Category: Reviews

Leftovers

The dust is finally beginning to settle after the final grueling round of edits for Vegan a la Mode, and I can breathe more easily once again. It may actually be done. Such a crazy thought, to consider that my third cookbook is on it’s way, possibly being printed as we speak. It sure didn’t happen overnight though; like most of my grand concepts, this one has been churning for a couple years now, before I even knew I wanted to do a book devoted solely to frozen treats.

Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop Churning

The gentle hum of the ice cream maker was my siren song, and I couldn’t stop dreaming up creamy concoctions even if I tried. It was a natural segue to turn those recipes into a book, where they could all live happily together. But like any process that drags on through months and months, evolving with the changing seasons and weathering different patterns of inspiration, there had to be some difficult cuts to make at the end of the line. As per usual, I had too many ideas, too many words, and not nearly enough pages to stretch my writerly legs.

Perfectly tasty ice creams had to be set aside to make the book work as a whole, and this Maple Nut Royale was one of them. Sandwiched between a maple-pecan number and a handful of other peanut-based confections, it simply made sense to pare back. It took the news with grace, but I could tell it was quite disappointed it wouldn’t see the pages of a published book after all.

Leftover but still perfectly good, this creamy, nutty ice cream seemed like the perfect little teaser to share here instead. One of the earlier recipes I churned up, circa 2009, the photo may not be my best work, but I like to think that the deliciousness still shows all the same.

Yield: Makes 1 1/2 - 2 Pints

Maple-Nut Royale Ice Cream

Maple-Nut Royale Ice Cream

Nutty, toasted, creamy, and subtly woodsy, the sweetness of maple syrup carries this decadent ode to nuts through a frozen ice cream base.

Cook Time 15 minutes
Additional Time 6 hours
Total Time 6 hours 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 3/4 Cup Creamy Peanut Butter
  • 2/3 Cup Maple Syrup
  • 2 Cups Plain Non-Dairy Milk*
  • 2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
  • 1/4 Teaspoon Almond Extract
  • 1/4 Cup Finely Chopped Toasted Pecans

Instructions

  1. Combine all of the ingredients, except for the pecans, in a medium saucepan until smooth. You can bring things together more easily in a blender, but it should smooth out with a sturdy whisk and just a bit of elbow grease, too.
  2. Set the saucepan over medium heat on the stove, and continue to whisk gently, scraping the bottom and sides as you go, to prevent the mixture from sticking and burning.
  3. Cook until the liquid comes to a boil and has thickened significantly; bubbles should break slowly but regularly on the surface. Turn off the heat, and let cool to room temperature before chilling thoroughly in the fridge. Allow at least 2 – 3 hours for the mixture to come down to a cooler temperature.
  4. Once chilled, churn in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. In the final 5 minutes of churning, add in the chopped pecans, and allow the moving paddle to incorporate them into the soft ice cream.
  5. Transfer to an air-tight container, and stash in the freezer for at least 3 hours to further harden before scooping and serving.

Notes

*Almond milk or hazelnut milk are recommended to further the nutty theme, but any sort of non-dairy beverage, other than rice milk, will do.

Recommended Products

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 341Total Fat: 23gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 5mgSodium: 279mgCarbohydrates: 31gFiber: 3gSugar: 22gProtein: 9g

All nutritional information presented within this site are intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information on BitterSweetBlog.com should only be used as a general guideline. This information is provided as a courtesy and there is no guarantee that the information will be completely accurate. Even though I try to provide accurate nutritional information to the best of my ability, these figures should still be considered estimations.

© Hannah Kaminsky
Cuisine: American / Category: Frozen Desserts

Hannah (BitterSweet)45 Comments

Proof of the Pudding

A sweet and simple snack, pudding instantly brings me back to my childhood with just one creamy spoonful. Though many different sorts of dishes can be called a pudding, including baked, savory ones, the pudding that first springs to my mind is the type cooked over the stove top, thickened with cornstarch, and enhanced with a touch of sugar. It’s also a treat that doesn’t appear often in my kitchen, for one reason or another. Perhaps it’s because the nostalgia remains in eating the pudding that magically would appear in the refrigerator, perfectly chilled and ready to savor. The idea of relentlessly whisking over a hot stove simply doesn’t share the same sort of happy memories.

Happily, WayFare Foods can allow all of us to remain kids at heart, no matter how far into adulthood we may have regrettably fallen, and still leave the work of pudding-making to the grown ups. Their new line of vegan puddings are remarkable for both what they’re made of, and what they’re not. Soy-free and gluten-free, they’re primarily composed of an innovative blend of millet, lima beans, rice, and oats. Better yet, you’d never guess your sweet pudding was ever made of such healthy ingredients! Not a hint of bean-like or cereal flavor gives away the secret, and I would feel perfectly confident offering these snacks to omnivores and picky children alike.

Offered in Vanilla, Chocolate, and Butterscotch flavors, each option was very straight-forward and uncomplicated in flavor, just like pudding aught to be. With a smooth, slightly sticky consistency, they were just rich enough to be satisfying, but still light on the palate. Well balanced between careful additions of sugar and salt, you could hardly go wrong with any of those flavors. Whereas the vanilla and chocolate are relatively mellow and easy to eat, be aware that the butterscotch is surprisingly strong in comparison, which may come as a positive or a negative aspect, depending on your preference.

The only real complaint I can come up with for these snack packs is that there’s no pudding skin for the old-fashioned pudding lover like myself. I suppose there are still some things that modern ready-made puddings can never replace.

Hannah (BitterSweet)19 Comments

Blissfully Delicious

For such a highly-regarded and lauded brand, you’d think it would be a snap to launch new flavors to an existing, successful line of products, to have them gobbled up by an eagerly waiting and hungry fan base. Well, at least half of that statement is true… Coconut Bliss ice creams have always been an easy sell, boasting organic, fair trade, and generally wholesome ingredients, but finding those frozen pints can be another matter entirely. Just as four exciting new flavors were scheduled to launch, disaster struck, and a coconut shortage meant that there wasn’t much Bliss to go around. After waiting for nearly a year and only being able to secure one of those new offerings, I decided to focus on the existing, available flavors instead of only those latest additions. Surely, there was still plenty of delicious ice cream to discover beyond those freshest flavors! Especially considering my latest cookbook venture, it seemed only fair that I get a good taste of the commercially available competition, after all.

Caramel Ginger Cookie, the one new ice cream offering I managed to get my hands on, promises great things even with a merely casual glance. An abundance of cookie pieces are swirled into each easily scooped spoonful, with a thin ribbon of caramel not far behind. Though the base is unmistakably coconut flavored, the addition was not unwelcome here, adding depth and complexity to the light vanilla essence. Rather than providing a crunch, the cookie pieces had softened to an almost cake-like consistency through their trip to the deep freeze, but the rich molasses flavor and gentle warming spices still brought a delightful contrast to the ice cream overall. If only that gooey stripe of caramel was slightly darker, tasting just slightly more burnt, it would be practically perfect.

Failing to find the Mocha Maca Crunch I so desperately craved, I turned instead to another favorite combination, found in the Mint Chip Galactica. Tiny shards of delicate chocolate flakes are strewn throughout the snowy white pint, looking for all the world like a negative photo of a galaxy of chocolate stars, instantly explaining the creative title. Cool, refreshing mint flavor carries this ice cream, tasting like fresh mint leaves without veering into more grassy notes or toothpaste territory. Bright and curiously light considering the rich coconut base, it strikes me as the perfect snack to beat the heat on a summer’s day. The chocolate stracciatella is key to the success of this ice cream, lending a subtle bitter edge that makes the combination all the more satisfying. Sweetened just enough to balance out the pint, it’s like my childhood mint chocolate chip, but all grown up.

Finally, I needed a full-fledged chocolate experience, so I dove into the Chocolate Hazelnut Fudge ice cream with abandon. Sweetened once again with a light hand, this is a strong, slightly bitter chocolate offering for mature palates. Not exactly a full-bodied, rounded chocolate flavor but a really intense cocoa instead, it still covers up the coconut flavor more thoroughly than the previous two pints, making it a more attractive option to those not so crazy about coconuts. Small pieces of hazelnut are hidden within, adding good crunch but seeming to lack in that deep, toasted flavor I craved. However, hands down, the fudge swirl makes this flavor worth a second scoop, adding a delightful gooey texture, and an extra punch of flavor every now and then. Perhaps it’s not one for the kids, but who says you would want to part with even a spoonful in the first place?

Far richer than most vegan ice creams found in the mainstream marketplace, tasting Coconut Bliss for the first time is like discovering super-premium ice cream when you’re accustomed to bulk economy quarts. Though notably pricier than many other options out there, a smaller scoop is likely sufficient to satisfy even the most voracious sweet tooth, so it all evens out with careful portioning. That is, if you can resist the strong temptation to indulge in just a bit more Bliss.

Hannah (BitterSweet)34 Comments

Fine Dining For All

Vegan cuisine has come a long way in just the past decade. Beginning as humble hippie fare, there are now numerous restaurants elevating the meatless and milkless to the level of fine dining. Candle 79, self-proclaimed “vegan oasis” in New York City, is one of the first restaurants that come to mind in this category, as they’ve consistently excelled in the field even before mainstream diners were aware of the growing movement. Be that as it may, two outposts in one city creates a relatively limited sphere of influence, and vegetable-lovers all throughout the country could only drool and dream over their lavishly written menus. As of 2012, that unattainable fantasy is now a concrete reality, thanks to the release of the Candle 79 Cookbook. Scores of elegant dishes, complex flavors, and fancier fare than the standard weeknight meal, it’s a breath of fresh air to see a solid entry in this field of vegan cooking. The previously released Candle Cafe Cookbook could almost be viewed as the starting point on a journey up the fine dining staircase; this new entry finally makes it to the top.

Seeking an elegant starter to whet my appetite, the Heirloom Tomato-Avocado Tartare (page 6) was a stunningly easy recipe to whip together. Not entirely dissimilar to chunky guacamole, minus the heat, fresh, bright, and clean flavors balanced in delicate harmony. The addition of oyster mushrooms struck me as particularly brilliant, lending a subtle savory undertone without disrupting the texture. Speaking of which, the combination of creamy avocado and the garnish of crunchy tortilla strips was spot-on, and although that finishing touch may appear minimal, do not feel tempted to leave them out! While the rest of the tartare is very clean and light, that fried topping brings a touch of decadence and whimsy back to the dish.

Moroccan-Spiced Chickpea Cakes (page 66) were a clear choice from the moment I cracked open the book’s binding. A more involved plate calling for three separate elements, it could certainly be simplified with a store-bought chutney or curry sauce, but you’d be missing out, because the real winner of this combination was the Red Bell Pepper-Curry Sauce (page 117.) I was scraping my plate clean with a spoon long after the chickpea cake was devoured, and have plans to make a new batch of sauce for pasta, veggies, and anything else I can throw together. Subtly sweet, mildly spiced but incredibly flavorful, this is an absolute winner. Even though I cheated a bit and used yellow peppers instead of red, I don’t think this dressing suffered in the least.

Let’s not forget the chickpea cake in the glory of the curry sauce, though! Striking me as the perfect sort of burger patty, I would make those again in a heart-beat come grilling season. Between two buns, this fine fare could blend right in to the everyday meal. Moist without being mushy inside, crisp on the outside (admittedly, after an extra 20 minutes of baking) and redolent of smoked paprika, I can’t imagine anyone not loving this.

Next time, I could do without the chutney, which was doomed from the start knowing my distaste for fruit in savories. To make a more seasonally appropriate offering, and because I couldn’t possibly find apricots in January, I converted the Apricot Chutney (page 125) to a green apple chutney. The ginger pairs beautifully with the tart apples, so I think it would be a hit… With someone who appreciates such a thing.

Seeking a quick fix for dinner one day, the Setian Wheatballs (page 94) stood out as an easy, hearty entree. Normally not the sort of recipe that draws me in, I was most enticed by the fact that we had all of the ingredients on hand, and the falling snow outside dissuaded me from a quick grocery trip. Though tender and tasty enough, they seemed a bit too delicate for a “meatball,” and very mild in flavor. They almost disappeared into the mild-mannered store bought sauce (yes, I cheated) and plain spaghetti. Overall, inoffensive but forgettable.

Finally, ending on a sweet note, the Sourdough French Toast (page 136) had me intrigued. Using a custard that seemed more like unbaked cheesecake batter, it was clear that this would be far richer than my typical approach. True to form, it was not quite like a “traditional” egg-based French toast according to my omnivorous dining companion, but different does not mean bad. Lightly spiced and plenty sweet without any additional syrup, I can’t say it’s my favorite rendition, but it’s a nice change of pace from the norm.

If you’ve made it this far through my exhaustive descriptions, your patience will be rewarded because you now have a chance at winning your own copy of the Candle 79 Cookbook! It took some string-pulling and help from the gracious, lovely, and ultra-talented Mimi Clark to secure a second book, but I really wanted to share this unique text. To enter, your question is this: What Candle 79 dish would you most like to try? It can be a recipe from the cookbook or anything on the menu, past or present. Leave me a comment with your name and email in the appropriate fields before Tuesday, January 31st at midnight EST to have your entry count. This one is open to residents of the US only, because it is a woefully heavy hardcover to ship.

Hannah (BitterSweet)79 Comments

Flax or Fiction?

In a sea of greatly varied non-dairy milk options, it’s hard not to play favorites. When the best can rank even better than the original cow creations, and the worst can taste like putrid dish water, it helps to be discerning. I’ve made no secret of the fact that I’m not exactly a fan of rice milk, so Good Karma isn’t a brand typically on my radar. Producing only rice milk and rice milk frozen desserts, it simply never caught my interest… Until now. Branching out into the world of flax, their latest and succinctly named offering of Flax Milk ventures out into new territory. One of only two flax beverages on the market, it’s not one I can find locally yet, but ever since sampling the Vanilla and Unsweetened varieties, I’ve been desperately scouring the shelves for my next fix.

Appropriately anonymous and well-suited to cooking and baking, the unsweetened “milk” is good, but I would be hard pressed to come up with a rave about something that excels at tasting mild. However, the Vanilla is another story. Not particularly thick but far from the watery mess I had feared, this flax beverage is surprisingly smooth and creamy. Accentuated with a light sweetness, it’s highly drinkable, and practically begging for a rich chocolate cookie alongside as an accompaniment. A very impressive and respectable non-dairy milk indeed, I would happily purchase this one frequently for my everyday smoothies… if only I could find it!

Also new to the Good Karma line-up is their rice-based coffee creamer. Highly skeptical, to say the least, but undeniably intrigued, I simply had to try what is currently the only existing rice milk creamer on the market. Sure there’s plenty of soy and coconut options now, but rice could provide those with allergies and coconut-adverse tastes a whole new lease on lightened coffee life.

Just like the previous beverages, I was shocked at how good all three flavors (Original, Vanilla, and Hazelnut) were. Near flawless, in fact; I’d even venture to say that they’re better than the typical vegan creamers I had been using. Much thicker than the competition, like heavy cream, each bottle contained a luscious, silky-smooth liquid entirely richer and more satisfying that I could have anticipated. Fatty in the best way possible, it added volumes of depth to any average latte.

I generally prefer my coffee black though, so where this creamer really shined in my eyes was when it made it into the savory side of the kitchen. Using the unsweetened, original flavor in my Straight-Up Scramble brought this simple staple to life. I found myself making many more scrambles all month, right up until the bottle went dry. Don’t even get me started on the ice creams it churned out… It feels mean to tease about such decadent treats.

In a stunning coup, Good Karma has changed my mind on what rice, and flax, is capable of. If only they could get their products into more mainstream markets, they’d be an unstoppable force of non-dairy drinks!

Hannah (BitterSweet)35 Comments

Clean Start

Synonymous with new beginnings and self improvement, there could hardly be a better time than the New Year to investigate a book like Clean Start, by Terry Walters. A sequel to the original Clean Food, Clean Start might be more accurately be considered the prequel to the series, as it attempts to break down the basics in terms simple enough for the most uninitiated of cooks. Organized seasonally, the emphasis is placed on beginning with quality ingredients, and then doing your best not to ruin their natural flavor and vigor in the process of cooking. Terry would never state such a mission outright, though; Guiding readers with gentle, non-judgmental words, it’s all about doing the best you can with your time and skills, to ultimately arrive at a healthier destination. Peppered with glorious color photos throughout, the images really bring the recipes to life, making them seem appear much greater than the sum of their ingredients.

Skipping ahead to the “fall” section, I couldn’t resist the Carrot Cashew Miso Spread (page 90). A popular pick, this is a recipe I had been hearing raves about since before I owned a copy of the book. Combining a mere four ingredients, I had to see what all the hype could be about. Surprisingly sweet, owing to the natural sugars of the carrots, for lack of a better description, it has an undeniably “clean” flavor. Even more satisfying than the usual hummus, the cashews add heft that give it real staying power; an ideal snack for a demanding day. With an excellent hit of salt from the miso, this humble spread really does live up to expectations.

Flipping back a few pages to summer, the Cucumber Mint Salad (page 64) was calling my name. Despite feeling odd chopping up a big bowl of cucumbers mid-January, I can easily see how this would be the ideal dish at a warm, sunny picnic a few months down the road. Cool, light, and refreshing, it’s so simple that it’s more of an idea than a recipe, but that’s also the beauty of the dish. Allowing the cucumbers to shine, accented with complimentary dill and mint, this preparation would make for a fantastic pairing to any heavier main dish.

Returning to autumnal ideas, Ginger Shiitake Soup with Cabbage and Edamame Beans (page 98), hardly takes all of 15 minutes to pull together, but bursts with complex flavor in every spoonful. Admittedly, I reduced the amount of water significantly (down to 5 cups rather than 8) which would undoubtedly concentrate flavors, but I prefer a soup packed with goodies, and certainly nothing watery. Shiitake mushrooms take the stage, lending powerfully rich, savory undertones throughout. Every component is remarkably well balanced – A theme repeated throughout each recipe on trial. Move over “chicken” noodle soup: This newcomer might be the new go-to sick day soup around here.

Buttercup Squash with Quinoa, Apricot and Sage Stuffing (page 152) may be a mouthful of a title, but it’s hardly more complex than preheating on the oven while simultaneously bringing water to a boil. A celebratory dish if I ever saw one, one of these golden squashes would be right at home as part of any holiday spread. Though buttercup squashes evaded my grasp, acorn filled the void quite nicely, and next time I’ll have to take Terry’s suggestion of a delicata substitution. Working to reduce food prejudices, I embraced the addition of dried apricots in this savory application- Diced very, very finely, of course. Happily, the cheerful orange fruits melded in seamlessly, indiscernible from the rest of the stuffing. Tasting instantly like the holidays thanks to the sage, I only wish there was a bit more texture throughout. Almonds add delightful crunch on top, but it becomes a bit of a mushy drudge to eat through all of the center stuffing. An easy issue to remedy with nuts mixed into all of the quinoa instead, I would have no quibbles serving this at a festive gathering, or a quiet night at home.

Some of the “recipes” in Clean Start struck me more as just common sense, such concepts make this a perfectly approachable entry to the newbie cook, seeking healthy options. Lest that sounds like criticism, it bears repeating that every recipe I sampled reveled in that simplicity, carefully calibrated to keep all components in balance. In other words, don’t expect haute cuisine, innovative techniques, or unconventional flavor pairings to leap forth from these pages. Simplicity rules, especially for the home cook seeking painless recipes to add to their everyday repertoire.

Hannah (BitterSweet)29 Comments