Chocolate Cake - Valentine's Day 2016

February 14, 2016

Woah! It's been a while! I missed blogging so much. I'm still insanely busy, but I'm going to post something at least once a month.

What better way to make an awesome Valentine's Day than to make chocolate cake!? I'm using a modified recipe from Joy of Cooking This is the Devils Food recipe.

I substitute butter for coconut oil and Earth Balance; blended flax seed for eggs; and soy milk for butter milk.

Mix the cocoa powder and the wet ingredients (except the milk and vanilla). Stir to ensure the cocoa has no lumps - then mix in the milk and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and gently stir until incorporated. Don't over mix or it'll be tough. ... Well, I added more cocoa than the recipe called for and the mix was a little dry. So, I tried to blend in a little apple sauce to compensate. It worked.

Then spread the batter into a parchment lined baking pan (9"x13"). Bake at 175˚C (350˚F) for about 25 - 30 minutes; until a toothpick comes out clean.

While it's baking, prepare some shimmering ganache and crack open a pomegranate.

Ganache is easy: chocolate (or cocoa powder), fat (coconut oil and margarine), glucose (or light corn syrup) and vanilla.

Allow the cake to cool and cut into squares. Why little squares? Because it increases the surface area, which means more hot ganache!

Place the squares on a wire rack and pour over that liquid chocolate. Then top with pomegranate arils and flecks of edible gold. Bam, it looks like like a million bucks!

Serve this sexy dessert to your loved one. Or just eat a pile of this chocolate cake to drown your sorrows. I mean cocoa is technically a fruit and it's topped with pomegranate AND it's vegan. It's totally health food ;-)

Valentine's Day Macarons

February 9, 2015

Here are two types of macaron, both stylish for Valentine's Day: Chocolate with Mint and Pomegranate - Pink Grapefruit. Byron Talbott and Beth Le Manach both have excellent tutorials for making macarons. Their work continually inspires me. Find links to their youtube channels at the end of this post - just search the channel for "macaron"

I made them both at the same time so the photos both overlap and omit elements. Sorry!

First, the building blocks: egg white, almond meal and icing sugar. Each batch is slightly different so, adjustments are needed from time depending on the behavior of the batter.

Begin by adding the almond meal and icing sugar to a food processor and chop until fine. Then, sift the ingredients. Sift it a lot!

Then, make a meringue. I know it's not the standard way, but I always dump in all the ingredients: egg white, sugar, vanilla and sprinkle of salt. Whip it until soft peaks form.

Add about 1/3 of the meringue to the dry ingredients and fold together. Add the remainder of the meringue and continue folding until the batter is "lava-like" That is, it should be thick and smooth.

Pipe the batter out in even circles on parchment or silicone baking mat. "Slam" the pan down on the counter a few times to allow the batter to settle, removing any bubbles. Then, (one of the most important steps!!!) allow the batter to dry for about 20 minutes. It should be completely non-sticky to the touch.

Bake for about 15 minutes at 350˚F. Allow to cool and fill with delightful things.

I think the pomegranate-pink grapefruit is one of my favourites. The tartness of the fruit balances the sweetness and enhances the macaron experience.

I made a simple butter cream using Earth Balance spread, pomegranate juice and grapefruit zest.

Beth: http://youtu.be/xJ636Y8N6E8

Bryon: http://youtu.be/RZ5GTnE9y5E

Poached Pear Frangipane

December 24, 2014

Happy Christmas! This is something I just recently discovered: frangipane. And, I'm addicted! It's a simple mixture of almonds, sugar, egg and butter, but I veganized it (with delicious result). It follow the typical frangipane mix of almond meal, white sugar and a bit of vanilla. I substituted flax seed and xanthan gum instead of egg and refined coconut oil for butter.

This is my favourite vegan hack: ~2T flax seed to 3T water (or almond milk) blend until creamy with an immersion blender. It makes a decent egg replacer. I've made vegan chocolate chip cookies with this trick and nobody could tell the difference.

Place the ingredients in the food processor and blitz until creamy.

The next part to this dish adds a festive nature to it: pears poached in pomegranate juice. First, peel and core the pears and place in a shallow skillet with a portion of pomegranate juice. Over low heat, allow the juice to begin simmering, and spoon over the pears.

When they're a nice colour, remove from the pan and allow to cool. Then, slide lengthwise and place in a prepared tart shell. I already had one in the fridge.

If I had to do it again, I'd have made the frangipane thicker, and I'd have put the pears on top of the filling. It was delicious all the same.

Bake at 350F until the filing is set, ~45min. I like to dust it with icing sugar and serve it with pomegranate kernels and a sprig of mint.

Pomegranate-Blood Orange Granita

June 7, 2014

Take the edge off the summer heat with a granita! Not quite a slush, not completely frozen, this dish is a frosty delight.

Start by juicing the pomegranate and oranges. I like a ratio of 1 pomegranate to 2 oranges. Add a bit of orange zest, water and sugar to brighten the flavours.

Place in the freezer and agitate every 15 minutes. This prevents large ice crystals from forming. It's ready when all the liquid is frozen. When serving, garnish with thinly sliced segments of the blood orange.

Angel Food Cake Trifle

December 30, 2013

A bright coloured dessert for celebrating the New Year. Whipped cream and angel food cake provide a visual contrast and taste complement for the pomegranate.

I started with a pack mix cake - because it's easy, and making one from scratch requires a dozen egg whites. Once the cake cools, remove the crust.
Make a simple sauce of sugar, a small bit of cornstarch and pomegranate juice. Bring to a boil, but remove from heat promptly.
Whip the cream with a bit of sugar, vanilla bean and a few drops of Fiori di Sicilia.
Extract the pomegranate arils and the zest of lemon (and/or orange, tangerine, lime).
Add a bit of sauce to the glass and pile in the cream, cake and fruit.

For a richer dessert, use a chocolate sauce (melted chocolate and cream - or non-dairy milk).

Raspberry-Pomegranate Parfait

December 23, 2013

Start with fresh pomegranate and extract the juice. I used a ricer: Good Grips Ricer Mix raspberries, the pomegranate juice, a bit of vanilla and a smidgen of sugar. Muddle the ingredients and spoon a portion into a clear glass. Add Greek youghurt to a piping bag (I prefer vanilla or honey) and carefully add a layer atop the raspberries. Continue alternating layers of fruit and youghurt until the glass is full. Top the arrangement with sugared raspberries and a sprig of mint.