Category: Vegan Fruit

by betsy

Blooming Platter Vegan Cookbook Giveaway AND Baked Apples Baklava with Cider Sauce

In celebration of the first day of the first full week of Vegan MoFo 2011, I wanted to offer a cookbook giveaway for all you MoFos out there.   On the block is my brand new cookbook, The Blooming Platter Cookbook: A Harvest of Seasonal Vegan Recipes, published in May 2011 by the good folks at Vegan Heritage Press.

It’s simple to enter!  Just add a comment to this post on one of two topics: 1) either share how you “MoFo” (do you blog, subscribe to MoFo headquarters rss feed, read more blogs than usual, cook more than usual, etc.); or 2) share your favorite way to enjoy apples in the fall.

I’d also love it if you checked out the book on Amazon, read one or two of the very generous reviews and, if you like what you see, “like” the book while on the Amazon site.

A winner will be chosen at random (using www.random.org–very cool site), next Sunday, October 9.  Deadline to enter is midnight (wherever you are in the world), Saturday, October 8.  Make sure your email address is accessible through your comment.  The winner will be notified privately via email to provide me with your mailing address.

A quick note: I will respond to the comments at the end of the contest because if I respond as I receive them, it will throw the numbers off for the random calculation of a winner.  So, I want you to know in advance that I appreciate you, and don’t want you to think I am being rude by not acknowledging your time and effort!

That’s all there is to it!  Please spread the word.  But first, check out this sneak preview recipe from The Blooming Platter Cookbook.  I love re-imagining one dish as another, and my Baked Apples Baklava is a perfect and perfectly tasty example of that.  And, though the presentation is elegant, the recipe is as simple as can be, provided you purchase the phyllo dough.  If you decide to be an over-achiever and make your own, that’s on you!

Baked Apples Baklava with Cider Sauce

Yield: 4 servings

Baked apples are one of the wonders of autumn. In this dessert, tender stuffed apple halves are wrapped up like a beautiful package in buttery phyllo dough. They are as scrumptious for breakfast or brunch as they are for dessert.

Apples:

1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts

1 tablespoon natural sugar

1/4 teaspoon apple pie spice

2 teaspoons agave nectar

2 large McIntosh or other sweet-tart red apples, stemmed

Juice of one lemon

1/4 cup vegan butter

1/4 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon natural sugar

16 sheets phyllo dough, thawed

 

Cider Sauce:

3/4 cup apple cider

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup agave nectar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 cinnamon stick, halved

 

Optional Garnish:

Cinnamon stick halves

Walnut pieces

 

1. Apples: Preheat the oven to 350ºF. In a small bowl, combine the walnuts, sugar, apple pie spice, and agave nectar and set aside. Cut the apples in half lengthwise.  Using a melon baller, remove the core of the apples in two scoops to make a generous void for the filling. Rub the cut surface of the apples with lemon juice. Press one-fourth of walnut filling into each hollowed out void.

2. Combine the vegan butter and olive oil in a small bowl. Unroll the phyllo dough and cover with plastic wrap and a damp towel. Remove one sheet of dough to a flat work surface and brush lightly with butter-oil mixture. Repeat with three more sheets, stacking them.

3. Place the apple half, filling side up, in the center of the stacked phyllo. Bring up one corner of the dough over the filling, then the opposite corner. Repeat with the remaining corners, smoothing as you go, to make a tight package.

4. Brush on a little more butter-oil mixture and place the apples, flat side down, on a baking sheet or stone. Brush the top with a little more of the butter-oil mixture, smoothing down the edges of the dough. Repeat with remaining apple halves, filling and dough. Sprinkle each with 1/4 teaspoon of sugar. Bake for 30 minutes.

5. Cider Sauce: In a 1 quart saucepan, combine all ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer 15 minutes. Cool slightly to serve. Remove the cinnamon stick halves before serving or use them as two of the garnishes.

6. To assemble: Arrange the baked apples on dessert plates drizzled with the Cider Sauce and garnished with cinnamon sticks and walnuts, if using.

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by betsy

Go Dairy Free Touts Blooming Platter Vegan Farmstand Fruit Muffins as a Fall Favorite

Alisa Fleming, creator of “Go Dairy Free,” posted a lovely review of The Blooming Platter Cookbook just a little while back.   Her endorsement is very flattering for, through her work, she’s seen more than her fair share of wonderful cookbooks.

But, with the change in seasons, she felt herself returning again to “The Platter” in search of what she calls “that depth of flavor that I love this time of year.”   What she found and dubbed “perfect fall comfort food” was my Farmstand Fruit Muffins.  Follow the link for her intro, favorite apples recommendations, and the recipe.

Thank you, Alisa, for the post and for calling my cookbook a “creative collection of recipes”~enjoy everyone!

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by betsy

Vegan Fresh Fig (or Other Fresh Fruit) and Cashew Cream Crostada with Rosemary Caramel Sauce

Yield: 4 tarts

Until now, I’ve always used sweetened cashew cream as a topping.  But something made me wonder what would happen if I baked it as a filling in a darling little tart that I call a crostada because they seem a little Italian, especially when bathed in my glistening Rosemary Caramel Sauce, inspired by my love of my vegan cheese spreads, fresh figs, and rosemary.  So what did happen?  The emergence of one of my favorite desserts of summer!  But when figs aren’t in season, top them with any soft or lightly sauteed fruit.  And feel free to mix and match the herb you add to the sauce to best complement your choice of fruit.

1/2 cup Cashew Cream (recipe follows; must begin making the day before you plan to use, as cashews soak over night)

2 tablespoons natural sugar or confectioners’ sugar (the former will lend a hint of crunch, while the latter will yield a smoother product)

approximately 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest (optional)

Crostada Dough (recipe follows)

2 fresh figs (or other soft fruit, such as banana slices, lightly sauteed in vegan butter and a pinch of sugar)

Rosemary Caramel Sauce (recipe follows)

Cashew Cream (this recipe entitled “Chantilly Whipped Cream” is from The Blooming Platter Cookbook, page 153):

Note: this recipe will yield approximately 2 cups, more than you need for the crostada, but you’ll enjoy having it on hand.

2 cups raw, unsalted cashew pieces, divided

2 cups water, divided

6 tablespoons confectioners sugar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place 1 cup of the cashews in a medium bowl and cover with 1 cup of the water.  Cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight.  Drain and rinse the cashews in a colander.  Transfer the cashews to a food processor, add the remaining one cup of water and process until creamy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary with a rubber spatula.  Add the remaining cup of cashews and process another few minutes , or until thick and creamy, again scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.  The mixture should have enough body to hold a peak.  Add the confectioners’ sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla extract and process until combined.  Taste and adjust flavoring if necessary.  Transfer the cream into an airtight container and chill for at least an hour before using.  Remove 1/2 cup of the cream to a small bowl, and return the remainder to the refrigerator.  Into the 1/2 cup of cream, stir the 2 tablespoons of natural sugar and optional lemon zest.  Set aside.

Crostada Dough (this recipe is from The Blooming Platter Cookbook, page 168):

Note: this dough is the world’s easiest and best-behaved around.  I’m just sayin’…I  thought I had added too much ice water, but I just pulsed it a couple more times, lifted out the ball, and placed it on my very lightly floured surface, turning it over once to coat both sides, and it was perfect.

3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons white whole wheat flour (or unbleached all purpose flour)

pinch of sea salt

3 tablespoons non-hydrogenated coconut oil (semi-solid at room temperature; now considered part of a healthy diet!)

Scant 1/3 cup ice water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with Silpat or parchment paper, or use a seasoned baking stone, and set aside.  Combine the flour, salt, and coconut oil in a food processor, and pulse a few times until the coconut oil is evenly distributed and the dough looks like coarse sand.  Begin adding water, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing a few times after each, just until the dough comes together.  It should be slightly moist, but not sticky, very easy to handle, and formed into somewhat of a ball.  Lift it out of the  processor, gathering up any loose bits, and divide the dough into fourths.

On a very lightly floured surface, shape each into a small disk and then roll out, using a lightly floured rolling pin, to about 5 inches in diameter.  The dough should be quite thin, but not so much so that it will tear.  Gently lift each dough circle and place on prepared baking sheet, gently reshaping if necessary.  (I like to use the tried-and-true method of rolling the circle of dough around the pin, transferring it to the baking sheet, and then unrolling in place)

Assembly:

Place  2 tablespoons of cashew cream in the center of each circle of dough, gently shaping it into a disk with a generous border of dough.  Gently fold the edges of the dough over the outer edge of the filling, pleating the dough as you go.  Be sure to leave an opening in the center in which to place the fig half.  Bake for approximately 15 minutes, but check periodically to avoid over-browning.  Remove the baking sheet from the oven and, as soon as the crostada are easy enough to handle, use a metal spatula remove them to a wire rack.  With the back of a spoon, make a depression in the filling of each tart and nestle a fig half, cut side up, inside.  Place each tart on a serving plate and drizzle withe the Rosemary Caramel Sauce.  Serve immediately and pass extra sauce.  These crostada are best served just after baking or, stored, covered, in the refrigerator and allowed to come to room temperature.

While tarts bake make sauce:

Rosemary Caramel Sauce

4 tablespoons vegan butter

1 cup natural sugar

1/2 cup soy creamer

Pinch of sea salt

1 tablespoon minced rosemary

Dash of vanilla extract (optional)

Place butter, natural sugary, soy creamer and salt in a one quart saucepan over medium heat.  Cook and stir or whisk frequently for about 5 to 7 minutes or until mixture thickens.  Remove from heat and stir in rosemary.  Allow to cool slightly and then taste to determine if you want to add the vanilla.  I prefer it without as it dulls the lovely flavor of the rosemary.  Use right away or pour into a bowl or jar and allow to cool.  Refrigerate any leftovers tightly covered.  Reheat to use.

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by betsy

Vegan Cheesecake Stuffed Fresh Peach Halves

Yield: 8 servings

Okay, I admit it, I shamelessly “lifted” this idea straight out of a recent culinary magazine.  I don’t even know which one.  And I didn’t even read the recipe–which was non-vegan–I just saw the title and the picture, and then raced as fast as I could to our local farmer’s market for the biggest, juiciest, ripest local peaches I could find. 

The concept is so simple, yet so brilliant; I don’t know why I hadn’t thought of it by now, epecially since I live in the land of peach perfection.  Little dollops of vegan cheesecake batter–so little you don’t even need to feel guilty–are baked inside the depression left by removing the stone.   That’s it.  I simply garnished mine with sprigs of fresh mint, but you could drizzle with a sauce or liqueur, add a dollop of vegan whipped cream, or sprinkle with berries and/or nuts. 

To my way of thinking, though, all of that is just guilding the lily.  Trust me, it just doesn’t get much better than this dessert in its purest form.  Two friends who popped by yesterday, separately, for impromptu visits swooned.  Hope you do too!

Note: you will have extra batter, probably enough for 8 more peach halves which, short of a large gathering, is too many to have on hand.  However, unless you have a petite food processor, it’s a little difficult to work with half this amount of cheesecake ingredients.  So I would just get creative with the leftovers.  You can use it as a sauce or bake it up in a couple of little tart shells.

8 very large ripe, but still firm, peaches, cut in half lengthwise and pitted

1/2 of a 12-ounce block of Silken firm tofu

4 ounces of vegan cream cheese

1/4 cup natural sugar or to taste

1/2 cup soymilk (unsweetened or plain)

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice + more for brushing on cut peaches (if you want a more pronounced lemon flavor, add the zest of half a lemon rather than more juice)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Pinch sea salt

Garnish: fresh sprigs of mint or lemon verbena

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Oil a large glass or ceramic baking dish with non-stick spray.  Using a small scoop, hollow out a tiny bit more of the center of each peach half to make a large enough depression to hold a generous tablespoon or so of cheesecake batter.  (Just nibble on what you scoop out; it won’t be enough to save.)  Brush cut/scooped surfaces of peaches with lemon juice.  Set aside.  Make filling:  place all remaining ingredients except garnishes in the bowl of a food processor.  Process until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary.  Fill each peach depression with a generous tablespoon or so of cheesecake batter and bake for 30 minutes or until set and slightly less shiny.  (Check after 20.)  Do not overbake.  Remove the pan from the oven and carefully transfer the peaches to individual serving bowls.  Allow them to cool to room temperature, cover, and chill for an hour or so in the refrigerator before serving.  Garnish with mint sprigs and serve.  (I was in a rush to try them, so I transferred them straight from the oven to uncovered bowls to the refrigerator and chilled them for about 30 minutes before serving.)

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by betsy

Vegan Smoky “Cheddar” Shortbread Crackers with Asian-Scented Tomato-Blackberry Marmalade

Yield: 48 crackers and 1 cup of marmalade

This pairing was inspired by those old-fashioned cheddar shortbread crackers kicked up with a little cayenne and served with pepper jelly in kitchens across the South.  

With tomatoes and blackberries at the peak of freshness at a local farm market, I created this glistening marmalade to showcase them both in place of the pepper jelly.  Thinking of Chinese dishes with tomatoey and fruit-infused sauces, I decided to combine the two with some hints of Asia to transform my farm market haul.

My take on the ubiquitous cheddar shortbread gets its rich flavor from smoked almonds and nutritional yeast, which may seem a little odd given the Asian direction of the marmalade, but there was a method to my madness, namely that almonds are frequently used in Chinese cooking.  What about the smokiness?  I have an answer for that too: smoked tofu sometimes seen on Chinese menus.  Does it work?  My lunch guest and I think so, but you be your own judge.  

Vegan Smoky “Cheddar” Shortbread Crackers

1/2 cup smoked almonds (feel free to use plain almonds–or any nut really–if you prefer not to have a smoky taste)

2 cups white whole wheat flour or 1 cup unbleached all-purpose and 1 cup whole wheat flour (you can also try using all whole wheat flour, though I’ve not tested it that way)

1/2 cup nutritional yeast

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

1/4-1/2 cayenne pepper or to taste

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1 cup vegan butter, broken into small pieces

Accompaniment: Vegan Asian-Scented Tomato-Blackberry Marmalade or your favorite marmalade, pepper jelly, or chutney.

Place almonds in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade, and pulse a few times until coarsely chopped.  Add remaining ingredients, in order, and then continue pulsing until dough pulls away from the sides and starts to come together in a ball.  Divide dough into quarters, knead each one a few times in your palms, and then roll into a cylinder 1 1/4 inches in diameter.  Wrap each in plastic wrap and set on a plate or baking sheet in the refrigerator for at least an hour or up to 3 days.  (May alternatively be frozen for a month and thawed before slicing and cooking.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line one or two baking sheets with Silpat or parchment paper.  (If one, bake in two batches.)  With a sharp knife, cut logs into 1/3-inch slices and place coins 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.  Bake about 20 minutes or until lightly browned.  Cool 1 minute on the sheet and then remove to wire racks to cool completely.  Store in airtight containers.  Serve with desired accompaniment.

Vegan Asian-Scented Tomato-Blackberry Marmalade

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small yellow onion, but into 1/4-inch dice

pinch of sea salt

generous 1/2 cup grape tomatoes, rinsed, drained, and quartered

2 large garlic cloves

1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely grated (I use a microplane grater)

1/2 cup red table wine (or a non-alcoholic variety)

1/4 cup natural sugar

2 teaspoons Chinese mustard (I like the “extra hot”)

1 tablespoon vegan fish sauce (sold as vegetarian fish sauce in Asian markets)

1 teaspoon soy sauce (I use a low sodium variety)

1/4 teaspoon sweet Paprika

generous 1 1/2 cup fresh blackberries, rinsed and drained

2 star anise pods

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

In  a large cast iron skillet over medium-high, heat olive oil to shimmering.  Add onion and a pinch of salt and saute, stirring frequently, until some color develops, approximately 3 minutes.  Add tomatoes, garlic and ginger, and saute, stirring frequently, until tomato begins to break down, approximately another 3 minutes.  Add remaining ingredients except blackberries and simmer, stirring occasionally, an additional 3 minutes.  Add blackberries and simmer, stirring occasionally for another 15 mnutes or until blackberries break down and mixture becomes pulpy.  Reduce heat if necessary to prevent from sticking or scorching.  Remove the skillet from the heat and cool to room temperature.  Serve about 1 teaspoon dolloped on each cracker.  Store any leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

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by betsy

Vegan Plum Delicious Double Chocolate Walnut Cookies

Yield: 3 dozen cookies

A small number of almost over-ripe plums gave rise to this unusual and unusually good cookie.  The plums provide mostly moisture in addition to subtle flavor and color, not to mention added nutrition–as do the walnuts– to an otherwise decadent treat.

To create this recipe, I started with my go-to brownie batter, omitting the water/coffee and adding plum puree plus a tiny bit of baking soda.  The results are plum delicious!    Note:  I only had a few plums, so I made one-fourth of this recipe.  It quarters or halves very nicely.

2 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour (or unbleached white flour)

2 cups natural sugar

1 cup unsweetened Dutch processed cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 1/4 cups canola oil (this sounds like a lot, but you’ll need it)

2 cups very ripe pitted plums, pureed in food processor until fairly smooth

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups vegan chocolate chips (I like Trader Joe’s–what  a great value!)

2 cups chopped walnuts plus 36 extra halves or  large pieces for garnish, one per cookie, if desired

Preheat oven to 35o degrees.  Line a baking sheet with Silpat or parchment paper and set aside.  (Line two if you have them, or bake the cookies in two batches.)  In a large mixing bowl, stir together all ingredients, except chocolate chips and nuts just until well combined.  The dough should be just slightly stiffer than brownie batter.  Stir in chips and nuts.  Spoon tablespoon-size mounds of dough onto prepared sheet, about 2 inches apart.  (I use a very traditionally-shaped shallow tablespoon measure, as I like the ration of height to width.)  Bake 12 minutes.  Check after 8 and after 10.  They should be set, but shiny in some spots, as they will continue to cook after they are removed from the oven.  Allow the cookies to cool slightly until they are easy to handle and then use a metal spatula to remove them to a wire rack to cool completely.  Store in an airtight container.

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by betsy

VegNewsletter Features a Recipe from The Blooming Platter Cookbook

Hi everyone~

I just signed up for VegNews Magazine’s free online VegNewsletter and wanted to encourage you to do the same!

While you’re at it, you might want to subscribe to the actual magazine; it’s a great deal at only $20 per year with discounts for 2 and 3 year subscriptions.

The range of content is amazing.  Vegan food and wine is just the start.  There is travel and  fashion and, well, news on a host of topics as the title suggests.

Speaking of food and wine, the current issue features a recipe from The Blooming Platter Cookbook!  It’s my Mango Coconut Sorbet, a summertime favorite.

Thanks to all the folks at VegNews for including The Blooming Platter in VegNewsletter; it’s such an honor!  I can’t wait to meet all of you on my trip to San Francisco next week!

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by betsy

Vegan Fresh Plum Tarts or Hand Pies with Basil Caramel Sauce

Yield: 4 tarts

My annual gift of fresh plums from Mike Grover via Diane O’Neal partially inspired these new treats.  Mike’s tree is prolific and, each year, he harvests more than he knows what to do with, so he generously shares.  Last year I created a favorite Vegan Thai Rice Noodle, Plum, and Shitake Salad published in my  new cookbook (see below) and Vegan Rice Cakes with Fresh Plum and Sake Maple Syrup; Mike created a beautiful-looking plum bread.

This year, with July 4 tomorrow, I created glistening red plum tarts and hand pies.  The jewel-tooned filling is encased in scrumptious dough from The Blooming Platter Cookbook.  I prepared enough dough and filling for four, so I shaped two as tarts and two as hand pies.  Though both require equal amounts of my tasty dough, I decided that I prefer the tarts because the beautiful filling shows more.  If you really want to serve hand pies, though, you could cut sluts in the top surface to reveal some of the  colorful interior.

The filling is based on a recipe in the July 2011 issue of Bon Appetit for Cherry Hand Pies.  It was the result of combining both fresh and dried cherries.  That sounded like it would deepen the flavor, yet still taste fresh.  The best of both worlds!  So, since I happened to have both fresh and dried plums, that’s what I used.

After sampling one, it seemed to need just a little something to take it over the top.  So I did what I always do: closed my eyes while taking a bite and mentally pairing the tart with other flavors until I hit on the right combination.  In this case it was caramel sauce and basil whipped cashew cream!  However, since I didn’t have any cashews and didn’t want to purchase some and then have to wait while they soaked over night, I decided to make a quick Basil Caramel Sauce.  Yowza!  Just perfect.

The sauce only takes about 5 1/2 minutes to make, and 5 minutes of that time is simmering.  Adding the basil at the end, allows it to stay fresh and green, but opens its flavor up.  It would be good with a spoon!  Note that it thickens as it cools.

Filling:

1 cup fresh chopped pitted plums (my plums were only about the size of a walnut, so I simply pitted and halved them)

1/3 cup dried chopped plums

1/2 cup natural sugar (adjust as necessary, depending on the tartness of your plums)

pinch of sea salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla (or try a liqueur like Chambord)

2 teaspoons arrowroot powder (or cornstarch)

2 teaspoons cold water

In a quart saucepan, combine both kinds of plums, sugar and salt.  Simmer, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes.  While mixture simmers, stir together arrowroot powder or cornstarch and water to make a slurry.  Stir vanilla into the plum mixture, followed by the slurry.  If using arrowroot powder, remove the mixture from the heat immediately after adding or it could “break.”  If using cornstarch, return the mixture to a simmer and then remove it from the heat.  Allow to cool to room temperature.  While mixture cools, make dough.

Dough (this recipe is from The Blooming Platter Cookbook, page 168):

Note: this dough is the worlds easiest and best-behaved around.  I’m just sayin’…I  thought I had added too much ice water, but I just pulsed it a couple more times, lifted out the ball, and placed it on my very lightly floured surface, turning it over once to coat both sides, and it was perfect.

3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons white whole wheat flour (or unbleached all purpose flour)

pinch of sea salt

3 tablespoons non-hydrogenated coconut oil (semi-solid at room temperature; now considered part of a healthy diet!)

Scant 1/3 cup ice water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with Silpat or parchment paper, or use a seasoned baking stone, and set aside.  Combine the flour, salt, and coconut oil in a food processor, and pulse a few times until the coconut oil is evenly distributed and the dough looks like coarse sand.  Begin adding water, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing a few times after each, just until the dough comes together.  It should be slightly moist, but not sticky, very easy to handle, and formed into somewhat of a ball.  Lift it out of the  processor, gathering up any loose bits, and divide the dough into fourths.

On a very lightly floured surface, shape each into a small disk and then roll out, using a lightly floured rolling pin, to about 5 inches in diameter.  The dough should be quite thin, but not so much so that it will tear.  Gently lift each dough circle and place on prepared baking sheet, gently reshaping if necessary.  (I like to use the tried-and-true method of rolling the circle of dough around the pin, transferring it to the baking sheet, and then unrolling in place)

Place one-fourth of the cooled filling in the center of each circle of dough.  If making tarts, fold up about an inch border of dough around the edges, gently pleating it to form a circle, but leaving a nice circle of filling showing in the center.  If making hand pies, fold one half of the dough over the filling, matching the edges of the dough circle to create a half-circle, crimping with a fork to seal.  (You may use a tiny bit of water rubbed on the edges with your finger to help seal, but I didn’t find it necessary.)  Make a couple or three slits in the top surface if desired to allow a little of the pretty filling to show through.

Bake for approximately 15 minutes, but check periodically to avoid over-browning.  Remove the baking sheet from the oven and, as soon as the tarts/ hand pies are easy enough to handle, use a metal spatula remove them to a wire rack to cool slightly.

While they bake, make Basil Caramel Sauce.

Basil Caramel Sauce:

1/2 cup natural sugar

1/4 cup cold water

2 tablespoons vegan soy creamer

1 tablespoon fresh minced basil

Garnish: for each tart/hand pie, a dab of vegan sour cream or whipped cream and a sprig of fresh basil

In a one-quart saucepan or small cast-iron skillet, combine sugar and water.  Heat over medium-high until simmering.  It will froth up liberally. Stir frequently for about 2-2 1/2 minutes.  Add creamer and continue stirring and simmering for another 2- 2 1/2 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in basil.  Cool a minute or so to thicken every-so-slightly and serve immediately over tarts/hand pies and garnish them as desired.  Store any leftover tarts/hand pies or sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator.  Reheat before using.

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by betsy

Vegan Bourbon-Broiled Peaches with Peaches-n-Cream Ice Cream

With summer in full swing, and Independence Day in the USA  just days away, the time seemed right to post a tasty teaser from The Blooming Platter Cookbook: A Harvest of Seasonal Vegan Recipes.

Driving past a farm market yesterday, I noticed that our long-awaited local peaches are in!  Hopefully, the same is true where your live because this cooling treat  might come in handy for your July 4 celebration.  Or, if you don’t observe this holiday, this dessert is sure to provide a welcome respite on any meltingly hot day.

Where we live in coastal Virginia, peaches are one of the glories of summer. It is hard to beat fresh peaches when eaten at the height of summer, fuzz and all, juice dripping down one’s chin. This preparation pays homage to the essence of the peach with the distinctive flavor of bourbon. It’s irresistible with the Peaches-n-Cream Ice Cream, or to save time, a store-bought vegan vanilla ice cream may be substituted.

If this recipe makes your mouth water, I hope you’ll consider purchasing a book so more than 150 others will be right at your finger tips!

Bourbon-Broiled Peaches
Yield: 4 servings

2 peaches, rinsed, halved and pitted
2 tablespoons bourbon
4 teaspoons natural sugar
Pinch sea salt
4 scoops Peaches-n-Cream Ice Cream (recipe follows), or your favorite vegan vanilla (optional but encouraged)

1. Position the oven rack on the top shelf of your oven and preheat the broiler. Place the peach halves, cut side up, in a small, shallow heat-proof dish. Brush them with the bourbon. Sprinkle each half with a teaspoon of sugar and a tiny pinch of salt. Broil for about 5 minutes to heat them through and melt the sugar. Watch them carefully to prevent scorching.
2. To serve, arrange broiled peach halves in shallow dessert bowls and top each with one scoop of the ice cream, if using.

Peaches-n-Cream Ice Cream
Yield: 1 quart

Make this delicious ice cream the day before you plan to serve it.

1 very large ripe peach, halved, pitted, skin left on
Juice of one small lemon
1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk, divided
1 cup plain soy creamer
3/4 cup natural sugar
1 large vanilla bean pod, split lengthwise, and seeds scraped out with the tip of a paring knife
2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
3 tablespoons pure peach preserves, optional
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (or more to taste)
1 1/2 cups vegan sour cream

1. Cut the peach into chunks and add to a food processor with the lemon juice. Process until it is a smooth puree. Set aside.
2. In a 1-quart saucepan, combine 1/4 cup soy milk, soy creamer, sugar, and vanilla seeds over medium heat and bring just to a boil.
3. In a small bowl, whisk the remaining 1/4 cup soy milk with the arrowroot powder until smooth. When the soy creamer mixture just reaches a boil, remove the pan quickly from the heat and whisk in the soy milk-arrowroot mixture until very smooth and thickened. Stir in the vanilla extract followed by the reserved peach mixture, peach preserves, if using, and vanilla extract. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature. Whisk if lumps remain and/or press the mixture through a sieve. Cover the mixture and refrigerate it at least three hours or overnight; then whisk in the sour cream.
4. Freeze the ice cream according to your ice cream maker’s manufacturer’s directions. Scrape the finished ice cream into an airtight container and store in the freezer. Allow the ice cream to “ripen” and further set up before serving, if desired.

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