FOOD LEAGUE

These truffles are delicious, easy, and vegan.

If this is your first time to make this recipe, double the batch so you can have more to experiment with, but MAKE SURE that the proportions are kept as above. Slight alterations do not bode well for these bites of chocolate deliciousness. I used to prefer Silk’s chocolate soymilk because it was organic and had the best flavor, but Silk discreetly discontinued using organic soybeans for most of their offerings, so I recommend any company that uses organic soybeans from the USA.

Ingredients

Instructions

1. Warm soymilk until hot to the touch. Set aside.

2. Melt chocolate chips in large metal bowl set over saucepan of simmering water, stirring until smooth. (A double boiler also works.) Stir in warmed soymilk until smooth. If you want to put cayenne pepper and cinnamon in some of the truffles (I recommend putting them both in one small batch), spoon some of the melted mixture in a small separate bowl and add the cayenne and cinnamon. You don’t want to add them to the whole mixture and it is too hard to add them after the mixture has solidified in the refrigerator.

3. Cover and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. I recommend overnight. If you do not let the chocolate sit for more than four hours, they will melt in your hand before you have the chance to roll them.

4. Place cocoa on a plate and the chopped almonds on another. Shape chilled chocolate mixture into 1-inch balls (think small), and roll in cocoa and almonds. For the peanut butter, heat it up and put it in a pastry tube if you have one. Criss-cross across the top.  Store finished truffles in refrigerator for 1-2 hours.

If you want to try something a little different, put some goat cheese on top of a couple truffles that have not been rolled in the cocoa powder or almonds.

Adapted from a Vegetarian Times recipe.

I haven’t always loved bread pudding. But there’s a simple reason why — I’d never had great bread pudding.

Even though I’ve spent five years  trying to hone my instinct for casseroles (both sweet and savory), I knew that this one deserved a recipe. It’s just close enough to baking that I wanted to start with the science. And when I need peer-reviewed recipes, I tend to go for Cook’s Illustrated. They had just published a Classic Bread Pudding recipe, which I followed down to the little t in each teaspoon. It was wonderfully creamy, the bread and custard mixture had a perfect texture, and the flavor was balanced between egg and cream. But no nutmeg?  Why, CI, would you eliminate the spices?  I wasn’t invested in their interpretation of classic, so I aimed for delicious by adding spices and apples.  It worked — I was trying to be sneaky about nabbing a bite after it had been out of the oven for  only six minutes. Which begs the question: for whom was I so delicately covering up the evidence of my nibble?

If you’re in Portland, I recommend the rotating flavors of bread pudding at Crema. They use chocolate a bit too much for my taste, but I’m inspired by their other flavors. Upcoming variations will include pecans, figs, berries, pears, and/or ginger. Check out the recipe after the jump.

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This is a vegan version of the sauerkraut soup traditionally served on Christmas in Slovakia.  Even sauerkraut skeptics (ehem, dear brother) agree that kapustnica (ka-poo-stnee-tsuh) does something to transform sour pickled cabbage into hearty, comforting stew.  The broth is spiced with paprika, coriander and caraway seeds, cloves, bay leaves, and peppercorns. Dried porcinis also add flavor, and my favorite spoonfuls include equal parts potato, mushroom, and sauerkraut.

With a handful of hearty sourdough or rye, this soup can work as a complete meal.  Regional variations take the soup in different directions — some folks add cream and dried plums. Paprika and dried mushrooms seem to be common threads across regions and families.  This recipe calls for spicy Hungarian paprika — check out an explanation over at The Kitchn if you’re not quite sure about Spanish vs. Hungarian vs. smoked paprika.

I left Slovakia with a rough idea of how to prepare this classic fare, but I’m indebted to Betty for her hands-on tutorial. Recipe and photo documentation after the jump. (more…)