Dobos Torta

I don't have much time to post so early in the morning! In the meantime...

The August 2009 Daring Baker's challenge was hosted by Angela of a Spoonful of Sugar and Lorraine of Not Quite Nigella. They chose the spectacular Dobos Torte based on a recipe from Rick Rodgers' cookbook Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Caffés of Vienna, Budapest, and Prague. 

I made a quadruple chocolate dobos; the buttercreams are white chocolate, milk chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate and dark chocolate. The outside is covered in a dark chocolate buttercream with chocolate shavings. 

Eskimix Review

My very first food review! Since I cook for myself a lot, this blog won't be too heavy on these, but I'll definitely note some of my vegan favorites across the city. Now, without further ado...

The newest food fad in New York has got to be frozen yogurt -- a Pinkberry or a Red Mango seems to spring up every week. These are times that try vegan's souls. 

Enter Eskimix. The dairy-free option is so incredibly creamy, my (very non-vegan) sister actually prefers to have it over the three other diary options. And unlike some crummy sprinkling of diced fruit that most fro-yo places offer, Eskimix's frozen yogurt blender makes yogurt with raspberries into raspberry-flavored yogurt. (Speaking of which, I recommend raspberry.)

Mango-pineapple and raspberry-peach, both dairy-free.

The store itself is small, but clean and has a very cute, igloo-themed interior. The staff is young but perfectly nice and quick to serve. The prices are certainly not cheap, but very reasonable in comparison to other fro-yo shops or Jamba Juice -- about $4.50 for a small or $5.25 for a medium. 

Overall, I highly recommend Eskimix. It's certainly one of the best options for a cool, vegan summer treat in Manhattan. 

Eskimix is at 318 Bleecker Street, between Christopher & Grove Streets (near 7th Avenue).

Recipe-less Spicy Noodles, Chickpea Curry and Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Yes, sometimes I use actual cookbooks, not just recipes from online. In fact, I own a horrendous number of them. So, in this post, all I will offer you is food porn! Who doesn't like that?

Burmese Noodles with Chili Sauce from The Asian Vegan Kitchen

A word of warning: So... Spicy... But also delicious!

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins from The Candle Cafe Cookbook

Best muffins I have ever had, ever. Period. 

Chana Masala from The Asian Vegan Kitchen

Featured in my Indian Feast post. 

Sloppy Joes

No, this is not a pretty picture. What it is is a delicious recipe for the great American classic -- the sloppy joe. This recipe is from one of my favorite blogs, so it's obviously delicious. Also, wonderfully messy!

Sloppy Joes

Adapted from Closet Cooking

Makes 4 or more servings

Ingredients:

2 cups dry textured vegetable protein

2 cup water

1 cup onion

2 cloves garlic

1/4 cup ketchup

2 cups tomato sauce

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon mustard

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1 (30 ounce) can red beans

hamburger buns

Directions:

Heat the water on the stove or in the microwave, until lightly boiling. Mix together the TVP and hot water in a bowl and let sit for 5 minutes. (I prefer more beans, so I add less TVP. If beans are not your thing, add about 1/2 cup more of TVP.)

Heat the oil in a sauce pan over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for a minute or until fragrant. 

Turn the heat down to low. Add the TVP, beans, tomato sauce, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, mustard, sugar, chili powder and cumin. Bring the sloppy joe mixture to a simmer and cook until you're ready to eat, stirring occasionally. 

Serve on buns!

Chocolate Madeleines

I can't remember if it was a vegan food blog or not, but I do remember reading about one woman's quest for the perfect madeleine. A quest that made me hungry. So when I was flipping through my never-used copy of Great Chefs Cook Vegan and saw this recipe with a madeleine serving suggestion, I got to it! 

I also made some mini muffins, but the madeleines were by far superior (and cuter). From what I've seen in the vegan food blogging community, Great Chefs Cook Vegan isn't the most popular cookbook. Which I guess is to be expected; these madeleines, like all the recipes in Great Chefs, are but one component in an elaborate dish, of which I am not yet baker enough to make. (I would definitely recommend the book anyway, especially if you're a chef -- vegan or not -- looking for a challenge.)

Regardless, these madeleines are delicious and have a great, complex flavor that would go really well with tea or coffee. 

Chocolate Olive Oil Madeleines 

Slightly adapted from Great Chefs Cook Vegan (Chefs Charlie Trotter & Matthias Merges)

Makes a huge pile

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1 cup sucanat 

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1 cup brewed coffee

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt. 

In another bowl, whisk together the coffee, vinegar, vanilla and olive oil. Pour the liquid mixture into the dry one and whisk together until smooth. 

Lightly oil a madeleine pan. Fill each mold with 1 scant teaspoon of batter. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the center of a madeleine springs back when touched (I suggest checking at 8).

Allow the cakes too cool for a few minutes in the pan, then remove and cool the rest of the way on a cooling rack. 

Repeat for forever! (Or until the batter is used up.)

Pumpkin Cinnamon Buns

I've just been too lazy to write up a long review-type post about my Europe trip, fun as it was. But that's okay, because I have something of deep importance to write...

Vegan or not, these are the cinnamon buns of the Gods, no joke. My sister liked the Swedish cinnamon buns I posted a while back, so I guess it's a matter of taste. But honestly, these blow my mind. So, regardless of seasonality, make them. 

Pumpkin Cinnamon Buns

From donteatoffthesidewalk.com

Ingredients:

Dough

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

1/4 cup water

3/4 cup pumpkin puree

1/4 cup soymilk

1/4 cup vegan margarine

1 tablespoon sugar

2 1/2 cups plus 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, divided

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Filling (Once again, I doubled it. I have a thing for gooey buns.)

3 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 tablespoons vegan margarine

Glaze

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon water

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Warm the 1/4 cup of water until nicely warm to the touch. In a large bowl, whisk together the yeast and warm water, and let stand for 5 minutes. Melt the 1/4 cup margarine and add it to the yeast mixture, along with the pumpkin, soymilk and sugar. Sift in 2 1/2 cups of flour, add the cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt, and mix to combine. Using an electric mixer, beat the dough on medium speed until smooth. 

Turn the ball of dough onto a floured surface. Using the 3/4 cup of flour, a little bit at a time, flour the dough while kneading. Knead for about 10 minutes, until the dough is soft and slightly sticky to the touch.

Oil a large bowl and place the dough in the bowl, turning to coat. Cover with a cloth and let rise in a warm place for 45 minutes or until doubled in size. 

Once risen, punch the dough down. Let it sit for 5 minutes. 

Combine the sugar, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. Cut in the margarine until it becomes a corse meal. 

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out into a 10 x 12 in. rectangle. Sprinkle with the filling mixture. Starting with the long side, roll up the dough tightly and pinch the end to seal. Cut the roll into 12 even slices (about 1 in. long each). Grease a 9 in. pan and place the buns in it. Cover and let rise for 25 minutes or until doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 357 degrees F.

Bake the buns for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 15 minutes in the pan, on a wire rack. 

Mix the powdered sugar with the water and vanilla, and whisk with a fork until smooth. If too thick, add water by the 1/2 teaspoon until it reaches the consistency you want. 

England & Germany Part 1, Plus Stuffed Mushrooms

I got new stuff! Isn't that really the point of vacations anyway? Our trip to all-vegan grocery store Veni Vidi Vegi in Berlin (more on that later) brought me such goodies as white and milk chocolate bars, Nutella taste-alike and soy whipping cream! I even got a brotform (I couldn't stop myself, German brotform...). But what I'm sure you noticed first, by far my best acquisition, is an original copy of the Moosewood Cookbook. 

We visited our extended family while in England and my aunt, who used to live in hippy-trippy San Fran in the 70's, passed on the scepter of vegetarianism to me, via the famous Moosewood Cookbook. Essentially every recipe in the cookbook can be easily vegan-ized, so expect to see some great vegetarian classics coming your way. The Moosewood Cookbook is also undeniably a collectors item and a true period piece -- I can't thank my aunt enough for it!

Look! It even came with authentic German instructions that I can't read!

My aunt was also amazing enough to type up some of her favorite vegan recipes for me, including the amazing stuffed mushrooms she made for me while we were over. Truthfully, I'm no big mushroom lover -- I love the taste of them, but the weird gummy texture turns me off. But these mushrooms are completely unlike any others I've had. Somehow, they're not gummy at all, while still maintaining the delicious mushroom flavor. If you're ever going to make mushrooms for a main course, I highly recommend these. 

Forgive the lack of picture, but just take my word for it: make these.

Walnut Stuffed Mushrooms a la Tecla

From Aunt Paula

Ingredients:

4 large flat-bed mushrooms

1 small onion, finely diced

1 clove garlic, crushed

5 fresh sage leaves, finely minced 

2 sprigs fresh rosemary, finely minced

1 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

1/2 cup breadcrumbs 

1 vegetable bouillon cube, crumbled

olive oil

salt

pepper

Directions:

Remove the mushroom's stems and dice them finely. Rub an oven-proof dish with a little bit of olive oil. Peel the mushrooms and place them into the dish.

Over medium heat, saute the onion, garlic, mushroom stems and bouillon in a little bit more olive oil until the onion becomes slightly translucent. Add the sage and rosemary, and cook until fragrant. 

In a small bowl, mix the walnuts and breadcrumbs together. Add the onion mixture and stir to blend. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Spoon the walnut mixture evenly onto the mushroom bases. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes or until lightly browned on top.