Some cheese with that whine

Holy hell, I need a vacation. From my job, from my kitchen, you name it. My body hurts. I have a deep cut on my left index finger thanks to a work box cutter (Medic! Worker's comp!), various burns on my right hand, and swollen feet. Also, I missed the bus and was unable to pick up fancy crackers before work tonight, and the fanciest crackers we have at the job are Triscuits. I wasn't about to eat brie with Triscuits.

Whoa. Brie?



Yes. There is brie up in this MoFo thanks to Miyoko Schinner and her awesome book: Artisan Vegan Cheese. I made a batch of rejuvelac two weeks ago, and have been making vegan cheeses ever since. I just started a second batch of rejuvelac just because I need it ready. Dry heaving when pouring it out is WORTH IT.



Vegan Brie en Croute with Apple Compote
serves 5 as an appetizer

1/2 recipe air-dried brie from Artisan Vegan Cheese. When forming the cheese, spread in 8-ounce ramekins, so it comes out in wheels. You'll use one wheel for this. Slice it horizontally.
1 sheet puff pastry, rolled out and cut into a 10" circle
2 small apples, peeled, cored, and finely diced (most compotes call for Golden Delicious, but any juicy, flavorful apple will do).
1 tbsp margarine
1/4 cup sugar
pinch cardamom
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 375°

In a saucepan, heat the margarine until melted. Add apples and cook about 5 minutes, or until soft. Add the sugar, cardamom, and vanilla. Cook about ten minutes more, stirring frequently, over low heat. Pour into a bowl and cool to room temperature.

Place 1/2 a cheese wheel in the center of the puff pastry, on a sheet of parchment. Spoon half the apple compote over it. Place the other half wheel on top of that, and cover with the rest of the compote. Bring the pastry up and pleated it, so the top of the pastry looks like a drawstring bag and pinch to seal. Make sure it's sealed really well, so it doesn't explode like mine did. It's totally cool if the apple compote peeks out of the top. Brush with non-dairy milk.

Place cheese and parchment on a baking sheet. Bake 45 minutes or until golden brown. Let rest 5 minutes. Serve with fancy water crackers, baguette, or in my case, cheap french bread from Jimmy John's.

Coup de grâce

This MoFo has been...a learning experience. I refuse to say "failure," although a lot of the things I have made have not come out tasting as I'd hoped, or outright disappointed me. I guess I should be relieved that the plan I had for next week (candy) is being done this week by someone else (right down to the exact items I wanted to veganize). Part of me feels frustrated that now I have to come up with other ideas, but I'm also somewhat glad because this month seems to be jinxed. I've forgotten things in pictures, I've forgotten ingredients when blogging recipes (only to go back and edit after posting that shit all over the place), and I haven't taken any time off work, thus making grocery shopping, cooking, and blogging something that is just more shit I gotta do instead of something I normally look forward to. I'm also feeling incredibly anxious about tackling things, when I used to feel challenged and excited. Sucks, huh? I guess the only thing I can do is soldier on, finish the month, and resolve to experiment more with things. Starting with this Tarte Tatin.



It started off so well. The caramel was perfectly amber, and then at some point, it burned. If I have anything to teach anyone about veganizing, it's that vegan versions don't take long to get to where they need to be. Case in point: caramel. I put the apples in long after I should have, and cooked it longer on the stove than I should have.


The inside, which was perfect.

I ended up scraping off the burnt sugar on top, and served this with vanilla ice cream, and it was good (not awesome).



What I learned about this dessert is that I can skip the long caramelization process called for in the original recipe. Simply melt, stir, bake. Since everything happened so fast, it can happen in the oven. I'll be tackling this again. Trust me.