Glazed Strawberry Pie with Shortbread Crust

My aunt made a pie like this on my recent trip to the southland (when you live in North Bay, Ohio is the southland) and I thought it would be even better with a shortbread crust. Sort of a tart meets pie meets shortcake kind of thing. Of course, you could just use a pre-baked or pre-made pie shell and be done a whole lot faster. The great thing about this recipe is that you don't cook the berries, giving that juicy fresh berry taste bursting in every bite. So, a big thanks to my aunt for the filling recipe. And be sure to savour every bite because a pie like this only comes around once a year.

INGREDIENTS
Shortbread crust
- 6¾ - 7 oz oz all purpose flour (conversion chart)
- 3 oz icing sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 5½ oz cold Earth Balance margarine

METHOD
1. Sift flour, icing sugar, and salt into a bowl, then cut in margarine and work into a crumbly dough. Add more flour if too wet, or a few drops of oil if too dry.
2. Press mixture into a 9" pie pan. Cover the pie plate in plastic, and refrigerate for 30 mins.
3. Preheat oven to 375. When crust has cooled, prick the bottom and sides many times with a fork. Bake for 15- 20 mins, until a light golden brown all over. Remove and let cool. Make the filling.

INGREDIENTS
Filling
- 6 cups fresh whole strawberries
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/2 cup water

METHOD
1. Mash enough of the berries to measure 1 cup. Place remaining berries in a large bowl.
2. In a medium saucepan, whisk together sugar and cornstarch, then gradually whisk in water and then crushed berries.
3. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute.
4. Cool for 10 mins, then pour over berries and gently turn to coat. Transfer to cooled pie crust and chill at least 3 hours or until set.

Strawberry Biscuits

Strawberry Biscuits from Vegan Dad on Vimeo.

The first Ontario strawberries have made their appearance so it is time for all things cobbler and shortcake! This is a riff on Peter Reinhart's biscuits in Artisan Bread Every Day (much like my teff biscuits): they are veganized and sweetened but use the same method to produce a light, fluffy biscuit. The video is a touch long, but I wanted to show you the folding method in real time so you can see that it really is rather simple and quick to do. The trick is to keep everything well-floured. Here is the ingredient list:

INGREDIENTS

- 1/4 cup margarine

- 1/4 cup vegetable shortening

- 1 cup chopped strawberries

- 1 cup soy milk

- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

- 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

- 1/2 cup icing sugar

- 1/4 cup sugar

- 2 1/4 tsp baking powder

- 1/4 tsp baking soda

- large pinch of salt

Chocolate and Strawberry Napoleons

So this is a take on the classic French dessert and is perfect for when you are throwing a dinner party and want to impress your guests with the amazing world of vegan pastry. It also helps if your guests are not worried about their daily caloric intake. In this version I make a strawberry gel with agar, but you could use some quality jam instead. Fresh berries would also be awesome, too, but since it is the dead of winter I don't have access to any (save the ones from California in the un-recycleable plastic clamshell). On the other hand, the gel helps give it a nice layered look and keeps the final dessert from getting too messy. The trick here is not to go overboard on the creme, and to make sure that all the components have cooled so the creme does not melt. You will have some left over (and some gel) but there are worse things that could happen to you.

INGREDIENTS
Makes 9
-1/4 block of puff pastry (i.e. make this recipe and cut it into 4 blocks)

Ganache
- scant 3 tbsp soy milk
- 2 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 tbsp maple syrup

Creme Filling
- 1/2 can coconut milk, refrigerated (not low fat)
- 1.5 tsp brandy
- 2 tbsp icing sugar

Strawberry Gel
- 2 cup frozen strawberries
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 4 tbsp water, divided
- 1 tbsp agar flakes

- icing sugar for dusting

METHOD
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
1. Roll out the well-chilled dough on a lightly floured surface into a 6x6 inch square. Roll the sides with the folds in them slightly longer, then trim to 6" with a sharp knife (this will help the pastry bake up straight). With a sharp knife, cut the dough into nine 2" squares (i.e. make a # pattern). Transfer to the baking sheet, leaving some space in between them, cover the another piece of parchment, and refrigerate for 30 mins.
2. While the pastry is cooling, make the creme filling. It is essential that the coconut milk be very cold, so make sure it has been in the fridge at least overnight. Drain off the water and place 1/2 the remaining fat in a bowl. Whisk until smooth (this will take a little elbow grease). Add the brandy and icing sugar and whisk well. Place back in the fridge to keep cold.
3. Meanwhile, heat oven to 400 degrees. When dough is done chilling, gently poke through the layers with a fork 2 times, then bake for 22-25 mins, or until nicely golden.
4. Transfer to a cooling rack. As soon as the pastry can be handled, separate each square into three (it should easily divide along the fold lines). Let completely cool.
5. While the pastry is baking, make the strawberry gel. Combine frozen berries with sugar and 1 tbsp of water. In a separate bowl, sprinkle agar over the remaining 3 tbsp of water. Place berries over med-hi heat and bring to bubbling. When berries have softened, mash them with a fork or potato masher. You don't want to completely pulverize them: small chunks is the way to go. Add agar and water and let bubble away for 5 mins over medium heat. The mixture will get a bit thicker. Pour into a 9x13" pan and place into the fridge to cool down.
6. Make the ganache. Heat the soy milk to bubbling, then take off the heat and mix in the chocolate chips. When melted and smooth, mix in syrup until smooth.
7. To assemble:

• dip the top of the bottom layer of pastry in the ganache, as well as the bottom of the top layer. Place in the fridge for a few minutes to firm up.
• Cut the strawberry gel into 2" squares
• Start with your dipped bottom piece, then place a square of strawberry gel on top, then a dollop of creme filling. Top that with your middle piece, then another dollop of creme. Top that with another square of strawberry gel, then your top piece.
• Dust with icing sugar and serve immediately (with a fork).

Strawberry Syrup

I guess I am a little late with this post since strawberry season is over here, but I don't see why this recipe would not work with frozen (and then thawed) berries. We have been enjoying this syrup in endless glasses of lemonade, or with some simple syrup and club soda on ice. It is fairly potent and not too sweet. If you want it a bit thicker, just cook it for a little longer (but not too long or you will get jelly).
I just used my raspberry syrup recipe, subbing in crushed strawberries for the raspberries. It put the hot syrup in mason jars and sealed lots away for later.

Speaking of raspberries, we have a ton here in the backyard.
And even some wild blueberries! We have had some awesome pancake breakfasts lately.

Strawberry Daiquiri Sorbet

Prepare for strawberry nirvana, my friends. As promised, I ventured away from ice cream and into sorbet. I searched around for recipes and found two basic methods, one which required making a simple syrup (sugar cooked in water) and one which required no cooking at all. I decided to go for the latter and make things simple. The rum adds a nice subtle touch here--this recipe is not particularly boozy (there are young kids in the house, after all). You can probably make this with slightly thawed frozen berries, but I have not tried it. I hope it works, though, because it would be a real tragedy to only get this sorbet once a year.

INGREDIENTS
- 2 lbs fresh strawberries hulled (around 6 cups)
- 2-3 tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 2 tbsp rum

METHOD
1. Place strawberries, 2 tbsp of lime juice, sugar and rum in a food processor. Process for about 5 mins on high, until smooth. Taste, and add more lime juice, if needed.
2. Place in a ice cream maker and churn as per the directions.

NOTE
You can make this right away, or you can put the mixture in the fridge to chill (you might want to do this if your ice cream maker is not super cold (at least -18 degrees Celsius). Or, you can place the ice cream maker back in the freezer and take it out to churn every few minutes. The sorbet will be quite soft (but should not be liquid) when done, and will firm up overnight in the freezer.

Strawberry Ice Cream

Strawberry season has come to the North! So we packed up the crew and hit the fields. All the kids were enthusiastic about the expedition (I am projecting on Vegan Daughter a bit, I suppose) and helped us pick 6 baskets of berries without eating too many along the way. We immediately made jam and I set aside some berries to make this delicious ice cream. I know the garnish may cause confusion, but I suppose you could also use raspberries in this as well (I would strain out the seeds, though).

INGREDIENTS
- 4 cups fresh strawberries, washed and hulled
- 1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
- 2 cups plain or vanilla soy milk, divided
- 3 tbsp arrowroot
- 1 can full fat coconut milk, left in a cool place (the fridge for a few hours)
- soy creamer (or more soy milk)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract (the real stuff)

METHOD
1. Place berries and 1/2 cup of the sugar in a food processor and process until desired smoothness is reached (I left mine a bit chunky). Set aside.
2. Place sugar and 1 1/2 cups of the soy milk in a saucepan.
3. While soy milk is heating up, whisk arrowroot into remaining 1/2 cup of soy milk. Keep whisking it regularly to make sure the arrowroot does not settle.
4. Skim cream off of the coconut milk and discard (or save for some other recipe) watery stuff. Place in a 2 cup measuring cup and add enough creamer to bring the volume to 2 cups.
5. Heat soy milk/sugar mixture over medium heat until steaming. Slowly whisk in arrowroot mixture and cook until glossy. I let mine bubble every so slightly. Add coconut milk mixture and whisk well. If it does not seem glossy, cook until it is. Otherwise, remove from heat.
6. Mix in strawberry mixture and vanilla. Let cool. Once cool, cover, and chill in the fridge overnight.
7. Make ice cream according to the directions that came with your ice cream maker.

Dessert Pizza with Rum Glazed Grilled Pineapple

The pizza really isn't the focus here--it is merely a vehicle for the pineapple. The pineapple recipe is from the latest Food and Drink magazine and it is quite spectacular (I think). And the pizza really isn't that bad, either.

INGREDIENTS

Grilled Pineapple

- 1/2 pineapple, peeled, cored, and sliced crosswise into 6 pieces

- 2 tbsp margarine

- 2 tbsp rum

- 1 tbsp packed brown sugar

- 1 pizza crust

- strawberry jam

- sliced banana

- vegan chocolate chips

METHOD

1. Place pineapple slices in a shallow dish. Heat together glaze ingredients in a small saucepan over low heat until margarine is melted. Pour over over pineapple and turn to coat. Let set (turning every so often) while you heat the grill to medium.

2. Grill for 6 to 8 mins, turning and basting, until golden and glazed. Cut into pieces and let cool.

3. Heat a pizza stone in a 450 degree oven.

4. Spread a thin layer of strawberry jam over the pizza crust (too much and it will bubble all over the place and make a real mess. Top with toppings.

5. Bake for 10-12 mins, or until crust is done and chocolate chips have started to melt.

Strawberry Lemonade

The fine summer weather persists here, now that the kids are all cramped in their classrooms and focusing on reading and writing instead of resting and relaxing. If you are lucky enough to still be outside enjoying the weather (I am still pretending that the semester does not start tomorrow), pour yourself a tall glass of this wonderful lemonade. My brother made this for our family picnic this summer, and the recipe comes from Fine Cooking magazine.

INGREDIENTS

Makes about 7 cups

- 1 1/2 cups sugar

- 1 cup chopped fresh strawberries

- 2 cups water

- zest of 2 lemons

- 2 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice

- 2 1/2 cups cold water

METHOD

1. Put sugar, berries and 2 cups of water in a sauce pan and bring to boiling, then reduce heat and simmer for 3 mins, until berries soften and release their colour. Remove from heat, stir in lemon zest, and let cool.

2. Strain berry mixture into a pitcher through a fine sieve, pressing the berries with a spoon to extract as much juice as possible. Add lemon juice and water to the pitcher and mix well. If the lemonade is too strong, add more water.

3. Serve in a tall glass with plenty of ice cubes.

Strawberry Peach Mini Strudels

Tonight's meal was actually leftovers from a great veggie Chinese place on Sansom Street. So I thought I would share these strudels I made before I left for my trip. I went a little crazy with my new pasta roller and made my own phyllo from this recipe, but you most certainly can use the store bought variety. The filling was made with fresh local berries that made it all the more tasty.

INGREDIENTS

Makes 4 strudels

- 6 x 8" squares phyllo dough, 4 layers thick (you might want to use 5 if using store bought)

- melted margarine (about 1/4 cup)

- cinnamon and sugar

- 2 cups sliced strawberries

- 1 peach, chopped

- 1/4 cup sugar

- 1/2 tsp lemon juice

- 1/2 tsp cinnamon

- 1/4 tsp nutmeg

- 1 tbsp flour

- icing sugar

METHOD

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

1. Mix together sliced berries, peach, sugar, lemon juice, spices and flour in bowl. Set aside.

2. Brush a sheet of phyllo with margarine and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Lay another sheet on top and brush with margarine. Top with another sheet, brush with margarine and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Top with another sheet of phyllo.

3. Place 1/4 of the filling just off center, along the 8" side, leaving some space on either end. Roll up, not too tightly, placing seam side down. Fold up ends and pinch to close. Repeat with remaining filling and dough.

4. Brush each strudel with margarine and cut 3 slits in each. Bake for 30 to 35 mins, or until golden brown.

5. Let cool on a wire rack, then dust with icing sugar.

Strawberries and Cream

I am off to Philadelphia tomorrow for three weeks so I don't have much time to post tonight. I am sad to leave the family behind, but there just is not enough money in my research budget to take everyone along. I will be staying with friends and cooking for myself (and maybe them as well), so I will still be blogging. Philadelphia should have a lot to offer a vegan, so I hope I don't get spoiled. Tonight's post is a decadent dessert, but since fresh strawberries only come around for a few weeks every year, why not treat yourself?

INGREDIENTS

- 1 can coconut milk

- fruit sugar

- vanilla

- fresh strawberries

METHOD

1. Place coconut milk in the fridge for a few hours to let the cream rise to the top. A can of low fat coconut milk will yield about 1/3 cup of cream. If you need more, get a can of high fat coconut milk.

2. Remove can from fridge and open top with a can opener. Scoop out cream into a bowl and discard the watery stuff left behind. For every 1/3 cup (or so) of cream, whisk in a generous tbsp of sugar and a few drops of vanilla. Keep in the fridge until ready to serve over berries.

Chocolate Strawberry Cake Roll with Mousse Filling

This is a celebration cake for my VegNews Top Blog honour, and a thank you to myself for the hours spent baking for the street fair (nothing like thanking yourself for baking by doing more baking!). Back in the day I used to make a cake sort of like this with a whipped cream filling. I have never tried my hand at vegan whipped cream (I think I saw a recipe once with a coconut milk base), but I tagged this Chocolate Mousse recipe from Have Cake, Will Travel a while back thinking it would be perfect for this kind of cake. Now, while I am comfortable baking bread I am not well versed in the ways of the cake. I searched around for vegan sponge cake recipes and made various modifications as I saw fit (I still think it is too high in baking powder). Not the greatest cake in the world but it did the trick and its mediocrity is masked by all the wonderful mousse filling. I really should email Isa for cake advice.

INGREDIENTS

Cake

- 2 cups self-rising flour

- 1/4 cup cocoa

- 1 tsp baking powder

- 1/2 tsp baking soda

- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup soy milk

- 1 1/3 cup sugar

- 1/2 cup canola oil

- 1 tbsp ground flax seed

- 1/2 cup water

- 3 tbsp icing sugar

- 1 tbsp cocoa

- sliced strawberries

METHOD

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a 15.25" X 10.25" baking sheet (with sides) with aluminum foil. Grease and flour the foil.

1. Sift flour, cocoa, baking powder, and baking soda into a large bowl.

2. Put apple cider vinegar in a measuring cup. Fill with soy milk to one cup line and stir to mix. Set aside to thicken. In a medium bowl, whisk sugar, oil, flax seed, water, and soy milk mixture until well blended.

3. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix until blended. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 15-18 mins, until cake is dry, has pulled away from the sides of the pan a bit, and springs back in the center from your touch.

4. Let cake cool on a wire rack for 3 mins. While cooling, "flour" a linen towel with the icing sugar and cocoa.

5. Put the cake (still in its baking sheet) on the counter. Place the prepared towel on top with the "floured" side in contact with the cake. Make sure the cake in centred with the towel. Put a large cutting board on top and flip the whole thing upside down. The pan will now be on top. Remove pan and foil.

6. Fold the cake up like a jelly roll in the towel along the short end. Let cool, seam side down on a wire rack.

Filling

- Make the mousse filling posted here. I used silken tofu instead of the beans (which, apparently, makes me a wuss) because I had an open container after making the lemon currant rolls yesterday. I only used a 3/4 cup to make a slightly thicker mousse. I also added all the melted chocolate at once since it was for a filling and not a stand-alone dish.

Icing

INGREDIENTS

- 6 tbsp soy milk

- 1 cup chocolate chips

METHOD

1. Heat soy milk to bubbling in a small pot. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate chips until smooth. Set aside to cool for a few mins.

TO MAKE THE CAKE

1. Once the cake is cool, gently unroll it. Try not to fly off the handle if the cake breaks up a bit. Even when I made this with eggs it always broke up a bit. Be gentle and understanding, and remember that icing covers a multitude of cake-making sins.

2. Gently spread mousse filling over the cake and re-roll, using the towel to help you bring up the whole side at one time. Once rolled, transfer cake to a large platter or serving dish. You can trim the ends off with a serrated knife if you want the edges to look clean.

3. Spoon icing over top and use a knife or spatula to spread and smooth the icing over all of the cake. The icing will cover up any cracks that may have occurred. Use a clean wet cloth to clean up any icing that may have sullied your serving platter. Place cake in the fridge for 5 mins to let the icing set a bit, then remove and top with sliced strawberries before it sets too much. Place back in fridge and refrigerate for a few hours.

4. To serve: cut cake with a serrated knife, using a gentle sawing motion. Store cake in the fridge, covered.

Strawberry Mango Cobbler

I saw this recipe on Vegan.Chicks.Rock. I said to myself, "self, you must make this dish." So I did. You should make it too.