The Peaceable Kingdom

This is the first time I've been late in posting the Daring Bakers' challenges.  We just moved into our new house, got our Internet connection back, and finally got a tiny breather in between busy projects.  So I'm three days late in posting this month's challenge.  I must be losing my mind.  I'm not late.  I'm exactly on time.  Thank God!

The 2009 October Daring Bakers’ challenge was brought to us by Ami S. She chose macarons from Claudia Fleming’s The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern as the challenge recipe.

These are not the macaroons we usually think of.  These are the real thing - French macarons.  You can find the original recipe here.  I based my vegan version on David Lebovitz's recipe and instructions.  I used Ener-G egg replacers to substitute egg whites with great success.  The vegan macarons have a very similar texture to the original ones, and they are totally decadent.

I could just eat the macaron cookies by themselves.  I actually made two batches this time, chocolate flavor and original almond flavor.

I loved the Belgian chocolate ganache as the filling.  If you are in the mood for some serious sweet treats, make these macarons.

For more delicate and beautiful macarons, check out the Daring Bakers Blogroll.

I cannot believe I'm still up at this hour working.  It seems like all of my posts recently have started with "I cannot believe...", so maybe it's time for me to realize that I should just believe it.  This month's Daring Cooks' challenge is very interesting, something I have been wanting to make for literally ages - the Vietnamese Pho.  I chose to make the vegan Pho Ga (Chicken Pho).

October 2009 Daring Cooks’ challenge comes to us from Jaden of Steamy Kitchen, who has graciously offered a recipe from her new cookbook The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook.

I was lucky to enough to find a window in my schedule to complete both challenges.  The vegan Pho Ga was very interesting to make.  I only had time to make the short version of the recipe.  You can find the long version of the chicken pho recipe here, and beef pho recipe here on Jaden's Web site.  I toasted the same spices but used vegan faux meat (chicken breast) and soy sauce and hoisin sauce.  I also added lots of shiitake mushrooms to add more flavor.  The pho came out really tasty and the rice noodles simply were glorious in this soup.

Of course, a bunch of broccoli, bean sprouts, and lots of fresh cilantro leaves certainly make the pho even more appealing.

The chocolate wontons were a breeze to make.  I used the same Chinese dumpling wrapper recipe in the June challenge.  Deep-frying them with chocolate filling made them totally decadent.  It was a good thing that I didn't make too many of these wontons.

Now I must get back to my work again.  These beautiful foods can at least keep me a little more content now.

For more delicious Vietnamese Pho, check out the Daring Cooks blogroll.

Poor hubby went on a wild goose chase yesterday around the house, literally.  We had some really strong wind for the whole day, and around 10 in the morning, a super strong gust blew a Canada goose onto our roof and it ended up being lame with a broken leg and sitting in our drive way.  We called the local wildlife rescue and were told to "bag" the goose by ourselves, put it in a box, and drive 50 miles to them.  We were trying to do the right thing.  It was really windy and rainy outside.  My poor hubby chased the supposedly lame goose for more than 20 minutes all around the yard and driveway and the silly goose really put up a fierce fight by flapping, flying, running, hissing, and puking.  It finally disappeared into the woods.  Now we know how the phrase "wild-goose chase" came about.

Anyway, after the goose chase yesterday, we had to have some comfort food today.  Hubby made his famous peanut butter sauce (1/2 container of peanut butter, soy sauce, hot chili sauce, paprika, oregano, thyme, chives, black pepper, and soy milk) and I made some udon noodles with shiitake mushrooms.  We were all set.  This is certainly not the meal that will make you lose 5 pounds, but your woes will be wiped out completely.  I guarantee that!

We are moving early next week, so I don't think I will be able to keep up with the blogging.  It is a shame but I will try my best.  If we can survive October, we will be able to have a breather then.

I have been in love with puff pastry.  I want to experiment more with laminated dough in the following months.  But, wait a minute.  I actually have never made a napoleon in my life.  So making a vegan napoleon is my theme today.  I used puff pastry and made the classic fluffy vanilla buttercream in VCTOTW.  For more decadence, I added some Soyatoo soy whipped cream on top.  This was a very nice treat for a sunny afternoon after two to three months of rain.

Last time I baked with Bread Baking Babes was in May.  Then I got completely swamped by busy work and keeping up with the Daring Kitchen.  I have never felt right about this, because I love baking bread.  So I am really glad this time I got to steam some bread with the Bread Baking Babes.  And this is the theme of my third of VeganMoFo.

The Bread Baking Babes challenge of this month is Xiang Cong Hya Juan Bao (Chinese flower steamed buns in fact) made with dough that has both yeast and baking powder.  This month's recipe was chosen by Karen of Bake My Day from the Global Baker by Dean Brettschneider.  He says,

"Everywhere you go in China you see people eating steam buns, also known as mantong.  Typically Chinese, a sweet bread is combined with a savoury filling, such as red bean paste and barbecued pork, but take care and avoid using too much filling or the bun will fall apart during the rising and steaming stage.  The baking powder helps to open up the texture and gives a little tenderness to the eating quality of the buns.  If you can, use imported Chinese flour from a specialist Asian food market or store".

I used the same recipe and just used a blend of all-purpose flour and tapioca starch instead of the authentic Chinese flour.  I also followed the instructions of Aparna from My Diverse Kitchen by increasing the amounts of both yeast and baking powder to 1/2 tsp. each.  My double knots pretty much disappointed after steaming.  These buns really expand a lot during steaming.

Xiang Cong Hya Juan Bao
(Chinese flower steam buns)
Makes 10 buns

Ingredients:

Dough:

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1 1/2 Tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp. butter, at room temperature
A good pinch of salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. active dry yeast
150 ml chilled water, placed in the refrigerator overnight

Filling:

rice bran oil, for brushing on dough (I actually forgot this step)
40 g finely chopped spring onions or chives
25 g finely chopped red chillies (I used red pepper flakes)
salt to taste (I used a liberal amount to increase the flavor)

Method:

To make the dough, place all the ingredients into a large mixing bowl and, using your hands, combine to form a very, very firm dough mass.  Don't be tempted to add any water or the steam buns will be flat after steaming.

Place the dough on a work surface and, using your rolling pin, roll out to a thin strip, fold this in half and roll again.  Repeat this 10-15 times with a 30 second rest in between each time.  This is a way of mixing a very firm dough, the dough will start to become smooth and elastic as a result of the rolling process.

Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  Leave in a warmish place (23-25C) for 15 minutes.  Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface.  Using a rolling pin, roll out each piece to a 25cm square.

Brush the dough surface lightly with oil and sprinkle the chopped chives and chillies evenly over the dough.  Season with salt.

Fold the dough in half and then cut into 2.5cm strips so that you end up with 10 folded strips.  Stretch each strip and, starting at the folding edge, twist the two pieces of each strip over each other to form a rope.

Take the twisted rope and tie into a double knot, tucking the loose ends underneath.  Place each bun with ends facing down on a lightly oiled steaming plate (idli trays are also excellent for this) and cover loosely with plastic wrap.  Prove for approximately 30-45 minutes in a warm place.

Bring a wok or saucepan of water (or steamer) to the boil with a bamboo steamer sitting on top.  Remove the bamboo steamer lid and place the buns on the paper in the steamer 3-4 cm apart to allow for expansion during steaming.  Replace the steamer lid and steam for 20 minutes.  Repeat until all the buns have been steamed and are firm to the touch.

This recipe makes 10 buns. Serve with a soya based sauce.

My Verdict:

1. Do make sure you don't use too much filling.  I was trying to be a little greedy with the green onions (because I can't get enough of them), and many small chopped pieces fell out during the twisting and knotting.  I had to stuff some back.  I don't mind it, but it is extra work that had to be done gently and carefully.

2. The flavors were excellent, not domineering and showing great potential as a side dish to some nice soup and stuffing.  I can see myself eating these buns with some nice roasted vegetables or garlicky broccoli.  I will definitely make these buns again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
XIANG CONG HYA JUAN BAO is being served up as the Bread Baking Babes challenge of the month.  September's challenge is hosted by Karen of "Bake My Day", September’s kitchen of the month.  If you also want to become a bread baking buddy and earn a badge, you have until October 5th to bake these steam buns and submit it to Karen.  Check out further details on becoming a buddy on My Kitchen in Half Cups.

I have made so many different versions of tofu scramble.  For a vegan, tofu scramble is definitely a staple food, something that I can simply whip up when I am feel really lazy.  It is the ultimate comfort food with the benefit of fast food.  You can practically add anything into the tofu scramble to make it Italian, American, Chinese, Indian, or whichever way you want.

But the recipe I used this time is simplicity itself.  I found it on Bryanna's blog and it is Julie Hasson's Yummy Tofu Scramble.  I cooked it in 15 minutes and it is yummy without too many additions or spices.  Sometimes, keeping it simple is the sure way to make it tasty.  This tofu scramble sure beats all the other versions I tried in any restaurant so far (and we have tried many across the country).

English muffins, move over!  They used to be my favorite brunch food, but now crumpets have rolled into town!  I was really blind to the difference between English muffins and crumpets before.  They look almost alike, in texture and taste.  But recently I discovered that crumpets are thinner, moister, and have more nooks and crannies (namely many many holes) for butter and jam.  Crumpets are more like really thick pancakes.

I used King Arthur Flour's recipe.  The batter is so easy to put together, especially if you have a stand mixer.  I don't know where I have been, having made no attempt to make these beauties before.  The below photo really doesn't do crumpets justice.  I have been thoroughly enjoying those holes smothered with butter and jam for the past two days.

So, this is my first VeganMoFo entry this year.  I guess I will have a theme after all - things I have been wanting to make for ages but haven't for some reason (either fear or laziness).  I'd better gear up for tomorrow.

VeganMoFo is upon us once again!  Yay!  I can't wait to start.  Though we are faced with probably the first snow here in Killington, I feel so warm thinking about the beginning of a fabulous month ahead full of vegan eats and treats.  If you haven't joined yet, there are two days left.  Head over to Kittee's blog right now to enlist yourself now.  :-)

You can see a full list of participants over at Kittee's blog.

My schedule has been getting worse and worse.  I simply don't have time to cook or bake much now.  I cannot believe my eyes when I just spotted on the calendar that it is the 27th of the month again!  I totally forgot I'm supposed to post my Daring Bakers' Challenge today.  So without further ado, here it is: Vols-au-Vent (are you ready to take a bite and go to heaven?)

The September Daring Bakers' challenge has been chosen by Steph of A Whisk and A Spoon.  She wanted us to make our own puff pastry in our home kitchens.  What a great idea!  I've always wanted to make homemade puff pasty and I saved about a dozen different recipes.  I finally got to make it this time.  I don't know what I would do without this lovely Daring Kitchen.

The September 2009 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Steph of A Whisk and a Spoon. She chose the French treat, Vols-au-Vent based on the Puff Pastry recipe by Michel Richard from the cookbook Baking With Julia by Dorie Greenspan.

Since I have made homemade croissants before, I'm not intimidated by the "laminated dough".  It was actually really fun making this kind of pastry dough.  For the full recipe with detailed instructions, click here.

I made three types of fillings: creamy artichoke filling (see my recipe below), Belgian chocolate buttercream (the classic recipe from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World), and chia seed pudding filling (recipe by Veggie Wedgie).

Creamy Artichoke Filling
(Makes 4 servings)

1 jar water-packed artichoke hearts, well drained and chopped
1/2 package Tofutti cream cheese
1/2 package Tofutti sour cream
3 tsp. paprika
1 Tbsp. capers, well drained and roughly chopped
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
A pinch of red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper

I still have some leftover puff pastry in the freezer.  I'm looking forward to making another batch very soon.

For more mouth-watering vols-au-vent, check out the Daring Bakers Blogroll.