Category: Vegan Fruit Desserts

by betsy

Vegan Red Wine Poached Pears with Cream Cheese-Orange Filling and Red Wine Reduction

Poached Pears 3The weather has been like no other winter here in Eastern, VA, so, while I made these pears quite a while ago, sunshine and my schedule did not coalesce until yesterday for me to photograph or I would have posted well before now so that if you, too, were gifted with a box of Harry & David Pears, you would have a new and delicious way to serve them.

It was a gift of these pears sent also to my parents by my cousin (he sent mine much later due to a snafu of some sort) and my mom’s craving that resulted in this recipe.  The cream-cheese orange filling makes them extra special and extra pretty.

Hopefully, now that the winter holidays are well behind us, you can enjoy this recipe with the crop of summer pears.

Hey, did you know those Harry & David pear crates make ideal tree ornament storage boxes?

Pears and Red Wine Reduction:

6 large pears (about 8 ounces each), halved lengthwise, stemmed and cored using a melon-baller or small spoon

2 cups Burgundy wine

1/4 cup sugar

1 large orange, zested (reserve zest), halved, and then sliced into 1/2-inch slices

3 cinnamon sticks

Combine wine and sugar in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.  Add pears, cut side down, and then tuck orange slices and cinnamon sticks between them.  Bring to a simmer and poach for 10 minutes on one side; gently flip, and poach 10 minutes on the other side.   Arrange in a serving dish or on individual plates or bowls, cut side up.  Place a dollop of filling in the hollow left when the core was removed, drizzle with Red Wine Reduction, and serve.

 

Vegan Cream Cheese-Orange Filling:

8 ounces vegan cream cheese such as *Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese

2 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Reserved orange zest

In  small bowl using a fork, mash together cream cheese and sugar.  When almost smooth, incorporate vanilla extract and zest.

 

*You can also find this recipe HERE on the Tofutti website!

 

 

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by betsy

Countdown to Thanksgiving–Day #1: Apple, Pear and Dried Apricot Crisp with Chai-Scented Streusel

Apple-Pear-and-Dried-Apricot-Crisp-with-Chai-Scented-Streusel-ToppingSomehow it happened yet again this year: Thanksgiving is only one day away!

I saved the sweetest for last: this simple crisp with a twist in the form of the Chai spices in the streusel.

It goes together in a snap and disappears even faster.

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

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by betsy

Vegan Fresh Fig Cupcakes with Vegan Lemon-Brandy Buttercream Frosting

DSCN1847

Yield: 1 dozen cupcakes

These may possibly be the moistest cupcakes you will ever put in your mouth!

A pint of fresh figs from a local farm market that needed used fairly quickly resulted in these beautiful confections.  The lemon in the buttercream frosting  provides a subtle but bright contrast to the cinnamon-scented fig cupcakes, while the brandy flavoring (use real brandy if you have it–my husband forbids me, jokingly–sort of–to use his)  accents their ripe, earthy fruitiness for the perfect summer wedding of flavors.

Vegan Fresh Fig Cupcakes

1 cup soymilk (unsweetened or plain)

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (I have used rice wine vinegar in a pinch and it works just fine)

1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour (this is what I keep on-hand, but unbleached all purpose is fine)

3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons natural sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/3 cup walnut oil or canola oil

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

18 to 20 small-medium fresh figs, stemmed, and pureed in a food processor

Vegan Lemon-Brandy Buttercream Frosting (recipe follows)

Garnish: 12 fresh fig halves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.  In a small cup or bowl, whisk together soymilk and vinegar to make a vegan “buttermilk.”  When it curdles, whisk again and set the mixture aside.  In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the soymilk mixture, oil, and vanilla extract.  Stir just until all ingredients are well combined and no lumps remain.  Stir in the fig puree until completely combined.  Fill muffin cups no more than 3/4 full and bake for 20-22 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool completely on a wire rack, and then remove cupcakes from tin.  Place frosting in a pastry bag (mine came from the Dollar Tree!) fitted with a star-type tip, and pipe on top of cooled cupcakes in concentric circles, spiraling high.  Top with a fresh fig half just before serving.

Vegan Lemon-Brandy Buttercream Frosting

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

1/2 cup vegan butter

4 cups powdered sugar, divided

2 tablespoons soymilk (unsweetened or plain)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon brandy flavoring

Zest of 1/2 large lemon

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together shortening and vegan butter.  With mixer on low, beat in half of powdered sugar and half of soymilk.  Repeat.  Beat in vanilla, brandy flavoring, and lemon zest, and then turn mixer to high and whip until creamy-fluffy.

 

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by betsy

Vegan Sour Cream-Raspberry Ice Cream with White Chocolate Chips

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAAt your farm market this morning, be sure to pick up a pint of raspberries for this luscious treat that is super simple to prepare.

Made with Tofutti Better than Sour Cream, it boasts the perfect sweet-tart balance with a consistency I describe as (vegan) butter, wrapped in (vegan) cream, wrapped in silk!

Team Tofutti loved it so much, they posted the recipe on their site, and you can quickly access it by clicking HERE.

Happy Summer Saturday!

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by betsy

Vegan Basil-Blueberry and Lemon Curd Ice Cream (with Lemonade Cooler Option)

Yield:  approximatelyDSCN1723 5 cups of ice cream

I have SO many recipes to post, but we had a dog drama with Huff the Dorito Dog on Wedensday (he is going to be fine), and yesterday, I was travelling to visit my family in MS.  When I opened the fridge today, I saw TONS of fresh blueberries that my (85 year old) father and sister had picked at a good friend’s house, so I thought I would start with this refreshing treat!

This deliciously different ice cream was born of fresh blueberries from the farmer’s market, a healthy crop of basil growing in a pot just outside our door, and some of Bryanna Clark Grogan’s ingenious Vegan Lemon Curd leftover from a cookie baking session.

Complex, but not muddy in flavor, this ice cream epitomizes summer with the floral notes of the basil, the earthy sweetness of the blueberries and the subtle citrus undertones of the lemon curd.  Not as tangy as a pure lemon ice cream, if it’s that tartness you seek, I highly recommend that you top the ice cream with a splash of lemonade for a refreshing and zippy cooler.

And, if you think the basil seems odd, feel free to leave it out, but I think it adds a very special quality.  With or without the basil, please enjoy!

2 tablespoons arrowroot powder (thickens witout crystallization)

1 cup unsweeteened soymilk

2 cups soy creamer

1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries, rinsed and drained

3/4 cup Bryanna’s Lemon Curd

1/3 cup natural sugar

Pinch sea salt

2-6 to 8 inch stems basil leaves, rinsed and patted dry

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a small cup or bowl, whisk together arrowroot powder and 1/4 cup soymilk.  In a 1-quart saucepan, combine remaining 3/4 cup soymilk and soycreamer, and cook over medium heat until mixture begins to boil.  Remove it from the heat and immediately whisk in arrowroot cream causing the mixture to thicken considerably.  Pour into a medium bowl, add stems of basil, cool the custard to room temperature and then remove basil, using your fingers to scrape off the custard clinging to the basil.  Process blueberries, lemon curd, sugar, and sea salt in the bowl of a food processor until smooth; flecks of blueberry skin will remain.  Whisk into custard, along with vanilla, cover, and chill for at least 3 hours.  Freeze in an electric ice cream maker (mine is a Cuisinart) according to manufacturer’s directions.  Serve immediately or freeze, covered, to allow ice cream to stiffen.

Lemonade Cooler

For each serving, place 2 scoops of ice cream in a stemmed glass, pour about 1/3 to 1/2 cup lemonade over the top(I use a reduced calorie variety), garnish the side of the glass with a lemon slice, and serve with a straw and long-handled spoon.

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by betsy

SpryLiving.com Features The Blooming Platter’s Vegan Peaches-and-Cream Cupcakes with Peach Butter Whip Frosting as One of the “Best”!

 

Vegan Cupcakes--Spry Living--2013Spry magazine is America’s largest health magazine, reaching 9 million readers via 600 newspaper partners across the US including the New York Daily News, Denver Post and LA Times.
As I was told when they contacted me, “Think Parade or USA Weekend with a health and wellness focus.”   The focus is positive, inspirational messages covering nutrition, fitness and beauty.
A while back, they contacted me about including my Vegan Peaches-and-cream Cupcakes with Peach Butter Whip Frosting  in “Spry Serves Up,” a feature of “best vegan cupcakes” on their companion website SpryLiving.com. It is”an extension of the print publication as well as a highly trafficked stand-alone health and wellness hub offering fresh daily content, an enormous healthy recipe database, health and wellness resources, inspiring stories and more. We currently have 7 million unique visitors (and growing) per month.”
I’m honored to be included in their list of  “bests” and thrilled to be able to share the link with you where you will find not only my photo and recipe, but about 10 other vegan irresistables.  I have my eye on the Champagne Cupcakes in particular.  I have seen those made on Cupcake Wars and wondered if they really taste like Champagne, which I adore.  And I pledge to find out…soon!
Thanks to writer Haley Marshall and to Spry magazine and SpryLiving.com for including The Blooming Platter in their line-up!
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by betsy

Beautiful Holiday Dessert: Vegan Apple, Pear and Dried Apricot Crisp with Chai-Scented Streusel Topping

Yield: 8 servings (easily halves)

My fellow vegan cookbook author friend, the gifted and generous Bryanna Clark Grogan, mentioned making an apple crisp to take to a friend–along with a lasagna!–in a recent email.  I told her that I rarely allow myself to make crisps, cobblers and such, as I don’t know when to stop eating them.  They just go down so easily with their tender filling and crunchy topping.

But, alas, she “planted the seed” and I couldn’t resist, especially since I had all of the ingredients on hand, and since Hurricane Sandy was pelting our coast at the time making venturing outside unappealing at best.  I had inadvertently neglected to post it back then, but decided to now, as I think it would make a beautiful and welcome addition to your holiday table.

Lately I’ve seen several recipes for chai-flavored this and that, which sounded perfect for this cool and drizzly day.  So, I decided that my Crisp’s streusel-like topping would be infused with all of those warm chai spices, including the somewhat surprising black pepper.  I found my ratio of spices quite delectable, but feel free to experiment, as proportions vary widely, at least in the recipes I consulted, so that I ultimately decided to create my own.

Wow!  The aroma in our kitchen was particularly inviting!  I think you’ll love the tanginess and slight chewiness of the dried apricots playing off of the otherwise creamy and sweet–but not too sweet–apple and pear filling.  And the gentle heat of the black pepper is perfect in the mix.

Enjoy with vegan vanilla ice cream or your favorite vegan whipped “cream”!  I would love for you to try my “invention” of Vegan Whipped “Cream” published in November by VegNews (thanks VN food editors!).  It is unlike anything else I’ve seen published in print or online.  Very exciting…and you will love it.  Just be sure to “whip it good”!  (Bryanna was my co-tester for this recipe and when she gives something a “thumb’s up,” you KNOW it’s the best.)

I hope you have the bloomin’ best holiday ever!

 

2 tablespoons olive oil (you may substitute vegan butter, but there is a fair amount of vegan butter in the topping)

2 large apples (any sweet-tart variety recommended for cooking), stemmed, cored, and cut into 1/2 to 3/4-inch pieces

2 small pears, stemmed, cored, and cut into 1/2 to 3/4-inch pieces

1/4 cup natural sugar

1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Pinch of sea salt

1/2 cup chopped dried apricots (about a 1/4-inch dice)

1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

Chai-Scented Streusel Topping (recipe follows)

Accompaniments: vegan vanilla ice cream or vegan whipped “cream”

Oil 8 1/2-cup ramekins, place them on a baking sheet, and set aside.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large cast iron skillet set over medium-high, heat olive oil to shimmering.  Add apples, pears, sugar, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt.  Saute, stirring frequently, for about 3 minutes, or until tender and just starting to break down.  Add apricots and cook, stirring, one minute more.  Turn off the heat and stir in flour just until well-incorporated.  Divide the  mixture evenly among ramekins and top with Chai-Scented Streusel by breaking it into small moist clumps almost completely covering the top surface of the filling.  Place the tray of filled ramekins on the center rack of the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until filling is bubbly and streusel is golden brown.  Remove the pan from the oven and cool 5 to 10 minutes before serving accompanied by ice cream or whipped “cream.”

 

For the Chai-Scented Streusel Topping:

3/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour

Optional: 1/2 cup old fashioned oats (I didn’t have any or I would have added)

2 teaspoons ground cardamom

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 cup natural sugar

1/2 cup pecan pieces

1/2 cup vegan butter

Combine all dry ingredients in a medium-size bowl.  Break butter into pieces and work into dry ingredients with your fingers until well-combined.  Avoid over-working or butter will melt from the heat of your hands.

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by betsy

Red Wine Reduction for Grilled Peaches

Yield:  8 servings (1/2 to 3/4 cup sauce)

In August, Joe and I joined his sisters, Terri Ann and Tina, and their families for a short vacation in Ocean City, N.J.  (Our 14 year old niece, Gabriella, who is about as far removed from “Snooki” as one can get–thankfully!–does a great imitation.)  The DiJulios spent part of the summers there throughout their lives and, now that both of their parents are deceased, have vowed to keep the tradition alive.

Family dinners are part of the tradition so, late one afternoon on the way home from a bike ride, Terri Ann and I couldn’t resist the Jersey peaches at a local market.  Dinner was a grilled affair (marinated tofu for me) with my husband, Joe, in charge, so he put the peach halves on while we enjoyed dinner including Jersey corn and tomatoes plus sauteed kale from who knows where.

Before we sat down, I joined forces with Terri Ann (a good cook in her own right) and her husband’s son, Curt (a partner with Bonefish Grill who knows his way around a kitchen) and created a luscious, glistening, and not-too-sweet Cabernet sauce for the peaches.  We all gave it a can-I-please-have-some-more? enthusiastic thumb’s up!

I served it over a plain grilled peach for me, but added a little scoop of peach yogurt that was in the fridge for everyone else, omnivores all.  But, if you like, you can forget all the formalities and just eat it from a spoon!

Hopefully there are still a few summer peaches available in your neck of the woods, but if not, the sauce would be delicious over, say, grilled bananas, perhaps pears, vegan pound cake or ice cream (or both!), etc.

1 1 /2 cups Red wine (we used Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cabernet)

2/3 cup sugar

Bring both ingredients to a gentle boil over medium-high heat, reduce heat, and simmer gently until reduced by about one-half to two-thirds.  You should have about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of sauce.  Remove from heat.  Reduction will thicken more as it cools.

Serve over grilled peaches with or without a dollop of vanilla or peach vegan yogurt.

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by betsy

Vegan Chocolate Wafer Cookies Filled with Fresh Raspberry-Champagne Buttercream Frosting

Yield: approximately 2 dozen 1 3/4-inch wafers

This Raspberry-Champagne Buttercream Frosting is about the best thing, well, since sliced cookies.  Seriously, it had omnivores requesting the recipe and laying the compliments on thick!

It is as delicious on vanilla cupcakes–heck, it’s delicious on the end of your finger!–and it is in these not-too-sweet chocolate wafers, with their perfect balance of crispness and tenderness.

Coincidentally, while looking for commercial chocolate wafers to encase this buttercream (remember “Famous” brand?), I noticed that Oreos now come filled with a berry cream.  If the combination is good enough for Oreos, it’s definitely good enough for me!  And by the way, this recipe for homemade wafers is very close to what I remember of the taste and texture of Famous wafers, though a tad thicker.

The Chocolate Wafer Cookies are adapted from Alice Medrich’s Pure Dessert by SmittenKitchen.com and veganized by me (just a matter of substituting vegan butter for butter and soymilk for whole milk).  The frosting is The Blooming Platter all the way!

1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour or white whole wheat flour (I always use the latter)
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
14 tablespoons (1 3/4 sticks) vegan butter, slightly softened
3 tablespoons soymilk (plain or unsweetened)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 recipe Fresh Raspberry-Champagne Buttercream Frosing

Combine the flour, cocoa, sugar, salt, and baking soda in the bowl of food processor and pulse several times to mix thoroughly. Cut the butter into about 12 chunks and add them to the bowl. Pulse several times. Combine the soymilk and vanilla in a small cup. With the processor running, add the milk mixture and continue to process until the mixture clumps around the blade or the sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough to a large bowl or a cutting board and knead a few times to make sure it is evenly blended.

Form the dough into a log about 14 inches long and 1 3/4 inches in diameter. Wrap the log in wax paper or foil and refrigerate until firm, at least one hour, or until needed.

Position the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the baking sheets with parchment paper. Cut the log of dough into slices a scant 1/4-inch thick, on a slight bias if you choose, and place them one inch apart on the lined sheets (cookies will spread just a little). Bake, rotating the baking sheet from top to bottom and back to front about halfway through baking, for a total of 12 to 15 minutes. The cookies will puff up and deflate; they are done about 1 1/2 minutes after they deflate.

Cool the cookies on the baking sheets on racks, or slide the parchment onto racks to cool completely. These cookies may be stored in an airtight container for up to two weeks or be frozen for up to two months.

Note: These cookies should crisp as they cool. If they don’t, you’re not baking them long enough, says Medrich — in which case, return them to the oven to reheat and bake a little longer, then cool again.

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