My Sweet Vegan

From Hannah: “While some people may go crazy for cupcakes, I can’t help but be drawn to layer cakes instead. A marvel of both architecture and artistry, they allow for so much creativity; even amateur attempts are often more impressive than a handful of sloppily frosted cupcakes. I’ve written about my love of these colossal confections before, but now, you can see me demonstrate my favorite ways of assembling, icing, and serving these desserts. That’s right, coming up on November 1st in Boston, I’ll be demonstrating how to decorate layer cakes at this year’s VegFest. I’ll be there to sign books and perhaps sell some felt sweets all day, and then if you can stand to listen to me babble for 50 minutes while I smear some frosting on a cake, you get to eat a slice of it, too! Sound like a good deal? Good, I’ll see you there!”

Copies of My Sweet Vegan will be available for sale and signing after Hannah’s talk, and at her table in the exhibitor room, where she will also be offering dessert samples throughout the day.

Some recent PR on Hannah’s first full TV appearance with a sample MSV recipe! …

“Hannah Kaminksy, author of the full color dessert cookbook My Sweet Vegan, recently completed her first televised baking demonstration with Supreme Master Television.  It aired internationally in early September, but the fifteen minute demo is now available to view any time at http://www.suprememastertv.com/bbs/board.php?bo_table=vege&wr_id=488&goto_url=&url=link2_0. The show, entitled “Baking with Hannah Kaminsky, Author of My Sweet Vegan: Cashew Crème Pear Tart,” was an episode in the television series, Vegetarianism: The Noble Way of Living.

As the focus of her demonstration, Kaminsky opted to prepare the Cashew Crème Pear Tart recipe from My Sweet Vegan, due to its use of seasonal ingredients. The recipe also has broad comfort food appeal, since it was developed to be naturally egg-free, dairy-free, and gluten-free. When asked about her recipe creation process she responded “I don’t use egg replacer for most things just because I see it as a whole new craft, I’m not replacing things, I’m not taking them out, I’m just creating something from scratch.”

Kaminsky is well known for her ability to take on special diet recipe challenges, churning out sweets that are always vegan, but which are also frequently free from major food allergens. To accommodate food allergies and sensitivities, a food allergy index was included in My Sweet Vegan to note which recipes are made without soy, wheat, gluten, tree nuts, and/or peanuts.”

And … the recipe … just a sampling of My Sweet Vegan!

Cashew Crème Pear Tart
Recipe from the dessert cookbook My Sweet Vegan, by Hannah Kaminsky
Serves 12 to 14

Crust:
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 cup almond meal
1/4 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup margarine
2 tablespoons brown rice syrup

Cashew Crème:
1 1/2 cups whole, raw cashews or 1 cup cashew butter
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pear Topping:
2 firm, medium-sized pears
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup sliced almonds for garnish

Preheat your oven to 325° F (160° C).

Combine the sugar, almond meal and brown rice flour in a medium bowl. Melt the margarine and pour it in, along with the brown rice syrup. Stir to coat all of the dry ingredients thoroughly, and press this mixture firmly into the bottom of a 9-inch round springform pan. Bring the crust about 1 inch up the sides of the pan, and set aside.

If using whole cashews, begin by grinding them down in your food processor. It may take 5 to 10 minutes for the cashews to begin releasing their natural oils and turn into a smooth paste, but don’t stop short, as it is important that there are no lumps. Add your freshly processed cashew butter, or a store-bought version (available in many natural food stores), to your blender or food processor along with the water, maple syrup and vanilla. Process to combine. Smooth the resulting crème into your crust and set aside again.

To core and slice your pears, cut them in half lengthwise, and then cut each half into slices of about 1/8 inch thickness. There is no need to peel the pears, as the skins add extra flavor, texture and fiber. Toss the slices with the sugar and cinnamon, and arrange them on top of your cashew crème. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the pears soften.

Let cool and sprinkle with sliced almonds before serving.

The photo above was taken by Hannah, and appears in My Sweet Vegan.  Every recipe in the cookbook is accompanied by a full color photo taken by Hannah.

Kitchen & Bath Design Consultants, LLC (KBDC) of West Hartford is holding their 6th annual Kitchen Tour for the Saint Francis Hospital & Medical Center’s Better Beginnings Fund for Neonatal Care. To help support the cause, Hannah Kaminksy will be on hand in one of the kitchens on tour.  She will be handing out dessert samples and copies of her book, My Sweet Vegan, will be available for sale.  A large portion of the proceeds will go directly to The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

What: Kitchen Tour 2008 Charity Event
When: Saturday, September 27 from 10:00am to 4:00pm
Where: West Hartford, CT

For more information on this Friends Helping Friends event, see the Kitchen Tour Information from Saint Francis Hospital.

Hitting a popular local venue, Hannah Kaminsky will be greeting customers and offering dessert samples at Health in a Hurry in Fairfield, CT. Enjoying a foodie venue for a change of pace from bookstores, this quaint eatery offers organic vegetarian cuisine to go. Stop by to meet Hannah, take a peak at My Sweet Vegan, and buy a copy if you don’t already have one!  Hannah will be available to sign copies, answer questions, and hand out dessert samples to go along with the savory vegetarian items on hand.  The event details are as follows:

What: Meet & Greet with Hannah Kaminsky, author of My Sweet Vegan, and enjoy a dessert sampling
When: Saturday, September 13 from 11:00am to 1:00pm
Where: Health in a Hurry, 1891 Post Road, Fairfield, CT 06824

Visit the Health in a Hurry website for store information.

If berry-picking were an Olympic sport, I’m almost certain that my dad and I would at least take a place on the podium. We’ve certainly been training enough; heading out into the “wilderness” after we both get home from work, hunting for that handful of perfect, jewel-like clusters for hours at a time. Truth be told, my dad’s definitely the one who would take gold in this sport, not me. He’s the one who isn’t afraid to push deep into the piles of thorns, entering unknown and possibly hostile territory, filling up buckets of the most ripe, plump berries that no one else can reach. If it weren’t for his enthusiasm, our bounty of raspberries would be rather pathetic indeed. Although his efforts may manifest as long, cat-like scratches tracing up the lengths of his arms, they also resulted in the biggest berry haul we’ve ever had.

There were fresh berries, of course, but even I couldn’t consume the surplus of raspberries quickly enough, so I took many approaches to preserving out delicious haul. Before long, we had frozen berries, dried and dehydrated berries, pureed berries, and of course, baked berries. These local gems are actually far more tart than the standard commercial variety, so they seemed destined to be included in some baked goods, balancing out the sugar perfectly and creating a harmonious combination of sweet and tart.

How serendipitous was it then, that Meeta announced the theme of this monthly mingle would be summer fruits and chocolate! A match made in heaven, chocolate and raspberries were simply meant to be together, and I knew exactly how to use a handful of those hand-picked treasures. Opting to use up some of the lovely red currants waiting in the fridge as well, I ended up with a simply constructed but complex-tasting chocolate muffin.

Although they may be a bit too sweet for breakfast, I find that these can be a wonderful snack, or a slightly healthier choice over a full-fledged, frosted cupcake. Whenever you decide to eat one though, you’ll be glad that you did!

Berry Chocolate Muffins

1 Cup Orange Juice
1/2 Cup Oil
1/2 Cup Dark Brown Sugar, Packed
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
2 Cups Light Spelt Flour (or Whole Wheat Pastry Flour)
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 Cup Rolled Oats
1/4 Cup Dutch-Processed Cocoa Powder
1/4 Teaspoon Cinnamon (Optional)
1/2 Cup Fresh Red Currants
1/2 Cup Raspberries
1/2 Cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chunks or Chips

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease 12 muffin cups.

To assemble these muffins, start by combining the orange juice, oil, brown sugar, and salt together in a large bowl. Stir to combine, and set aside.

In a separate bowl, sift together the spelt flour, baking powder and soda, oats, cocoa, and cinnamon. Throw all of your berries and chocolate chunks into the dry mixture, and toss gently to coat. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry, and stir carefully so as not to break up the berries. Once just combined, spoon the batter into your prepared muffin cups, filling them up about 3/4 of the way to the top. It might seem like a lot of batter, but trust me, it will all fit into those 12 cups!

Bake for 18 - 22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let rest in the pans for 10 minutes before turning the muffins out and cooling them completely on a wire rack.

Recipe by Hannah Kaminsky, author of My Sweet Vegan.  Originally posted to her personal blog, Bittersweet.

Finally making her way to New York, Hannah is continuing her My Sweet Vegan cookbook tour at the Park Slope Barnes & Noble Bookstore in Brooklyn.  Stop by to meet Hannah, take a peak at My Sweet Vegan, and buy a copy if you don’t already have one!  Hannah will be available to sign copies, answer questions, and hand out dessert samples.  The event details are as follows:

What: Meet & Greet with Hannah Kaminsky, author of My Sweet Vegan, and enjoy a dessert sampling
When: Saturday, September 6 at 3:00pm to 5:00pm
Where: Barnes & Noble Bookstore (Park Slope), 267 7th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11215

See the Barnes & Noble Event Page for the store location and details

Hannah Kaminsky has hit TV, Everyday Dish TV that is.  This online vegan cooking show features demos from cookbook authors, bakers, and chefs, and Hannah was pleased to travel to Portland and become a part of it.  She filmed the making of two recipes, but the Whoopie Pies is the first to be released.  View the talented young baker at work in her Whoopie Pie web demo.

Back in CT, Hannah is continuing her My Sweet Vegan cookbook tour at the Borders Bookstore in Meriden, CT.  Stop by to meet Hannah, take a peak at My Sweet Vegan, and buy a copy if you don’t already have one!  Hannah will be available to sign copies, answer questions, and hand out dessert samples.  The event details are as follows:

What: Meet & Greet with Hannah Kaminsky, author of My Sweet Vegan, and enjoy a dessert sampling
When: Saturday, July 26th at 1:00pm
Where: Borders Bookstore, 470 Lewis Ave., Meriden, CT 06451

We interrupt your regularly scheduled blogging for this announcement:

I’m coming to Portland! The so-called “vegan mecca” of the US, there are so many reasons to be excited about busting out of my little east coast home for a week to see another corner of the country. And, if anyone in the area is so inclined, you can see me! This weekend, Sunday the 29th at noon, I’ll be at Herbivore signing books, chatting it up, and most importantly, handing out free samples of some goodies from the book!

As if that isn’t enough exciting news, you might notice a new column in the July/August issue of VegNews just hitting shelves, by yours truly. Not only was I honored by being named one of the top 21 vegan blogs of the year (although I still have trouble believing it), but I also had the incredible opportunity to see my words in print for this wonderful magazine. Did you like it? Enjoy the recipes? Have suggestions for the next one?

Since my photos didn’t make it to print for some reason, here are my pictures of what the FroYo really looks like, in all of its meltingly delicious glory:

The vanilla base, straight out of the machine.

After being frozen a bit more solid and scooped.

The chocolate variation!

So, with all of that craziness said, I hope to either see you soon, or hear about your thoughts on the article (or both)!

Comment on this post at Hannah’s Blog, Bittersweet.