My Sweet Vegan

Spring, at long last.  I can’t help but sigh a bit when I say those words out loud; The sun suddenly seems just a shade brighter, the day, a few minutes longer, just because the calendar officially declares it the vernal equinox.  It’s as if winter had become an a weight that is now being lifted from my shoulders.  The wind may still have a bite to it, and the trees still look as barren as dead twigs, but I know that it really is spring, that there truly is an end in sight to this harsh, difficult period of time.

Marking the occasion, making certain that this is the point of no return, the change of a bad pattern, I couldn’t help but indulge in a quick bout of spring cleaning before heading out to work.  So deep and cluttered is my closet that a true cleaning could easily require a full week, minimum, and so neurotic is my need to organize that that time could easily stretch out into a month; it was a safer bet to start in the kitchen.  Rifling through the refrigerator, there were plenty of old odds and ends that were in sore need of attention… Although for too many, that attention came a bit too late.  Out went the tubs of moldy sweet potato puree, and a cup or two of grayed fruit juice went down the drain.  Such a shame that these things went to waste, but better to remove them before they become toxic.

Poking through the freezer after the worst of the fridge had been taken care of, it was like opening up a long-buried treasure chest, brimming with delights waiting to be discovered.  It was there, beneath bags of rock-solid cherries and peas, that I found one ghost from the past, still shining with potential.  Yes, I had forgotten about it completely, but it all came back to me in a flash; It was the other half of the danish dough I made for a Daring Baker challenge, many moons ago.  Defrosted and rolled out thin, I was overjoyed that it bounced back just as a fresh, tender dough ought to.

Lacking the time to bake off a large braid, individual danishes seemed to fit the bill just fine.  For filling, it was only natural to reach back into the fridge and use up what had been sitting there for far too long, waiting for the right use- Pomegranate juice!  As much as I love the stuff, I could never drink it plain, and it typically gets diluted when baked into things, making it difficult to taste in the finished product.   Indeed, it would be a perfectly prominent flavor to poach pears in instead, making for a sweet and tart topping to my little pastries.

Easy as can be, the pomegranate-poached pears were sliced thin and laid over unbaked pastry, and fired off in the oven for a few minutes.  Still warm, the flaky crust cradles that juicy fruit filling, just sweet enough to satisfy, but definitely something that one could easily get away with calling breakfast.  Best of all, you don’t need any frozen danish dough to enjoy it, either as those poached pears alone are delicious all by themselves… But a bit of caramel or chocolate sauce over the top wouldn’t hurt, either.

Simple Pomegranate Poached Pears

3 Cups 100% Pomegranate Juice
1 Cup Granulated Sugar
Zest of 1 Orange
5 Firm but Ripe Pears
1 Wedge of Lemon

Combine the pomegranate juice, sugar, and orange zest in a medium-sized pot and set it over moderate heat.  Stir occasionally until the sugar has dissolved.  Meanwhile, peel the pears and rub the exposed sides with the wedge of lemon, to prevent browning. Place the naked pears into the pot, partially cover the pan, and simmer over low heat for approximately 25 – 30 minutes. If the pears aren’t completely covered by the liquid, you should turn them ever 10 minutes so that they cook evenly. When they’re done, they should be tender enough that they just barely resist the prick of a fork. Serve warm, or let them cool completely, refrigerate for a few hours, and serve chilled on a warm spring day.

Valentine’s Day is, at the very least, an excellent excuse to eat chocolate. Store-bought delights abound at this time of year, even for those avoiding dairy, but a homemade option will almost always trump the ready-made, in both taste and ingredients. Basic truffles can be whipped up in no time at all, giving them the added bonus of being a fantastic last-minute gift as well. For me, however, I would much rather a bit more than just a nugget of intense, rich, and almost overwhelming chocolate- As decadent as they are, I must admit that I find them a bit… boring. Where’s the spice, the zest, the excitement? That’s why I immediately thought to revisit my chocolate cherry truffles from My Sweet Vegan. Composed primarily of fruit and cocoa, they’re actually a lesser evil when it comes to sweet confections!

A happy accident led me to use sweetened cranberries instead of cherries (I swear the bags looked exactly the same!), and going with the flow, I threw in a teaspoon of lemon zest as well. Rolling the slab of enriched fruit out between two silpats to a thickness of about 1/2 inch, a very small heart-shaped cookie cutter created a much more festive presentation than the standard hand-rolled spheres. After a quick dip into melted chocolate, I had a very sweet Valentine’s gift, indeed.

Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you look at the situation, these hearts were meant to be broken.

The problem with most recipes for frostings, custards, mousses, and other sugary fillings is that they tend to make far more than is useful.  I’m sure that many of you are shaking your heads in disagreement here, because really, what’s better than those extra dollops of whipped chocolate ganache?  I understand completely!  To be more precise, the problem lies in the usage.  Finding a way to enjoy those last morsels without resorting to simply spooning plain frosting into your mouth can be a fine art.  It takes a bit of creativity to dress them up a bit without looking too desperate (read: frosting on bread does not cake make), but there’s a certain degree of restraint that must be exercised, lest you spend hours creating a whole new pastry masterpiece.  In situations such as these, I find no problem in getting a helping hand with certain components, like frozen puff pastry.

Easily manipulated into a myriad of fun shapes, it’s easy enough to merely cut out a few squares, bake them off, top them with mousse and call them free-form tarts.  However, one of my favorite presentations takes just an ounce more effort, but pays off in tons of rave reviews.  I present to you the humble cream horn, a lovely little trick that every baker should have up their sleeve.

Just let the sheet of puff pastry thaw at room temperature for 30 – 45 minutes, until soft and pliable. Roll it out lightly to remove the creases, and cut it into 1/2 wide strips. Take a metal cream horn form (or cannoli forms can work too) and starting at the pointy end, wrap one strip around it, overlapping on the edges slightly so that it stays together. Place the horn on the ends of the pastry strip, on top of a silpat. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 – 15 minutes, until puffed and nicely browned. Carefully remove the metal form, and return the pastry to the oven for another 5 minutes or so, just to dry out the insides a bit more to keep them crisper. Let the horns cool completely before piping (or spooning) in whatever extra sweet spreads or fillings you have on hand. For the cream horns above, I marbled together some extra chocolate and mint mousses.

And if that all sounds like too much work for you, just take a few simple cookie cutters and cut shapes out of the sheet of puff pastry. Bake until golden brown, and let cool completely. Either slice or pull the shapes apart at the center, fill as desired, and replace the top for a buttery, flaky, and sweet sandwich!

Each season has its own flavor in my mind, as fruits and vegetables hit their prime and become part of the daily menu for weeks on end. Spring makes me think of luscious, ruby red strawberries; summer, those succulent stone fruits, all so unique and flavorful; fall most definitely has me dreaming of pumpkin concoctions; winter? Well, that’s where it stops making sense. Sure, there’s plenty in season now, and tons of appropriately seasonal delights to indulge in, but the snowy days of winter make me dream of peppermint.

Perhaps that’s thanks to the abundance of red and white striped candy canes found around this time… Or the need to freshen one’s breath in case of getting caught under the mistletoe? How peppermint became synonymous with this time of year, I certainly couldn’t tell you, but I do know one thing about it: My fondest memories of holiday sweets revolve around pairing that fresh, minty flavor with chocolate.

Plenty of people claim to hate mint-flavored desserts, likening the experience to eating a tube of toothpaste, but even they can’t resist the pull of a seriously rich, dark chocolate fudge covered in crushed candy canes. To make this addictive creation, I adapted my recipe for Five Minute Coconut Fudge from My Sweet Vegan by adding 1 teaspoon of peppermint extract into the fudge itself, along with 4 smashed candy canes. Then, I omitted the flaked coconut, and instead topped it off with the crumbs of 5 additional crushed candy canes.

Decadent, sweet, and satisfying, these little squares make excellent gifts… Although you may find it hard to part with them!