chestnut and mushroom soup, and all I can tell you is that, if you happen to make it and never tasted a chestnut soup before, you’ll be surprised by how good and delicate it is. The mushrooms add some depth, balancing the natural sweetness of the chestnuts, and the whole thing just tastes like autumn. I bet I will be making this again in the meantime, as chestnuts have now invaded the markets and are begging to being used in a whole range of preparations. They’re delicious by their own, simply roasted with coarse seal salt, but you can also enjoy them not only in soups and savoury dishes, but in sweet treats as well, such as puddings and pies (I’ve made a chestnut pie one of these days and thoroughly enjoyed it). Fall is definetely my favorite season, mostly because of its fresh produce, which I absolutely love – pumpkins and squashes, brussel sprouts, beetroots, apples, persimmons… – but also because of its cold, yet sunny, days.
Chestnut and Mushroom Soup
(Serves 4)
1 medium sized onion, finely chopped
olive oil
½ teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced
2 cups (175 g) cremini mushrooms, laminated
1 cup (190g) peeled roasted chestnuts (store bought is fine)*
3 ½ cups (875 ml) vegetable stock
fresh parsley, for garnish
1. In a pot over medium heat, add the onion, rosemary and one or two teaspoons of olive oil. Sauté until the onion has softened.
2. Add the mushrooms and the chestnuts to the pot and cook for 5 minutes, or until the mushrooms have released their juices.
3. At this point, add the stock and a pinch of salt and bring the soup to a boil. Decrease the heat to a low-medium and let the soup simmer for additional 5 minutes.
4. Transfer the soup to a blender and purée until it’s totally smooth and creamy. Have taste and add a little more salt if needed.
5. Serve immediately, garnished with a few parsley leaves.
*If you want to roast the chestnuts yourself, do the following: pre-heat the oven to 180ºC. Make a small incision with a knife into each individual chestnut. Put the chestnuts in a baking tray, sprinkle them with sea salt, and cook in the oven for about 30 minutes. Once the chestnuts are cooked, peel their skins – the peeling process is easier if the chestnuts are still warm.
Cocoa Truffles
This blog hasn’t been updated in a while and all I can do is to blame the fact that life and its issues have kept/are keeping me busy. I’ve been cooking (although not on a daily basis), but most of the time I just don’t feel like taking pictures of what I’ve cooked and writing down the recipes to make blog posts out of it. It’s not that I don’t like that part of the process, but I just don’t manage to do it as often as I’d like to.
So, the other day I met up with some friends for a picnic and, inspired by this recipe, I made and brought these cocoa truffles, as well as an Ottolenghi-inspired cucumber salad. Everybody enjoyed the truffles and asked how I made them so, dear friends and people, hereby follows the recipe. These ones are so damn delicious and come together in a breeze, so there’s actually no excuses not to make them. As far as toppings go, I used cocoa powder, shredded coconut and a beautiful mix of dried flowers. But you can certainly play around with the toppings and roll the truffles in sesame seeds, a mixture of cinnamon and light muscovado sugar or a combo of finely chopped nuts and fragrant spices. This is also the perfect treat to try out if you have kids around and need a little help molding and rolling the truffles, and of course eating them. ; )
Cocoa Truffles
(makes about 18 truffles)
1 cup (80 grams) shredded coconut
3/4 cup (120 grams) almonds, soaked for at least 2 hours before using
8 dried figs (the softer, the better), coarsely chopped (75 grams)
5 tablespoons good quality cocoa powder
3 to 4 tablespoons agave nectar or honey
1 tablespoon tahini
a pinch of salt
shredded coconut, cocoa power, mix of dried flowers for topping
1. Mix all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until a thick paste has formed.
2. Take one or two teaspoons of the mixture at a time and, with your hands, mold the mixture into little balls.
3. Coat the balls with the toppings mentioned above. Enjoy!
recipe inspired by Green Kitchen Stories
Red Pepper and Spinach Calzones
This year, I spent one week vacation in Spain, in a village – El Escorial – close to Madrid, with our friends Ana and Jaime. It was good and calm, as any proper vacation should be. I also happened to taste some typical spanish dishes such as Patatas Bravas and Gazpacho (this last one being prepared by Jaime, who’s spanish) or beverages like Horchata, which I’m now very fond of. I might also tell you that Spain (as well as Portugal) is not an easy country when it comes to eat vegan food, specially if you want to eat local. Knowing that, and also because I’m not 100% vegan, but a vegetarian who likes to eat and prepare as many vegan food as she cans, I didn’t deprive myself from having the occasional slice of tortilla or deep fried onion rings when going out for lunch at a local café. Anyway, Patatas Bravas, a traditional tapas made of crispy fried potatoes and a hot, firey sauce, is a favorite of mine and I had a great serving of it while having lunch in Madrid – I’ll post up a recipe for it in the meantime. Until then, we’ll have Calzones.
I recently came across a recipe for basic homemade bread in Happy Days with the Naked Chef – it can be found here – which was worked in many different ways by Jamie so that you could make banana and honey bread, onion baguettes, calzones, - just to name a few – using the very same base. Calzones were what I had decided to make this time around and they turned out amazing. The dough was fluffy and flavorful, as any bread dough should be; the filling, which I made in promptu in an attempt to clean up the fridge, didn’t disappoint as well. Anyway, feel free to make your own filling if you want to. I leave you with some ideas I might try in the next batches: sautéed butternut squash with sage, slow roasted tomatoes with crumbled tofu and basil, ratatouille-like stew with green olives. Also, as I’m writing this, I’m thinking that you could certainly spread a thin layer of tapenade in the base of each calzone before adding the filling – it’d be just delicious. I wish you a great and sunny summer, just as mine is being so far : )*
Red Pepper and Spinach Calzones
(makes 16)
for the bread dough:
1 kg strong bread flour
30 grams fresh yeast
625 ml slightly warm water
2 teaspoons fine grain salt
for the filling:
olive oil
1 small red chili pepper, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon paprika
4 small red onions (about 65 grams each), sliced thin
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup (125 ml) red wine
200 grams (one package) spinach leaves, washed and well drained
1 cup (250 ml) canned tomato purée
1/2 cup (60 grams) black olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
1 cup (250 grams) roasted bell peppers (I roasted mine, but it’s ok to use canned ones), cut into strips
1 cup (140 grams) cooked Puy lentils
salt to taste
1. In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in half of the water required (about 315 ml). In another bowl, combine the flour and salt. Add the yeast mixture, gradually, to the flour mixture, starting to work with a wooden spoon and ending up with your hands. You’re looking after a smooth, elastic and slightly sticky dough here: to achieve that, kneed the dough on a floured surface for 5 minutes, adding a little more flour or water if necessary.
2. Dust a little flour over the dough and place it in a large bowl. Cover the bowl with cling film and leave it to proof for 1 hour in a warm place (most of the times, I end up placing my the dough in the oven).
3. Pre-heat the oven at 200ºC.
4. Once the dough has proofed, knead it in the bowl for 30 seconds, to remove the air pockets that might have formed. Now, divide the dough into 8 equal portions and place them in a large baking dish dusted with flour. Again, leave the dough to proof, in a warm place, until almost doubled in size (this might take from 30 minutes to an hour).
5. In the meantime, make the filling: Heat a large pan over medium heat and add a generous glug of olive oil, the minced chili, sliced onions, garlic, oregano and paprika and fry for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the onion has softened. Add the red wine and cook for additional 3 minutes, or until it has been almost absorved and the onion looks caramelized. Add the spinach to the pan and cook, stirring often, until it’s soft and wilted. Now, add the tomato purée, followed by the olives, roasted peppers and Puy lentils, and cook for 10 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened and reduced a bit. Add the salt, have a taste, and adjust the seasonings. Leave the filling to cool down for a while; we’re going back to the dough.
6. Now that your dough has proofed a second time, let’s roll it out. But first, divide each ball of dough (you have 8 of them) in half, so that you end up with 16 pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a disk in a floured surface: don’t roll them too thin (the ideal thickness is about 0,5 mm), has this dough is so flavorful you really want to feel and properly taste it while you bite into your calzones.
7. Place a good heaped tablespoon of the filling in the center of the disk; fold it in half and seal it by working the dough with your hands or using a fork. Brush the calzone with olive oil, make 3 diagonal cuts in the pastry, and transfer it to a oiled baking dish while you prepare the remaining calzones, by repeating this process.
8. Bake the calzones for 15 minutes in the pre-heated oven. They’re best eaten the day they’re made.
The basic bread recipe is adapted from this one, from Jamie Oliver. There’s also a Calzone recipe, using this very same bread dough, in Jamie’s book Happy Days with the Naked Chef, first published in September 2001
Watermelon Gazpacho
I haven’t been around for quite some time and that doesn’t come without an excuse: great amount of work and the consequent absence from the kitchen have slowed down my inspiration (and desire) to cook these days. Anyway, as I’m now officially on vacation, I’m slowly getting back on track. :) Summer has arrived and cold soups have been in my daily menu quite often. Having heard about Watermelon Gazpacho before, I decided, this time, to give it a try, by combining the ingredients that are usually used when making gazpacho (minus the bread), plus the addition of watermelon. Simple, tasty and refreshing was the outcome. I encourage you to give this one a try, specially if you’re looking for light and summery soups. I like the concept of using seasonal fruits in chilled soups, and I’m tempted to try a version of gazpacho with cherries (which I’ve seen online) as well as a chilled melon soup I’ve spotted while flipping through the pages of The Millenium Cookbook.
Watermelon Gazpacho
(serves 3 to 4)
Ingredients:
3 cups (450 grams) seeded and diced watermelon
3 medium sized tomatoes (about 1 1/4 cups or 300 grams), peeled, seeded and diced
1 small cucumber (about 3/4 cup or 135 grams), peeled, seeded and diced
1 small white onion (about 1/3 cup or 50 grams), minced
2 tablespons minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon red wine or balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Garnish:
1 cup (140 grams) cooked corn kernels (cut from a medium sized corn cob)
1 medium sized onion, minced
a handful of chopped mint or basil leaves (I used the first)
1. In a large food processor or blender, blend the watermelon until smooth. Alternatively, if your food processor or blender isn’t large enough, you can work in batches.
2. Then, add the diced tomatoes, cucumber, white onion and ginger and purée until well blended. Finally, add the balsamic vinegar, olive oil and salt and pepper to the mixture, and pulse once again for a couple of seconds to combine. Add a taste and adjust the seasonings, adding a bit more salt and pepper if necessary.
3. Pour the soup into a large bowl. Cover, and refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving.
4. In the meantime, mix all the ingredients for the garnish.
5. To serve, pour the soup into chilled bowls or glasses and scatter 2 to 3 tablespoons of the corn and onion mixture on top.
Luísa’s Flatbread
I’m glad to have friends who like to cook. More than that, I’m glad to have friends who can actually cook quite well. There are some who have an undeniable sweet tooth; others who are their best when cooking savoury dishes; some others who are experts on the art of ultimate clean-up-the-fridge meals; those who don’t actually cook at all, and even those rare species who don’t actually cook at all but always value a great, high-quality meal.
Having said this, I’m not quite sure if Luísa matches any of these patterns. I’d rather say she just enjoys cooking, and specially fascinates (as I do) with the social phenomenons which revolve around the act of preparing and eating food such as, for instance: people cooking together, exchanging ideas, methods and recipes; sitting at the table and sharing a good, homemade meal, with closest friends and family. We’ve been talking lately about making a sort of cooking meeting, where we (amongst other people) would cook and share our specialities and enjoy a great meal together in the end – I’m so looking forward to that to happen.
We didn’t know we had common visions towards food until a few months ago, when we got to know each other better at that barbecue party thrown in order to celebrate the end of the semester. She was preparing flatbreads and, as a bread lover you already know I am, that immediately caught my attention. Her method (I won’t call it a recipe, as she was actually following her intuition in order to achieve the desired results) couldn’t be easier: flour, salt, olive oil and water, all mixed together in order to produce a lovely soft dough which is afterwards rolled out and cooked in the oven until crisp. Since then, I’ve used her “method” a lot of times always with successful and delicious outcomes, so today I thought writing down a proper recipe for you. This time around, I have made the flatbreads in the grilling pan and actually enjoyed them more that way (by grilling them, you can control the cooking time more easily, avoiding over-cooking). Luísa had, in her version, only used regular flour ,so I thought combining it with spelt flour for a dough with a more distinct flavour – if you don’t have it at hand, regular (preferably high grade) flour will do it. You can certainly play a lot with this recipe too: adding spices, fresh or dried herbs to the dough is always a good idea. So far, I’ve tried a batch with dried thyme and oregano and another one with crushed cumin seeds – both were that good. Thank you Luísa! ; )
Luísa’s flatbread
(makes 5 to 6 portions)
Ingredients:
108 grams (3/4 cups) high grade flour
65 grams (1/2 cup) spelt flour
½ teaspoon fleur de sel
¼ cup olive oil, plus extra, for drizzling
1/3 cup (80 ml) warm water
1. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients.
2. Add the olive oil to the bowl, stir with a spatula or a wooden spoon, and then slowly pour in the water, stirring as you go. Now, you can start working the dough with your hands.
3. Transfer the dough to a floured surface and kneed it for 5 minutes, or until it’s elastic. Add a bit more flour to the dough if it feels sticky (I didn’t have to add any, but I suspect it always depends on the temperature and/or humidity of the place you are in).
4. Divide the dough into 5 equal portions. Roll out each portion so that it’s about 32 cm (about 12.5 inches) long. Let it rest, covered with parchment paper, for 5 minutes at room temperature.
5. In the meantime, heat a large grilling pan over medium-high heat and lightly coat with olive oil. When hot, but not smoking, add the flatbreads (I added one at the time since my pan wasn’t large enough to accommodate more than one unit) and grill them for 1 to 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown.
6. Serve right after cooking, drizzled with a little more olive oil and with an extra pinch of salt.
(eggless and dairy-free) Crème Brûlée
I’ll start this post by sharing with you some of the kitchen disasters that have happened around here lately. The first one happened a couple days ago, when I attempted to make some hazelnut cookies: some minutes after I’ve put them in the oven, we heard some noises coming from the oven, and in the end it turned out one of the oven glasses has broken. Surprisingly, the cookies weren’t affected and were still edible.
The second disaster happened a few days later: I was working on this crème brûlée recipe and used the food processor to blend all the ingredients I was going to use; suddendly, when trying to pull out the blender jar, all the liquid spilled away on the floor – perhaps I didn’t attach the jar properly to its base? After cleaning the kitchen floor, table and counter, I was determined to start over again – I wanted crème brûlée and, whatever happened next, I’d have my serving of it that night.
This créme brulée fever has triggered thanks to the MasterChef Australia (a TV show I’m completely addicted to, by the way) as in one of the shows I watched recently, the contestants were taught, in a masterclass, how to perfectly make the said dessert. I never cared too much for crème brûlée, but the moment I saw and heard on the show that burnt sugar surface crackling with the hit of the spoon, I was determined to make my own version of the french classic. The MasterChef recipe, even though looking (and certainly tasting) incredible, relied on eggs to get that pudding like texture – soft, smooth, but somehow solid. My purpose, when attempting at making an eggless version, was to achieve a similar consistency as it is nearly all crème brûlée is about. Arrowroot flour and agar agar flakes were then used in order to give creaminess and structure to this vanilla flavored custard; to finish things off, a good layer of golden and sort of smokey-tasting sugar was added, for extra sweetness and yumminess.
(eggless and dairy-free) Crème Brûlée
(for 5 sevings)
ingredients:
4 cups (1 liter) non-dairy milk (I used soy milk, but almond milk would work as well)
1/3 cup (65 grams) muscovado sugar (plus extra, for the topping)
4 ½ tablespoons arrowroot flour
1 3/4 teaspoons agar agar flakes
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cinnamon stick
Notes: I’ve used agar agar flakes in here, and even though I’ve blended all the ingredients in the food processor before actually start cooking (as it’s suggested below), I could still feel some little pieces of agar which haven’t been blended properly. They were so few I actually didn’t mind, but if you want to avoid this, use powdered agar instead – you have to use less, I’d say ¾ to 1 teaspoon (I haven’t tested, so this is merely referential). On the other hand, feel free to use a vanilla bean (split in half, lengthwise, seeds scrapped straight into the pot) instead of vanilla extract.
1. Put all the ingredients in a food processor or vitamix and mix, at medium-high speed, for 30 seconds, or until everything is well blended.
2. In a large pot over medium heat, pour the mixture and stir with a spoon, until it barely starts boiling. It might happen that some scum forms on the surface – you can skim it off easily with a metal spoon. As soon as the liquid is boiling, decrease the heat to low and continue to whisk vigourously for 10 to 12 minutes longer. The mixture should thicken up substancially and you’ll know it’s ready when, while stirring, the spoon leaves trail marks, showing off the bottom of the pot.
3. Divide the créme brulée among 5 ramekins, and let them cool at room temperature. Once cooled, refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
4. To make the “burnt” topping, add 1 tablespoon of sugar on top of each serving and, using a kitchen torch, caramelize the sugar, working in circular moves. Add up to 1 more tablespoon of sugar to each rameking, if you want a slightly more thick topping.
5. Let it set for 5 minutes before serving. Bon appetit!
Roasted Shallots and Cherry Tomatoes Pie
This pie recipe I’m about to share with today was made upon my mother’s request for a savory pie. My mom is an undeniable sweet tooth and most of the things she asks me to cook are cookies and desserts, but this time around she was up – to my relief – to something different. I’ve been facing days in which my motivation/inspiration to cook has been reduced to a minimum (I think we all have experienced the feeling that, for some unknown reason, we cannot simply come up with new interesting ideas – not only in the culinary realm, but also in any other area) so I really took and followed her guidelines: she wanted a pie with roasted onions or shallots on it, and that was what I made. Actually, I’ve realized this is a good method to pike up your creativity: ask somebody what he/she wants you to cook for them, and you’ll probably come up not only with what they wanted, but also with your own interpretation of what they asked you make - and that’s what makes the new born recipe special and therefore unique in its own way. Another way to re-start feeling inspired to cook – at least for me – is to watch other people cooking: I went to a barbecue party this weekend, and by watching one of my friends making a delicious and dead easy flatbread recipe from scratch, I immediately knew I had to try it at home with my own tweaks and variations (I’ll post up the recipe here soon).
This particular recipe relies on the well-known technique used in non-dairy and eggless pies, which is to make a “tofu custard” (and season it with a few dried herbs and condiments), that will then set when cooked in the oven, similarly to any other savory custard made of eggs and cream.
These days, I’ve been also addicted to experiment with different types of flour, and this time around, while searching the cupboards for buckwheat and oat flours (which I was planning to use in here), I found chestnut flour and that was what I used to make the crust. Chestnut flour has a sweet and somehow dense flavor, and because it’s gluten-free, I think it’s easier to work with when it’s combined with wheat (either whole wheat or just regular) flours – if you don’t have chestnut flour at hand, feel free to make this pie crust using only the white whole-wheat type instead.
I owe my mother the inspiration for this pie recipe so, as a sort of tribute, the leading picture of this post shows myself – as a little child – and her back in the early 90’s. : )
Roasted Shallots and Cherry Tomatoes Pie
(makes one, 20-22 cm tart)
For the pie crust:
140 grams (1 cup) chestnut flour
130 grams (1 cup) white whole-wheat flour
80 ml (1/3 cup) olive oil
60 ml (1/4 cup) plus 2 to 3 tablespoons cold water
½ teaspoon salt
For the roasted vegetables:
250 grams (1 ½ cups) cherry tomatoes, cut in half crosswise
1 teaspoon muscovado sugar
250 grams (2 cups) small shallots, peeled and cut in half crosswise
4 large garlic cloves, left whole and unpeeled
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
a pinch of salt
olive oil
For the tofu custard:
500 grams (1/2 pound) firm tofu, patted dry and crumbled
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons tamari
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon-thyme, minced
1. Pre-heat the oven to 200ºC. Lightly oil 2 baking dishes with olive oil. Mix the onions with 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar and a pinch of salt. In one of the dishes, place the onions, cut side up, and the garlic cloves, and drizzle a little olive oil over them. Separately, mix the tomatoes with 1 teaspoon muscavado sugar and a little olive oil. Distribute them evenly on the other baking dish. Place the 2 baking dishes in the oven – preferably in the middle rack – and roast for 25 minutes, or until the vegetables are golden brown. When they’re done, take them out from the oven and let them cool a bit at room temperature.
2. In the meantime, prepare the crust: Mix the chesnut and wheat flours in a bowl. Add the salt. Now, slowly pour the olive oil and mix everything with a rubber spatula. Finally, add the water. Using your hands, mix the ingredients together in order to form a ball, being careful not to overmix the dough. If the dough seems too dry and doesn’t hold together, add 1 to 2 tablespoons more water.
3. Place the dough in the lightly oiled tart pan and press it with your fingers, so that the bottom and the sides of the pan are uniformly covered with dough. Now, trim any excess dough. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate it while you proceed with the recipe.
4. For the tofu custard, place all the ingredients for the custard in a food processor, as well as half of the roasted cherry tomatoes (juices included) and the roasted garlic cloves (which you have to unpeel first), and process until totally smooth. Have a taste and adjust the seasonings – adding a bit more tamari and/or a bit more lemon juice – if needed.
5. Take tart pan out of the refrigerator, cover it with foil and place a few pie weights over it – I used dried beans. Blind bake the crust for 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown.
6. Place the onions in the bottom of the pre-baked tart shell. Fill the latter with the tofu custard and distribute the remaining roasted cherry tomatoes evenly on top. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, at 180ºC, or until the custard is set and golden brown. Serve with a leafy salad.
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