Natural Gourmet Cooking Class: Tea Time!

I was back in the city this weekend to attend a cooking class at the Natural Gourmet Institute.  It's been quite awhile since I've been there, and it was great to be back.  I remember my first experience cooking in a commercial kitchen many, many years ago and feeling thrilled to use all the fancy equipment and experience the hustle and bustle of a production kitchen.  It's like being on the set of "Chopped."

Chef Ann Nunziata, pastry chef of the renowned all-vegan Ravens Restaurant, was our instructor. She offered a wealth of knowledge and tips for baking with natural ingredients such as maple sugar, coconut oil, and applesauce. We made a wide array of desserts including ice cream, brownies, cookies, scones, cake, and cheesecake.  

I think my favorite was the Lemon Cheesecake with Pecan Crust and Cherry Compote.

Our two teams also produced Pumpkin Crumb Cake, Almond Butter Oatmeal Cookies, Cinnamon Chocolate Pecan Brownies, Orange Cranberry Scones, Chai Spiced Ice Cream and Peach Ice Cream.

If you ever want to learn about natural foods and get some experience cooking in a commercial kitchen, I highly recommend taking a class at the Natural Gourmet.    

A trip to heaven: Divine Treasures

I had a free afternoon yesterday and decided to go on a spur of the moment roadtrip to Divine Treasures, a vegan chocolatier based in Manchester, CT.  I stopped for lunch along the way at Fire and Spice, and my journey continued to the northeast foothills amidst a sunny blue sky and a blaze or red, orange and yellow leaves.

I arrived eager with anticipation.  My last visit was back in February for Valentine's Day, and I returned  yesterday looking forward to sampling some new collaborative creations made with baked goods supplied by Shayna B's( & The Pickle), a gluten-free vegan baker based in Ashford, CT.

Everything I had heard was true:  the best vegan gluten-free desserts I've ever eaten.  No graininess.  No heaviness.  No "healthy" taste that makes me think, "why bother?"  If it's a dessert, it should taste like a dessert.  And by that I mean SPECIAL.

chocolate chip blondies from shayna b's

The cookies and cakes I sampled were sweet, but not cloyingly so, and the flavors tasted natural.  That's EXACTLY what I want in a dessert.  Make my tastebuds smile, and leave me wanting more!!  These desserts delivered exactly that.  And dare I say, I think they even blow away the famous Babycakes that has foodies all abuzz in NYC.  They've got nothing on Shana B's.

These Biscotti Bites are brilliant!

And now, onto the chocolates.  Everything I just said about the baked goods can also be said about Divine Treasures' chocolates.  They're rich, dark, creamy, and oh so satisfying.  The flavor combinations are creative, and the presentations are beautiful.  There are good things coming from this chocolatier, and the fact that the chocolates are vegan makes them even better.  The average customer would never know though.

Owner Diane Wagemann says that the majority of her customers are not vegan and don't realize her chocolates are made without any animal products.  They just buy them because they're outstanding.  She also uses agave and rice syrup for her sweeteners, and her products are gluten-free as well.

While I was there, several regulars came in for their weekly fix, while others came in to try something different.  You can't find beautiful creations like this at Munson's or Russell Stover (where frankly, as far as I remember, everything tastes like wax).  No, these are unique, hand-crafted, and absolutely delicious.

Here's what I remember sampling (it's all become a chocolate blur to me now, but I'll do my best...):

Chocolate Biscotti Bites
Bonne Shanse Minou ("Lucky Cat" chocolate dipped brownie)
Heath Bar Crunch
Peanut Butter Patty Melt
Prince of India Truffle (spiced with garam masala)
Buddha Bite (a little Buddha man with spicy coconut cream tummy)
Chocolate Covered Chocolate Coconut Bomb (made with Shayna B's cake enrobed in dark chocolate)

If you're ever passing through the area - or like me, will go out of the way for good vegan chocolates - do make a point of stopping by the shop.  Have some vegan soft serve while you're there (I can't stress enough how much better this is than standard Tofutti fare), then fill a box of truffles and chocolates to savor for days to come.  Or at least for the ride home!

smiling buddha with a tummy filled with coconut creme and love

named for the very awesome animal activist, Annie Hornish

a perfect seasonal treat

a very lucky kitty made with brownies and love

Dining at Cafe Indigo

I recently spent one of the last weekends of summer away in New Hampshire and had the pleasure of visiting Cafe Indigo, a little vegan cafe and bakery in Concord.  Famous for its veganized carrot cake and woopie pies, this wholesaler of vegan baked goods also has a tiny dining area where guests are served simple, casual vegan fare for lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch.

When you first enter the tiny storefront tucked inside an industrial strip far from the town center, you are greeted with a tempting display of baked goods.  I was so transfixed by the brownies, cupcakes, and bars that I almost forgot to take a seat in the dining area for lunch.

The menu features standard veganized versions of classics like burgers, BLT, fried fish, "cheese steak," as well as salads, soups, and wraps.  They also have a separate wheat free menu that is greatly appreciated by diners like me who stay away from gluten.

I ordered "The Rachel," which was kind of like a reuben with cabbage slaw and mustardy dressing.  The regular sandwich includes housemade seitan, but for the gluten-free version the patty inside was made from bean flour.  It was a suitable substitute, albeit a tad dry and crumbly, so I was happy to receive a side of Sriracha when I requested some hot sauce to dress it up a bit.

My dining companion had the House Made Veggie Burger which was made from black beans and brown rice, dressed with garlic aoili, and served with lettuce and tomato on a homemade roll.  Both sandwiches came with a handful of corn chips.

image from wtfveganfood.com

For dessert I had my tastebuds set on carrot cake, but was disappointed to find they were out of it (!!).  My alternate choice was the famous woopie pie, but when I asked which of the three flavors our server would recommend, she said she isn't really a big fan of them because they're too sweet.  The next option was the sweet potato brownie with chocolate ganache, which she assured us was really good.  We also got a couple of the chocolate mini cupcakes - one with vanilla frosting, and one with chocolate, both of which were decent desserts that even nonvegans would happily devour.  As for the sweet potato brownie, it was more like dense pumpkin bread with a not-too-chocolatey coating on top.  I was a little disappointed and regret not going for the sugar fix of the woopie pie.  Next time...  

Gluten-free Vegan Toffee Apple Crisp

Today was a drizzly, cold Sunday, which felt much like the spring I remember and not the balmy spring we've been having.  So it's no surprise that on this lazy afternoon I was craving a warm and comforting fresh-baked treat.  I poked around my kitchen for something that would work in a dessert and found four apples -- two Granny Smith and two Gala -- so I decided to turn them into an apple crisp.

I recently went to a new restaurant in Watertown, CT where my dining companion raved about the apple crisp.  It was topped by a melty scoop of ice cream, but I navigated around it to taste a spoonful tip of the apple part so I could get an idea of what he was so ecstatic about.  Aside from the butter, the flavor that came forward was luscious caramel toffee.  With that in mind, I set about recreating a gluten-free vegan version which I could eat and serve with confidence to non-vegans.  I think I hit it on my first try.

The recipe is modified from Tasty Yummy's version of apple crisp, but substitutes traditional oats with buckwheat flakes since I'm also sensitive to oats.  I used ground almonds to provide a crunch and some richness to the crisp.  For sweetness I used a combination of organic sugar and maple syrup.  But the real decadence comes from the coconut oil.  When these ingredients combine, a heavenly melty toffee results.  Top it with a generous dollop of NadaMoo! Maple Pecan ice cream.... ahhh... perfection.

Gluten-free Vegan Toffee Apple Crisp
In a large bowl, combine filling:
4 apples, sliced into 2-inch chunks
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbl maple syrup
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp sea salt

Topping:
1/2 cup almonds, finely ground
1/2 cup cream of buckwheat (uncooked)
1/4 cup brown rice flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup organic sugar
1/3 cup coconut oil
1/8 tsp sea salt
1 Tbl maple syrup

In a food processor, grind slivered almonds until finely chopped.  Add buckwheat, rice flour, cinnamon, sugar, oil, and sea salt and process until clumps form.  Pour apple mixture into 8"x8" pan and spread topping over the top.  Drizzle with maple syrup.  Place in preheated 375 degree oven and bake 30-40 minutes, or until bubbly and browned.  

Graduation Party

This weekend I catered a vegan graduation party in lovely Stony Creek, a shoreline community in Branford, CT.  The graduating senior is a vegan, and sweet and lovely as can be.  It was a pleasure to serve food for her and her family.

Strawberry Rhubarb Tart on the cooling rack

All boxed up and ready to go

The dessert table

Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Ganache, Fresh Raspberries, and Edible Flowers

A trio of tarts

Strawberry Rhubarb Tart

On deck

Piggly wiggly

Best seat in the house

Snuggly

A chef's kitchen

Dessert table after dark

Pure chocolate decadence

More Cake

My mom has outdone herself! Two fabulous gluten-free vegan cakes in one week! The latest was a modification of a recipe I had given her many, many years ago which called for raspberry preserves in place of some of the oil. It's a moist, dense, and super chocolately cake.

She added a little almond extract to the batter which worked well with the cinnamon, and she replaced even more of the oil with apple sauce. Another success!

The frosting is made from melted vegan chocolate chips, Mori Nu tofu and maple syrup. The last few times I've made this frosting it's been more puddinglike, which has frustrated me. My mom's tip was to melt the chocolate chips in the microwave, then let them cool a little before blending them with the tofu & maple syrup. She also added a little cocoa powder just to be safe. The end result was smooth, rich and creamy, and regular people would never know there's tofu in there. Thanks, mom!!

Vegan Flan

I've been on a quest for the perfect vegan flan lately, and decided to take a shot at creating it myself this weekend. A few years ago, I created a Mango Tango Flan which was more like a loose cheesecake with a nut crust than a custardy flan with caramel top, though nonetheless delicious. I was striving for authentic this time (albeit without all the eggs and condensed milk). I think I came pretty close, and I now have an idea how to perfect it on the second try. The key: cook that caramel syrup almost to the point where you think you've gone too far (I stopped a little too soon and ended up with a soupy syrup in the end). I made the flan with soy milk, but I think next time I try it I'm going for the extra rich Silk creamer and some Tofutti cream cheese for extra creaminess (modified recipe below).



For the Caramel:
1/2 cup Sucanat
1/4 cup water

Place the sugar and water in a small pot over medium heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved and bring to a rapid boil. Lower heat, simmer and cook until sauce becomes thick and coats back of spoon. Pour into the bottom of 8" cake pan.

For the Custard:
2 cups Silk soy creamer
2 tsp agar-agar powder
1/2 cup firm Mori Nu silken tofu
4 oz. Tofutti cream cheese
1/4 cup organic sugar
1 Tbl vanilla extract
Pinch of sea salt

While caramel is cooking, place the Silk creamer in a medium pot and stir in the agar agar. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes, or until the agar has dissolved. Put the tofu, cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, salt, and soy creamer mixture in a blender and blend until very smooth. Pour into cake pan over the syrup, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 1/2 hours. To remove, slide a knife around the perimeter of the cake pan and lightly shake side to side. If the flan doesn't loosen, dip the bottom of the cake pan in hot water for about 15 seconds, then turn over onto a plate. Garnish with fresh berries.

Cookies

This weekend I baked a lot of cookies. Probably about 6 dozen. It was for a good cause, the Unitarian Universalist Society of New Haven was having a craft fair and bake sale. Thanks to all who stopped by for some goodies. And special thanks to Dianna, Budget Babe and photographer extroardinaire, for the fab photos.

Small batches of cookies (Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Chip Pecan Craisin, Double Chocolate Chocolate Chip and Toasted Coconut Almond) and a test run of Vanilla Cupcakes with Pomegranate Pink Frosting. Most were gluten-free. I think I'll have to make this an annual event.

Afterward, I dropped off a bunch of cupcakes and cookies to the Food Not Bombs kids serving the homeless vegan dinners on the New Haven Green. It was really cold out there, so I hope these sweets warmed them up a bit. Thanks, Donna, for the phone #!