Monday, August 16, 2010

Miso Glazed Eggplant

Source: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Miso-Glazed-Eggplant-109748

Ingredients:

  • 6 tablespoons shiro miso* (white fermented soybean paste)
  • 3 tablespoons rice vinegar (not seasoned)
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons water
  • 3 3/4 teaspoons sugar
  • 1 tablespoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil plus additional for brushing pan
  • 6 Asian eggplants(about 8 inches), halved lengthwise
  • 2 scallions, finely choppe
    • 6 tablespoons shiro miso* (white fermented soybean paste)
    • 3 tablespoons rice vinegar (not seasoned)
    • Mirin
    • 1 1/2 tablespoons water
    • 3 3/4 teaspoons sugar
    • 1 tablespoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger
    • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil plus additional for brushing pan
    • 6 Asian eggplants(about 8 inches), halved lengthwise
    • 2 scallions, finely chopped

    Preheat broiler.

    Whisk together shiro miso, vinegar, mirin, water, sugar, and ginger until sugar is dissolved.

    Brush a large shallow baking pan with oil and arrange eggplant, cut sides up, in pan. Brush tops with 2 tablespoons oil (total). Broil eggplant 4 to 6 inches from heat until it begins to turn pale golden and soften, 4 to 5 minutes. Brush generously with miso mixture and broil 2 minutes more. Brush eggplant with miso again and rotate pan 180 degrees (do not turn eggplant over), then continue to broil until eggplant is tender and glaze is golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve sprinkled with scallions.


    NOTES: Really delicious and flavorful! Can also stirfry.

  • 6 tablespoons shiro miso* (white fermented soybean paste)
  • 3 tablespoons rice vinegar (not seasoned)
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons water
  • 3 3/4 teaspoons sugar
  • 1 tablespoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil plus additional for brushing pan
  • 6 Asian eggplants(about 8 inches), halved lengthwise
  • 2 scallions, finely choppe
  • Sunday, August 1, 2010

    Vegan Chocolate Cake (Moosewood)

    Source: http://www.moosewoodrestaurant.com/recipes_archive.html#53

    No one would ever suspect that this dark, elegant, scrumptious cake is both egg-less and dairy-less. It's economical and low-cholesterol, and what's more, it goes into the oven in 6 minutes with no mixing bowl to clean because the batter is mixed directly in the baking pan. You may be surprised to see vinegar in the ingredient list, but it's not a mistake. The combination of vinegar and baking soda helps the cake to rise. When cool, cut and serve the cake directly from the pan using small metal spatula or pie server; it cannot be easily turned out onto a serving plate.

    However, if you have time for a 12-minute cake, you can mix the batter in a bowl, line the bottom of the cake pan with parchment paper, and generously oil the sides of the pan and dust with flour. Then the cake can be removed from the pan with no trouble at all, for a more elegant presentation or for a layer cake.

    Serves 8
    Preparation time for cake: 6 minutes
    Baking time: 30 minutes
    Preparation time for glaze: 15 minutes
    Chilling time (if using glaze) 30 minutes
    Equipment: 9-inch round or 8-inch square cake pan, 2-cup measuring cup, double boiler

    Cake Ingredients
    1 ½ cups unbleached white flour
    ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
    1 teaspoon baking soda
    ½ teaspoon salt
    1 cup sugar
    ½ cup vegetable oil
    1 cup cold water or coffee
    2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
    2 tablespoons cider vinegar

    Chocolate Glaze
    ½ pound semi-sweet chocolate
    ¾ cup hot water
    ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

    Preheat the oven to 375º.

    If mixing in bowl, use cooking spray and cocoa powder to dust the cake pan.

    Sift together the flour, cocoa, soda, salt, and sugar directly into the cake pan. In the measuring cup, measure and mix together the oil, cold water or coffee, and vanilla. Pour the liquid ingredients into the baking pan and mix the batter with a fork or a small whisk. When the batter is smooth, add the vinegar and stir quickly. There will be pale swirls in the batter as the baking soda and vinegar react. Stir just until the vinegar is evenly distributed throughout the batter.

    Bake for 25 to 30 minutes and set aside to cool.

    To make the optional glaze, melt the chocolate in a double boiler, microwave oven, or reset the oven to 300º and melt the chocolate in the oven for about 15 minutes in a small ovenproof bowl or heavy skillet. Stir the hot water and vanilla into the melted chocolate until smooth. Spoon the glaze over the cooled cake. Refrigerate the glazed cake for at least 30 minutes before serving.

    Notes:
    • Moist, but VERY fine crumb with little structure to the cake
    • 2 Tbsp of cider vinegar may be too much; slight taste of cider

    Vegan Tofu Chocolate Pudding

    Source: Bittman http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/20/dining/201mrex.html

    Time: 10 minutes, plus 30 minutes’ chilling

    1/3 cup sugar

    Instant coffee granules

    12 oz package of silken tofu

    6 ounces high-quality bittersweet or semisweet chocolate melted

    1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

    1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (optional)

    1/2 teaspoon chili powder, or more to taste (optional)

    1. In a small pot, combine sugar with 1/3 cup water and coffee granules; bring to a boil and cook until sugar is dissolved, stirring occasionally. Cool slightly.

    2. Put all ingredients except for chocolate shavings in a blender and purée until completely smooth, stopping machine to scrape down its sides if necessary. Divide among 4 to 6 ramekins and chill for at least 30 minutes. If you like, garnish with chocolate shavings before serving.

    Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

    Notes:
    • Great, mousse-like texture
    • Sugar was reduced from 1/2 c to 1/3 c
    • Soy can still be tasted
    Variations:
    • Pumpkin pudding: canned pumpkin + pumpkin spices
    • Banana pudding: ripe bananas