Deviled Goodness (Vegan Deviled Eggs)

You can't have a holiday weekend without serving Vegan Deviled Eggs.   Seriously these are amazing!  My husband could not get over how much they tasted like the real deal, texture and everything.  As I mentioned in previous posts, I have never liked eggs (no matter how they were prepared)...but with one exception...my Mom's Deviled Eggs.  Everything she made tasted great and I think that she would love these too!

This recipe is so simple, but you'll need a mold to create the cashew-agar base to hold the piped tofu mousse.  I used a ceramic deviled egg holder that I had in cabinet, but it was a little shallow.  I'm going to look on line and see if I can find a deeper base, but other than that they were absolutely perfect...beautiful and delicious.

This recipe makes about 36 portions so you will need more than one mold because the agar will solidify if you don't work quickly.  Or you can cut the tofu mouse recipe in half and pipe less.

Cashew Cream-Agar Egg Base:

1/2 cup cashew cream, (1/2 cup cashews blended in a high speed blender with 1-1/4 cup water.  If you don't have a high-speed blender then you will need to soak the cashews for about 4 hours and then strain through cheesecloth or a fine strainer.  You will not use all the cashew cream but it will keep in the refrigerator covered for up to five days.)

3/4 warm water

1 tsp Agar-Agar powder (I purchased my powder at an Asian market, for $2.99, but Whole Foods carries the agar flakes, but it will cost you about $9.00.  Also, if you use the flakes then you'll need to increase the amount to 1 Tbsp and boil it a little longer.

1/4-1/2 tsp Black Salt (found in an Indian or Asian market--it's actually pink and very salty.)

Method:  

• Lightly oil mold with vegetable oil and set aside.  
• Blend cashews with water and measure out a 1/2 cup of cashew cream.  Whisk in black salt and set aside.
• Pour 3/4 cup water into a measuring cup and warm in the microwave for 30-40 seconds.  Whisk in agar-agar powder and then place back in the microwave for 1-2 minutes and let it boil.  
• Place cashew cream into microwave for 30-40 seconds to warm and then whisk mixture into hot agar water making sure there are no lumps.
• Skim off any bubbles off the top before pouring into mold, or pop bubbles with a toothpick.
• Let mold sit on the counter for about 15 minutes before moving and placing in the refrigerator to chill for about one hour to harden completely.

Once hardened, using a small pairing knife, remove cashew-agar base and place on a plate.  Then using a small melon baller or spoon, scoop out a small portion of the base without breaking through the bottom.  Then pipe in the tofu mousse and chill for about an hour before serving.  Also, the agar will not melt or soften if these are left out for a little while at room temperature, but they are better served chilled.  So if you are serving a lot of people, I would serve a dozen at a time and keep the others chilled.

Tofu Mousse:

(You can cut the recipe in half if you are making less portions)

7.5 oz organic sprouted extra firm tofu (I used Wildwood--it comes it two sealed pouches, 7.5 oz each).

1/4 cup Follow Your Heart original organic Vegenaise

2 tsp spicy brown mustard

1 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 - 3/4 tsp black salt

1 tsp apple cider, or white wine vinegar

Method:

• Drain tofu and press dry with paper towels and place in a food processor.
• Add all ingredients except for black salt and blend until smooth and creamy.  You may need to add a little more Vegenaise to get the right texture.
• Add black salt to taste and then pipe or spoon mousse into base.
• Garnish with paprika and chives and chill for about one hour before serving.

  

   

Berger Cookies...My Mom's Favorite Cookie!

Mother's Day is a tough day this year because my mom passed away in August.  Normally on this day we would talk on the phone and I would send her a card, flowers (usually tulips) and a box of cookies...she had a sweet tooth...especially for Berger Cookies, a local Baltimore favorite.  So in memory of my mom today I decided to make homemade Berger cookies which are unlike any other cookie in the universe!  They are a cake-like vanilla cookie covered with chocolate-fudge ganache.  The cookie to ganache ratio should be 50-50, so don't skimp on the chocolate! 

In addition to Berger Cookies, Baltimore is known also for Old Bay Seasoning and steamed crabs, UTZ Potato Chips (puts Lays to shame) and Natty Boh (National Bohemian) Beer.  My mom could care less for the beer (she preferred wine), but she loved Old Bay Seasoning, UTZ potato chips and of course her Berger Cookies!  My mom was an excellent cook and it was hard deciding what to make in her memory (I could of gone with a savory dish), but I believe that she would be in Berger Heaven after eating these, and I know that she is!

Cookie Base:
Makes about 30 cookies

1 stick Earth Balance Butter
3/4 cup pure organic sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract 
1 1/2 Tbsp Egg Replacer powder, whisked with water according to package directions (I used Bob's Red Mill, but you could use Energ instead...you just want the equivalent of 1 1/2 eggs.  You could also use flax eggs but the cookie will be even more cake like without any crunch.) 
2 1/4 cups organic unbleached all purpose flour
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup cashew milk (see below)

Cashew Milk:

1/2 cup cashews soaked for 4 hours and drained.  Place in a high-speed blender with 1 1/4 cups filtered water and blend on high for a couple of minutes.  If you don't have a high speed blender then strain milk before using.  You will have enough milk for the cookie as well as the ganache frosting.

Method:  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Using the standard cookie creaming method, cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of a mixer until fluffy, add vanilla extract and the egg replacer mixture and mix until combined.  In another bowl whisk together, flour, salt, and baking powder and add alternating flour and milk to the mixer and only mix until combined.  Line a sheet pan with either parchment paper or a silpat and scoop dough using a teaspoon or a 1-teaspoon ice cream scooper (which is what I used).  Take your fingers and press the dough lightly to flatten.  Bake cookies in the middle of the oven rack for 9-10 minutes (turning halfway through the baking process).  Remove the cookies immediately with a spatula onto a cooling rack and cool completely before icing.

Fudge-Ganache:
I made my ganache the day before and kept it in the refrigerator so that it would set-up be ready to frost the cookies after they cooled.  Also, my ganache was just a tad soft.  It still set up fine, but it could of been a little firmer.  Perhaps it is because of the cashew cream or because I ran out of chocolate chips.  But here's what I did--if you want it firmer then add a little bit more chocolate.  Also, I don't like using light corn syrup, but this will give the chocolate a glossier finish.

1 1/2 cups good quality semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli)
3/4 cup cashew cream
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tbsp Earth Balance Buttery Sticks
1 1/2 cups organic confectioners sugar, shifted

Method:  Cashew Cream and chocolate can easily burn and so I placed the chocolate and cashew cream in a bowl over a pan of slightly simmering water for about a minute until the chocolate melted.  You could also microwave in increments of 25 seconds, stirring in between until chocolate is melted.  Once melted, whisk in melted butter, vanilla extract and stir in powdered sugar and beat with a spatula until creamy and combined.  Chill in the fridge for about 4 hours to chill and harden.  Before icing the cookies, beat the ganache lightly.  You can either hand dip the cookies (the traditional method) or use a small off-set spatula or pipe the ganache with a plain tip, like I did.  Let the icing set for about 30 minutes before eating (if you can wait that long).  My teeth hurt from all the chocolate!

Wishing you and yours a wonderful Mother's Day and if you ever get a chance surprise your mom with a batch of homemade Berger Cookies on her special day!