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In my last post I wrote about my Mmm…Canada, savoury submission, Montreal Bagels. Today it’s all about the sweet things in life.

As I said in yesterday’s post, I received an invitation from Jasmine, The Cardamom Addict to take part in a blogging event that she is co-hosting with The Domestic Goddess called Mmm…Canada.

The Mmmm…Canada event is being held to coincide with Canada Day on July 1st. I am both a Canuck and a lover of food so there was no arm twisting required to get me to take part. The Cardamom Addict is handling all things savoury while The Domestic Goddess is looking after the sweet side of Canadian life. The idea behind the event is for a bunch of Canucks, and honourary Canucks, to present delectable submissions of either the sweet or savoury variety that are quintessentially Canadian. Given my love of food I decided to do both. Yesterday it was all about Montreal Bagels for my savoury submission. Today, it’s all about the sweet stuff: Nanaimo Bars.

The history that I remember about Nanaimo Bars is that they were the winning submission made by a Nanaimo (British Columbia) housewife in the 50’s, in response to a dessert bar contest. Or something along those lines. They are ubiquitous in Canada. There isn’t a single grocery store that doesn’t carry a mass-produced version - homemade is always best, of course. They are so popular in fact that I’d be surprised if mine were the only submission in this event. Nanaimo Bars are a three layer bar style dessert. The bottom layer is a chocolatey, nutty, coconut graham crumb base. This is topped with a vanilla custard-like buttercream layer. Finally, it is topped with a chocolate glaze layer. Voila, Nanaimo Bars.

Since I was really short on time, Nanaimo Bars were the perfect choice for this project. They are e-a-s-y to make, no baking required. All they need is a little chilling and before you know it you’re enjoying a diabolically sweet treat. And I mean diabolical. If you have a sweet tooth, this is your dream come true.

Warning: Nanaimo Bars are dangerous to have around. Resistance is futile.

Actually, I was rather cross with hubby yesterday. I had given him very specific instructions to take the entire batch of Nanaimo Bars to work with him for sharing. Imagine my chagrin when I opened the fridge and found them all there. Calling me. What ensued was a torturous exercise in temptation and will power. I was most displeased.

I found a recipe that had originally appeared in the Vancouver Sun newspaper and set about veganizing it. Nanaimo Bars are a cinch to veganize. Earth Balance (vegan buttery margarine) replaces butter, flax meal and water replace egg, plain soy milk replaces milk. This is my adapted recipe:

Nanaimo Bars:

Bottom layer

1/2 cup earth balance (or other vegan margarine)
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 tbsp flax meal
3 tbsp water
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups crushed graham crackers or crumbs
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Middle layer

1/4 cup earth balance (or other vegan margarine)
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 tbsp vanilla custard powder *
3 tbsp plain soy milk

* easy to find in Canada but sometimes difficult to find in the U.S. - instant vanilla pudding powder can be substituted.

Top layer

4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
1 tbsp earth balance (or other vegan margarine)

Assembly:

• To make bottom layer: Grease a 9-inch square cake pan. I lined the bottom with parchment that stuck out the top so I could lift everything out after - this makes cutting the bars easier (I didn’t want to scratch up my nice pan)
• In a small bowl, beat flax meal and water together until frothy, set aside.
• In a sauce pan over low heat, combine 1/2 cup earth balance, sugar, cocoa, and vanilla . Add flax mixture and stir constantly until mixture thickens.
• Add graham crackers crumbs, coconut, and chopped nuts, stirring to combine.
• Press the mixture into the greased pan.

• To make middle layer: In a large bowl, beat together 1/4 cup earth balance, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla custard powder, and soy milk until creamy.
• Spread custard mixture over graham cracker base in pan. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.

• To make top layer: Melt semi-sweet chocolate and 1 tbsp earth balance. Pour over chilled bars and spread over top. Return to refrigerator to chill until firm (at least 1 hour).

• I recommend checking in on the squares after maybe ten minutes of this final chilling phase - or as soon as the chocolate topping begins to set a bit enough to score. While it’s still soft, score just the top chocolate layer with the lines you will cut along later. This way you will be able to cut the squares cleanly afterward when the chocolate is fully set, without cracking the tops (like I did).
• Serves 9-16, depending on how you divide them.

Here’s to wishing you a sweet Canada Day!

Since we’re a bit early, promise to check back on July 1st and click on the Mmm…Canada logo at the top of this post which will take you to The Domestic Goddess’ sweet Canadian roundup.

At the beginning of this month I received an invitation from Jasmine, The Cardamom Addict to take part in a blogging event that she was co-hosting with The Domestic Goddess: Mmm…Canada.

The Mmmm…Canada event is being held to coincide with Canada Day, July 1st, and being a proud Canuck, I jumped at the chance to participate. The Cardamom Addict would be taking submissions for savoury treats while The Domestic Goddess would be handling all things sweet. The name of the game is to present something either sweet or savoury that is quintessentially Canadian. I decided to do both.

First up, something savoury.

The first order of business was to brainstorm about Canadian cuisine, ruminate about all the good foods that I grew up with. I thought of a million and one delicious possibilities to be sure before finally deciding on the Montreal Bagel. With that decision made it was time to find the right recipe. With a little looking around online I found a very respectable recipe for the Montreal Bagel in the New York Times of all places. It was actually somewhat of an ode to the Montreal Bagel - the recipe is accompanied by a great article about the Montreal Bagel’s history.

There is a history of friendly (and not so friendly) competition between the New York Bagel and the Montreal Bagel. The Times article points out that a Montreal Bagel is essentially made like the New York bagels of old - they have a shared history, made in the tradition of the Old Country from whence their makers came before settling in the New World.

A Montreal Bagel is the kind of bagel I really love. It is soft and chewy on the inside, with a delightful hint of sweetness that makes it irresistible and downright difficult to stop at one - so it’s a good thing that they are traditionally made on the small side. Well, they’re smallish when compared to their usually swollen, often gargantuan modern day counterparts.

I recently discovered that I absolutely love working with dough, so I set about the task of making these bagels with glee. This was despite the fact that I had never made bagels, or anything remotely resembling bagels or their bread cousins, before. The first step would be to make the appropriate substitutions since I would be making a vegan version - flax meal with water plus plain soy yogurt in place of the eggs and, if not using honey, agave syrup. I also increased the yeast (I recently learned that it is advisable to increase your leavening agent when omitting eggs). My adapted recipe looks like this:

Montreal Bagels:

1 1/2 cups water, room temperature
2 packages + 1/2 tsp quick-rising, instant yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
2 1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp flax meal
3 tbsp water
1/4 cup plain soy yogurt
1/4 cup canola oil
1/3 cup + 1 tbsp agave syrup (or 1/2 cup honey)
5 cups bread flour, plus extra for dusting (all-purpose flour, alternatively)
3 quarts water for boiling (I filled my largest pot with 4-5 inches of water)
1/3 cup malted barley syrup (for the boiling water)
Sesame or poppy seeds for sprinkling on top.

• In a small bowl, add the flax meal and 3 tbsp water and beat together until frothy, set aside.
• In a large bowl, blend the water, yeast, sugar and salt together. Stir in the oil and the agave syrup (or honey if using), add in the flax mixture and mix well.
• Add the flour and mix with a big wooden spoon until the dough is too stiff to mix by hand. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead to form a soft, pliable dough - about 5 to 7 minutes. Add a small bit more flour as needed to prevent dough from getting too sticky (don’t add too much though - just what you need to handle the dough relatively cleanly).

• When the dough is smooth and elastic, place it in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with seran wrap.
• Let the dough rest approximately 20 minutes. Punch it down and divide into 18 portions.
• Pour the water into a large pot, add 1/3 cup malted barley syrup to the water and heat until boiling. Cover, reduce heat and let simmer while preparing the bagels.
• Shape the dough portions into bagel-like rings by elongating each portion into an 8- to 10-inch coil that is about 3/4-inch thick. Fold the ends over each other and give them a pinch. Then using flattened fingers, roll the ring gently back and forth over the seal to join it well. This locks the ends together and prevents them from opening up when boiled. Let the bagels rest for 15 minutes on a non-stick surface - I used my lightly floured counter.

• Preheat oven to 425F degrees. Bring the water back to a boil and remove the lid. Have bowls of poppy seeds and sesame seeds nearby.

• When the water is boiling, using a slotted spoon, add three bagels to the water. As they rise to the surface, turn them over, and let them boil an additional minute before removing them and quickly dipping them in either bowl of the seeds. My bagels seemed to float immediately, so I let them cook for about 1-2 minutes before flipping them and cooking for an additional minute on the other side. Continue boiling and dipping the bagels in batches of three until all have been done.
• Arrange the boiled bagels on a baking sheet (I lined mine with parchment paper), and bake until they are medium brown, approximately 25 minutes. Be sure to keep and eye on them though, and check them often after the ten minute mark. When they’re done, remove them from the oven and place on cooling rack. Once cooled, the bagels can be placed in a plastic bag, sealed and frozen.
• Yield: 18 bagels. NOTE: If not using the dough immediately it should be refrigerated after it has been kneaded. The bagels can be cooked up to a day later. Allow the dough to return to room temperature before proceeding.

Apart from my vegan substitutions, my version also differs from the recipe I was following with respect to baking temperature. The version I was following called for a 450F oven and was very specific about putting the baking pan of bagels on the lowest possible rack of the oven. It also calls for a baking time of 25 minutes.

Well. Let me tell you something. With my first batch of bagels, and after only ten minutes in the oven under these conditions, there was a distinct odour of burn in the air. At first I thought that perhaps a crumb or two at the bottom of the oven might be the source. But a peak at the bagels revealed that the edge of one at the very corner was already dark brown. How odd, I thought. And after only 10 of 25 minutes. I removed the pan from the oven and was met with black-bottomed bagels. Bottom rack position, my hiney. So the oven temp was quickly reduced and the subsequent batches baked on the customary middle rack position. Success, finally.

Despite that initial odorous setback, the bagels turned out very nicely indeed. They were so yummy in fact that even the burnt bottomed ones would not go wasted - we cut the bottoms of those babies off and ate every last bit of them up. My husband took a few to work and shared some bites with his co-workers. He returned home with his fellows’ declarations that I ‘make good bread’ and (my personal favourite), ‘is there anything she can’t do.’

I’d say these worked out well. Happy (early) Canada Day!

Be sure to check back on July 1st and click on the Mmm…Canada picture at the top of the post so you can see the full roundup of Canadian savoury cuisine on the Cardamom Addict’s site.

Next up, Mmm…Canada, sweet edition.

Tomorrow, there will be a post about baking. I promise. But today, I could not contain my glee about these two new baking pans I just picked up. A present for myself.

Allow me to introduce you to my two little friends.

They are springforms. They are nonstick. They are 4-inches wide.

They are teeny tiny and cute as hell. I cannot wait to make teeny tiny cakes with them.

More to come tomorrow. There will be food. There will be a post about it.

I came across this meme at Musings From the Fishbowl, whose lovely author Shellyfish tagged me on the basis of meeting the following criteria: I had a smoothie that day, I’ve never made my own seitan, I most definitely wish I was taller, and I always want to take a nap. The only thing on the list that didn’t apply to me was that I did not have more than one tattoo.

So, without further adieu, here’s how the meme works:

1. Post the rules of the game at the beginning.
2. Each player answers the questions about themselves.
3. At the end of the post, the player then tags five people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read the player’s blog (OR do what I and my fellows before me did instead…see end of meme)
4. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

What were you doing five years ago?

Spending a lot of time in Ireland with my future husband and suffering from separation anxiety from my beloved New York (from which I had recently moved).

What are five things on your to-do list for today?

1) Write.
2) Buy bread and dog food.
3) Bike.
4) Put the garbage, recycling, and green bins out.
5) Laundry (yuck.)

What are five snacks you enjoy?

1) Dried figs stuffed with walnuts or almonds.
2) Soy yogurt or pudding with fresh fruit and nuts.
3) Blueberries and stone fruits.
4) Cookies, cake, sweets in general.
5) Coffee. Not really a snack, but still.

What are five things you would do if you were a billionaire?

Okay, after paying off family debts and buying every kitchen gadget I ever wanted, I’d…

1) Open a vegan bakery and cafe (this would put me in direct competition with Vegan Noodle over at Walking the Vegan Line ).
2) Buy apartments in Manhattan and Paris, a cottage in the Irish countryside, and villas in Provence and Tuscany, and outfit each with the most kick-ass gourmet kitchen known to man.
3) Give hundreds of millions of dollars away to the charities I love, like Farm Sanctuary, WSPA, IFAW, WWF, the Humane Society and other animal rescue organizations.
4) Start my own animal sanctuary and rescue organization.
5) Pay my way into space.

What are five of your bad habits?

1) I’m definitely too sensitive.
2) I’m a terrible housekeeper.
3) Man I’m stubborn.
4) I can be a tad argumentative (okay, hot-headed) when it comes to things I believe in.
5) Sweet tooth. Big time.

What are five places where you have lived?

1) In and around Toronto, Canada
2) Astoria, Queens, NYC
3) East Village, NYC
4) Co. Cork, Ireland
5) Paris, France (does two months count? This list is woefully short.)

What are five jobs you’ve had?

1) Photographer
2) Cinematographer
3) Actor
4) Copy Editor
5) Cage Girl (my husband always says this sounds naughty - it was a film & photo equipment cage at university)

Five people I tag:

Since some don’t enjoy tagging (and I’m shy anyway), I’m borrowing the following idea from Shellyfish of Musings From the Fishbowl - so you are tagged if you want to be and…

1) You ate a cookie today.
2) Your name starts with M.
3) You love the scent of a freshly opened container of coffee.
4) You think Hugh Laurie is sexy.
5) You live with one or more pets.

flickr, the game., originally uploaded by madcapcupcake.

Thanks to BitterSweet, who drew me into this rather fun flickr game.

Click on the photo mosaic, read the photo notes and the game description, and gain a small bit of insight into the madcap cupcake.

Today’s breakfast is brought to you by, you guessed it, My Sweet Vegan - yes, I’m on a roll with this book. All the other cookbooks are probably feeling very lonely and left out just about now.

Ah, french toast. Breakfast foods most definitely comprise some of my favourite culinary delights - pancakes, crepes, waffles, and french toast are all held in very high esteem in this house and heart. When I first went vegan I wrote about how I went into mourning for these hallowed breakfast treats but soon realized that there was a new world of alternative ways to create them awaiting me. I have already made awesome pancakes and crepes galore with delicious success. Today would be my first foray into french toast. All I can say is it was about time, and yum.

There are probably a million and one ways to make french toast - it’s a personal thing. Depending on what you like, you’ll use different spices or different bread. You may completely soak your slices, or merely coat the surface, etc, etc. When I used to make french toast in the past, no two batches were ever the same. For my first vegan batch I thought I’d defer to the judgment of someone who clearly knows more than I do, which brings me to Hannah’s version in My Sweet Vegan. After all, I’ve made several things from her book with a 100% success rate so I had faith that this would be a good place to start in the world of vegan french toast.

The beautiful aroma that wafted up from the mixture as I was putting it together kind of made me want to drink it straight up, I kid you not. It was that good. A little patience, albeit difficult, and 15 minutes later I was eating a lovely batch of french toast. It would have been marvelous with maple syrup but I opted for a lighter presentation with a small bit of powdered sugar.

I’m on a powdered sugar kick lately.

So I’m fairly green at the blogging thing and there are still many firsts being experienced along the way. I’ve come into contact with many interesting, talented, and creative people which is awesome. I joined the Daring Bakers which is forcing me to stretch my culinary muscle in the best creative way. I’ve come across my blog on the blogroll of some truly talented and accomplished bloggers which is an incredible honour and makes me smile huge and feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Well today I came across another first, and a great one at that. The culinary creative genius behind Speedbump Kitchen, and fellow Daring Baker, has done me the honour of using one of my recipes in the creation of what I can only describe as a cake masterpiece. We had both recently undertaken the Daring Baker challenge to make Opera Cake. When I saw the Speedbump Kitchen entry I just thought it was a thing of beauty - it was garnished with whimsical little marzipan bees, need I say more? Just gorgeous and incredibly inspiring. The creator of that marvelous cake visited my blog, came across my recent rustic coconut cake, and thought of incorporating it into an Opera cake for her adorable egg and dairy-sensitive kids.

Well that cake is made and all I can say is wow. And it has bees. So awesome. Well that’s it, my day is made. Look at the cake and bask in its glory.

In my blogosphere travels I kept coming across various members of a mysterious group called the Daring Bakers and became increasingly intrigued with each blog entry perused. The Daring Bakers got their start in November 2006, founded by Lis of La Mia Cucina and Ivonne of Cream Puffs in Venice, and has since grown into a very large group as more cooks get into the kitchen. The idea behind DB is for everyone to bake the same recipe every month, keep it secret and post about it on the same day. You can see the full blogroll of the Daring Bakers here. I’m chuffed to say I have joined this highly esteemed, talented and friendly group and I’m especially happy to present my first DB challenge: Opera Cake.

I would also like to dedicate this month’s challenge to the Lance Armstrong Foundation LIVESTRONG initiative in the fight against cancer. This cause is very special to a DB member at the Winos and Foodies blog, and to all of us whose lives have been touched by cancer - we celebrate those who are fighting the good fight.

Since I would be baking vegan, making the Opera cake would prove to be the biggest baking challenge I’ve encountered so far (as laden with eggs and dairy as it is). Though daunting, it was an incredible learning experience. I have never deconstructed a recipe to the extent that I picked this one apart, nor have I done so much research and study on everything from stabilizers to thickeners. I felt like a naughty little kid let loose in the kitchen and a mad scientist all at once. I learned a lot. I had a ton of fun. Above all, my unexpected success with this baking project has given me the confidence to experiment and create more in my vegan kitchen. If I had any lingering doubts about vegan baking being restricting before this challenge, after making this cake I knew once and for all that baking vegan is no restriction at all. It’s about taking a different route to the same destination - learning to work with what may be unfamiliar ingredients and using those ingredients in unconventional ways. So much of baking is science and chemistry and baking vegan is about finding appropriate alternatives that act in chemically similar ways to the ingredients you need to replace in a recipe, things like eggs, dairy, and gelatin.

Armed with my lucky purple spatula I set out to conquer this beast of a cake.

After setting an oven mitt on fire, much trial and error and a whole lot of quality ingredients down the drain, I came up with recipes that worked for each and every element of the Opera Cake: The joconde (cake layers), the buttercream (the only butter in my version comes from hazelnuts), a mousse layer, and a ganache or glaze. Much leeway was granted with respect to flavourings for this challenge, the only stipulation being that the flavours and colours of the cake remain light. That meant no chocolate or coffee, which are the traditional Opera Cake flavours and, coincidentally, my two favourite things. Damn. However, if you take the time to look through the DB blog roll, I’m sure you will be as amazed and inspired as I was by all the different flavour combinations the talented DB-ers came up with in order to work within this framework.

The original recipe called for an almond joconde. Since I was already changing up the entire recipe anyway (veganizing all elements of the cake) and I had hazelnut meal on hand, I chose to do a hazelnut joconde. To go with it, I opted for a complimentary hazelnut buttercream, a chestnut mousse layer and a rum caramel glaze. The cake was then garnished with a darker rum caramel and candied hazelnuts. Note to self: skinning hazelnuts bites.

I made this cake over a three day period. The mousse was first up because I knew it would need to chill overnight at the minimum. With that successfully made, on the second day I moved on to the Hazelnut buttercream and the cake. As the cake was cooling I set about making the rum glaze and went on to assembly.

The opera cake was supposed to have three cake layers but since I made my layers particularly thin I decided to go for a fourth layer and a higher cake. I trimmed my three baked layers into squares and used two of the cutoffs to form a fourth square. The remaining cake cutoff was used to make a miniature round opera cake which I made using a 3-inch round cookie cutter.

The first cake layer is laid down and brushed with rum syrup. This is followed by half the buttercream. Then the second cake layer is laid down and brushed with rum syrup, followed by half of the remaining buttercream (a quarter of the original amount). The third cake layer is applied, brushed with rum syrup and followed by the remaining buttercream (again, amounting to a quarter of the remaining buttercream). You could alternatively split the buttercream three ways but I was going for the 50-25-25 split to add visual interest. The fourth cake layer is laid on top, brushed with rum syrup and then the big sloppy mess of a cake is put into the fridge for an hour to chill and firm up a bit. Then it was time to apply the mousse. That done, back in the fridge it went for three hours to firm up. Then the rum glaze was applied and the cake was returned to the fridge where the very scary looking monster remained overnight.

The next day I drizzled some contrasting rum glaze on top and trimmed the edges of the cake with a hot (dry) knife. I garnished slices with candied hazelnuts. Did I mention that skinning hazelnuts bites? I think I did, but it bares repeating - and it’s done.

Verdict - much to my surprise and delight, everyone who tasted the cake loved it and it didn’t last long despite the fact that is was HUGE. I’m always critical of my own creations so it’s hard to give an unbiased assessment. As a whole, my personal take is that the cake was a tad on the sweet side. Ok, a lot on the sweet side. After looking at much of what my fellow DB-ers came up with, many of whom used lovely light flavour combinations of, for example, lemon and various fruits, I am inspired to take this in a lighter, less sweet direction next time around.

Light flavoured, this cake is not. It is sweet, it is decadent, and it is best in small doses.

Above all, I was thrilled with the chestnut mousse, which worked out for me on my first try. I am completely enamoured with agar and what it can do. The mousse was delicious on its own and what was left over after cake assembly disappeared very fast. My next favourite thing had to be the hazelnut buttercream. This was also delicious and I know it will shine on a simple cake or cupcakes, an assertion I intend to put to the test very soon. In concert with the other components here it was probably the biggest culprit in upping the sweetness quotient - in retrospect, adding that fourth cake layer and thus an extra layer of buttercream probably tipped the sweetness balance into excess.

The hazelnut joconde - this was the element that went through the most iterations (and what also became the source of a lot of expensive supplies thrown out as I experimented with different combinations of ingredients). Although the cake as a whole worked very well, I’m not completely sold on the joconde on its own - and that’s always the true test for me. It was ok but I know it can be better. The texture of the cake was fabulous which I’ll take as a small victory. So many vegan cakes are far too dense for my liking, whereas, at the very least I thought I managed to make something somewhat delicate and airy. I learned a lot about how to use flax meal and soy flour in place of eggs but I’d like to do a little more tweaking before nailing down a final recipe version. For now, I’ll consider the joconde a work in progress.

I wanted to join the Daring Bakers to challenge myself and set these feet down on a new path. I’m psyched to see what challenge comes next. I’ve only just begun and I’ve already met some great, like-minded people: an amazing thing, the value of which can’t be underestimated. I can’t wait to see where this journey takes me.

I originally had my recipes in the middle of this super long post but I’ve since moved them to the bottom here so they’re easier to peruse, enjoy.

~

Hazelnut Joconde:

2 tbsp flax meal
1/4 cup water
1 1/4 cup hazelnut flour/meal
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup soy flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup brown sugar (firmly packed)
2 1/4 cups plain soy milk
1/4 cup canola oil (or other mild oil like safflower or vegetable)
3/4 cup maple syrup
1 tsp apple cider vinegar (or distilled white vinegar)
1 tsp vanilla

• Preheat oven to 350 F.
• In a small bowl, combine water and flax meal and beat with a fork until frothy - set aside.
• In another small bowl, combine soy milk and apple cider vinegar, whisk together and set aside.
• Add remaining dry ingredients to a medium bowl and delicately fold together until just combined.
• In a separate large bowl, place the soy milk mixture, oil, maple syrup and vanilla, and beat together until frothy.
• Return to flax mixture and agitate a bit before adding to wet mixture.
• Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture gradually in small amounts, mixing each time until just combined - do not over mix.
• Divide the batter between prepared pans (mine were lined with parchment paper on the bottom with the sides greased - I had enough batter to spread between 3 small 9.5″ x 13″ jelly roll pans. In order to achieve thin layers you need only JUST coat the bottom of the pan - you’ll need a spatula to drag the batter from one end to the other. Try to get the batter perfectly level from one corner to another or it will rise unevenly.
• Baking time will depend on your oven and the size of the pans you used - mine took about 20 mins, just check on them after 15 mins and lightly tap the top of one with your finger to see if it stays depressed or if it has some bounce. If it has a little bounce it’s ready - I also used a toothpick to check for doneness.
• When they’re done, put the pans on wire racks to cool - when I put my parchment in the pans, I left little tabs on each side sticking up so I could use them to lift the cake out of the pan on to the rack to cool completely. I would let them cool in the pans first for at least 20 - 30 minutes, then very carefully transfer to racks. You may need to run a knife around the cake first.
• Heads up - being so thin, the cake is super fragile and breaks very easily - handle with care. Flipping the layers over to remove the parchment paper is a bit tricky.

~

Hazelnut Buttercream:

1 cup Earth Balance, room temperature (or other dairy-free, vegan buttery spread)
3 cups confectioner’s sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp water
1/4 cup + 1 tbsp hazelnut butter

• Combine brown sugar and water and heat until sugar starts to dissolve - about one minute. Set aside to cool.
• In a large bowl, beat Earth Balance and confectioner’s sugar until light and creamy.
• Add brown sugar mixture and incorporate.
• Add hazelnut butter and incorporate.

~

Chestnut Mousse:

3 tbsp agar flakes
2 tbsp arrowroot
1 cup plain soy milk + 3 tbsp
3 tbsp dark rum
1/2 cup sweetened chestnut puree (mine was already sweetened with sugar and vanilla)
3 x 4.4oz individual Belsoy vanilla pudding cups (organic soy pudding)

• Place agar in saucepan with 1 cup soy milk and allow to soak for at least 15 minutes (no heat yet).
• In a very small bowl, add arrowroot and 3 tbsp soy milk and stir rapidly with a fork to get rid of any lumps - set aside.
• In food processor, add pudding cups, chestnut puree, and rum - process until smooth and creamy.
• After agar has been soaking for 15 minutes, cover saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir vigorously, cover again and set aside for 4 minutes. Return to stove and simmer over low heat, stirring continually for a further 4 minutes to allow agar to dissolve (there may be a few specks of agar undissolved).
• Go back to the bowl with the arrowroot and stir again with a fork - try to smash any stubborn lumps and use fork to lift out any remaining small lumps that refuse to dissolve. Add arrowroot mix to simmering agar and stir vigorously. Mixture will thicken immediately. As soon as you see bubbles start to break the surface remove from heat and do not stir anymore (allowing to boil too long or stirring once boiled will collapse your volume).
• Add agar-arrowroot mixture to chestnut mixture in food processor and pulse a few times until just combined.
• Transfer to bowl, cover with seran wrap and place in refridgerator to chill overnight.

~

Rum Glaze:

1/2 cup butter
1/8 cup water
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup dark rum

• Melt butter in saucepan.
• Stir in water, then sugar.
• Boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
• Remove from heat and stir in rum.
• Allow to cool slightly.
• Pour and smooth over top of cake.

~

Rum Syrup:

1/2 cup water
1/3 cup sugar
2 tbsp dark rum

• Stir everything together in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
• Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
• Use pastry brush to apply glaze to joconde layers.

~

Candied Hazelnuts:

Whole hazelnuts (skinning optional)
1 cup sugar
1 cup water

• Bring water and sugar to a boil and add nuts.
• Simmer for 15 minutes, drain and let nuts dry on wax paper on a cooling rack.

Black & White cookies hold a special place in my heart. They take me back to my time in NY, arguably some of the happiest years ever spent. Countless times I’d pick up a giant example of this hallowed dessert from too many bakeries in each and every borough to list off here (not to mention street vendors). They are decadent - and they are big. Whatever sweet craving you’ve got - these babies will satisfy.

I was so happy, joyous really, to see a vegan recipe for the majestic Black & White included in Hannah Kaminsky’s My Sweet Vegan, which only just arrived at my house last week. I get to indulge in one of my all-time favourite treats and it’s dairy-free, egg free and vegan all the way baby. My initial indecision at which tasty treat to try first upon the book’s arrival, so overwhelmed was I by all the fabulous possibilities contained therein, caused my vote to be forfeit - hubby then cast the tiebreaker in favour of Peanut Butter Bombs. Those turned out really fantastic. I knew what my second foray into the book would have to be - the Black & White.

After getting the batter together I placed generous fluffy dollops on prepared baking sheets. They looked like ethereal little clouds before going into the oven.

I might have left them in a minute too long - ok I did leave them in too long - I was distracted by a cat, but I think they were none the worse for wear.

These were really fun to make. The taste of the batter, which I sampled repeatedly, immediately took me back to being four years old when I used to steal cake batter when my great grand mother wasn’t looking and then she’d chase me around the kitchen with a wooden spoon until I dove under the table for cover. I was safe there because she couldn’t bend too well. Sorry nägy.

Great tasting batter aside, the assembly is where the true fun comes in - all that painting of the two glazes, reminiscent of finger painting. Delightful.

One thing I quickly realized was that in using organic confectioner’s sugar I was not going to get a true snow white for the white side of my cookies, rather mine would be a slight cream - against the dark chocolate glaze they look white enough though.

I even broke out my coveted Endangered Species dark chocolate baking rounds, which I’d been hording for some time.

The chocolate is so darn tasty I was tempted to slather it all over the entire cookie but I resisted. Next time perhaps.

Worth noting is that, if you work slowly like myself, you may need to nuke the chocolate glaze for ten seconds to soften it up again or you may find it start to seize up on you. We want our cookies to have perfectly smooth little Black & White tuxes thank you very much.

Et voilà! - c’est magnifiqe. I love them - so sweet and decadent and, most importantly, delicious. I enjoyed more than one with an equally humongous mug of coffee - and we’re two for two.

Now what to try next…

I recently received my copy of Hannah Kaminsky’s first cookbook, My Sweet Vegan.

My goodness, this is one great book - I really can’t say enough good things about it. One thing I should admit to is the fact that I have an incredible weakness for books of all sorts, shapes and sizes. It’s somewhat of a sickness really. My latest obsession within the obsession is cookbooks, vegan cookbooks specifically. And I have acquired many of them - each having something awesome to offer in their own right.

That said, Hannah’s creation is the closest and most perfect representation of my culinary tastes that I have ever come across. My Sweet Vegan is truly a collection of unusual and amazing desserts. There’s a lot of chocolate. This is good. But there’s also pretty much each and every favourite thing I’ve ever eaten represented in perfect vegan form.

There’s Golden Glazed Donuts. I love donuts. There’s Graham Flour Fig Scones. I love figs. French Toast - breakfast is my favourite meal. There are 77 recipes in total - some of my favourites: Black Bottom Blondies, Whoopie Pies, Marshmallow Mud Cake, Mexican Chocolate Tart, Coconut Custard Pie, Orangettes (dark chocolate covered orange peel), and Root Beer Float Cupcakes - the latter being recently honoured as one of Vegan.com’s Top 10 Recipes, 2008.

My heart smiled with nostalgic glee when I came across Hannah’s inclusion of Pfefferneuse. I nearly wept with joy at spotting the Black & White cookies - those NY classics. Ah New York, how I miss you.

But the proof is in the pudding right? It’s one thing to look at pretty pictures - and they are pretty, snapped by Hannah herself - but it’s another to have a recipe that actually delivers the goods. Based on my first foray into Hannah’s baking world, I’m pretty confident you won’t be disappointed. You can imagine how difficult it was for me to choose which tasty morsel to try first. Ultimately, hubby had to choose for me and he put his vote in for Peanut Butter Bombs.

As I write this I’m enjoying several of them with a giant mug of coffee. A symphony of chocolate and peanut butter, these bombs do not disappoint. Hannah’s instructions are very straightforward and easy to understand, the book is beautifully laid out, and each recipe is accompanied by a fabulous photograph that shows you exactly what you are aiming for.

To quote hubby, ‘MMMMmmmmm.’

Be sure to check out Hannah’s blog, Bittersweet. Luckily for us, this vegan is as generous as she is talented and shares eloquently penned tips, recipes, and crafts on a regular basis.

Way back, all the way back to the beginning, there was a challenge. Guess what. I won (blush). My prized t-shirt arrived not too long ago. Thanks Jason - you are an inspiration.

Jason once described this shirt as his favourite veg garment during one of the always informative and witty TVPs (Toronto Vegetarian Podcast) and has now bestowed one upon me.

You can get your own here.

It reminds me of a funny and poignant blog post (at the fabulous veg blog Walking the Vegan Line) about a Texas bumper sticker - see the photo.

Recognition is sweet. Thanks again Jason.

With awareness of global warming on the rise, an interesting bit of information is unfolding along with it - meat consumption, along with egg and dairy, is the primary cause.

Animal agriculture affects climate change and air pollution more than any other single source. In fact, according to the United Nation’s massive report, Livestock’s Long Shadow, eliminating animal products from our diet would have a bigger impact on global warming than taking every single plane, train and automobile off the road, hummers and all. In short, the best and most immediate way for us to reduce the emissions that cause global warming is for people to adopt a vegan diet.

With billions of farm animals raised on factory farms annually, and billions upon billions of pounds of feed being produced to feed them, the impact on the planet is severe. Animal agriculture plays a significant role in climate change and air pollution, water depletion and pollution, and has a significant impact on biodiversity.

According to the United Nation’s report, animal agriculture has the following impact on air pollution:

• the CO2 equivalent of the livestock industry’s current contribution to climate change is 18%
• currently accounts for 9% of Carbon Dioxide emissions, and climbing.
• currently accounts for 35-40% of Methane emissions
• currently accounts for 65% of Nitreous Oxide emissions
• currently accounts for 64% of Ammonia emissions

Animal agriculture, including the meat, egg, and dairy industries, also has a significant impact on water depletion and pollution. This sector currently exceeds 8% of total global water use. This is a significant figure, especially in light of the increasing scarcity of fresh water in many places in the world, California for example.

Additionally, animal agriculture significantly impacts biodiversity through its direct effect on greenhouse gas emissions, soil erosion, water pollution, deforestation, and overfishing. Consider that 26% of the terrestrial surface is used for grazing, up to 70% of which is already considered degraded, and 33% of arable land is used for feed-crop cultivation.

In the meantime the world is entering a food crisis. The cost of food for human consumption is on the rise because increasing demand for grains, corn needed for ethanol production for example, is exceeding supply. The human population is growing, along with its appetite for meat. There is simply not enough to go around. It is now costing farmers more to feed the farm animals than they are receiving for the meat in return. The livestock industry is not a sustainable one. If consumers don’t start to change their thinking and move away from heavy meat consumption, the Earth’s resources will simply be used up.

The status quo cannot be maintained, whether people like it or not.

People are becoming more aware every day of the power they have as individuals to make a difference. They recycle and compost, they choose to use reusable cloth bags over plastic, they conserve water and install energy-efficient light bulbs. More and more people are opting to use public transit or more fuel efficient cars. Many are choosing to buy local or organic produce and eschewing the use of pesticides and chemicals. As much as all of these things help, nothing has as big of a positive environmental impact as choosing to adopt a vegan (best) or vegetarian (better) diet.

You can start with small steps. Commit to just one vegan day a week or even just one meal to start with. If everyone committed to having just one vegan or vegetarian meal per week, that alone would have a huge impact. According to an estimation by Environemental Defense Fund, if every American ate one meat-free meal per week that would be the equivalent of taking 5 million cars of the road - and if that same group went meat-free for one week, that would be the same as eliminating 8 million cars.

It’s such an attainable solution to a very serious problem. In addition to the multitude of wonderful vegan cookbooks out there, their are countless free resources on the internet. Check out some of the spectacular vegan food blogs out there - there are many wonderful ones in the Blogroll on this site, and countless others. Have fun with it - see the diversity of food available to you. I never ate such a diverse and healthy diet as I did once I made the decision to go vegan.

We can make a difference.

Happy Earth Day!

In a bid to expand my arsenal of vegan friendly sweeteners I picked up some barley malt syrup for the first time yesterday. First impression - I love its thick, honey-like consistency and sweetness. The hint of malt makes me imagine just how great it must be in baked goods. I’m thinking something spicy. There is much potential there. I will experiment and report back.

Speaking of baking - in an effort to challenge myself I have officially signed up to be a Daring Baker. Gulp. Look out for future posts in this regard. My first challenge will be in May.

In my quest to separate my sister from artificial sweeteners I also picked up another new sweetener at the natural food shop - Organic Zero made by Wholesome Sweeteners. This product is made from organic sugar. Its single ingredient, organic Erythritol, is described as highly digestible and naturally occurring in fermented foods, fruits and vegetables. A little research reveals it to be in the family of sugar alcohols. I’ve read that some have significant digestive difficulties with Xylitol, another sugar alcohol. In the (albeit limited) reading I’ve done on the topic, studies seem to indicate that Erythritol is much more easily tolerated in this regard. It is represented as being 70% as sweet as sugar so in testing it I increased my usual scant teaspoon by about 50%.

Impressions - for something that has no calories and a glycemic index of zero I was pretty happy with how it tasted. It doesn’t have an aftertaste like Stevia and I found that it behaved in pretty much the same way as sugar. It dissolved quickly, added no colour to my tea and sweetened it more than adequately. It’s a little on the pricey side - I paid about $10 for a box of 35 packets at my local natural food store - but surely it’s a better choice than artificial sweetener.

Hopefully my sister will agree and leave go that pack of aspartame for good.

Books are my weakness. Cookbooks are particularly hard to resist. My two most recent acquisitions are Eat, Drink, & be Vegan by Dreena Burton and Veganomicon by Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero. I’m planning a combined birthday celebration for hubby and sister and I’ve decided to plan that dinner using these new books.

At first I was overwhelmed by the sheer choice that abounds collectively between these two impressive tomes. When I sat down to look through each book more thoroughly I was struck by how rich and varied a vegan diet can be. The hardest part about planning the dinner will be choosing what to prepare. I plan on testing out a few things this week as I ramp up to the event - I don’t see how I could go wrong with any of these choices. I’ve read many a positive review about Veganomicon’s Chickpea Cutlets. Me and my empty stomach were all set to make them today when I discovered that the can in the cupboard was not chickpeas but romano beans. Damn. And the stores are closed tomorrow for Easter. Double damn. I am sandwiched between two holidays and my cupboards are lacking. I go back to window shopping through the pages of my two new books.

There are pancake recipes in Dreena’s ED&BV. This makes my heart glad. When I first made the decision to go vegan I went into mourning for pancakes, french toast and doughnuts. My sweet tooth knows no bounds. But then, I started to do a little investigating. And I found recipes for vegan pancakes and french toast all over the place - I even found recipes for vegan doughnuts. In ED&BV, Dreena presents a multitude of mouth-watering pancake possibilities which I can’t wait to taste including Banana Cream, Blueberry Carob, Hazelnut Pear, Polenta, Raspberry Cornmeal - and crepes! How could I forget the breakfast staple I was raised on - nothing beats a hot breakfast. I am painfully missing at least half of the ingredients for any these so my testing will have to wait until the stores blissfully reopen after the holiday. In Veganomicon, there are Blueberry Corn Pancakes, and crepes galore - Buckwheat crepes, Savoury Wheat Crepes, Sweet Crepes - and a recipe for Jelly Doughnut Cupcakes. Doughnuts and cupcakes in the same tasty treat - awesome (the authors use ’savory’ instead of savoury, and ‘donut’ instead of doughnut, but I adore my extra letters - I must let all my children feel included).

Again, deciding which direction to take first amongst all this amazing choice is the hardest part. One thing is certain - I have a cupboard to fill, some shopping to do, and a whole lot of eating ahead of me.

I have often expressed the desire to write more regularly and with more focus. Enter Jason Doucette and his Taste Better! newsletter with the challenge therein to start a veg-focused blog. Since this was one of the ideas I had already been considering I jumped at the idea. Activism, advocacy, animal rights, sustainability, the environment, food, and all things veg-friendly are important to me so I’m looking forward to rising to this challenge. Will consider over ginger tea.