Great Chefs Cook Vegan - Linda Long [61]
Black Cocoa Syrup
1-1/2 cups raw agave nectar
1/2 cup cocoa powder or raw cacao powder
2 tablespoons raw carob powder
1/4 teaspoon nonalcohol vanilla extract
Pinch sea salt
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
To make the Black Cocoa Syrup: Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Keep in a warm place until ready to serve.
Garnish
Mint
Basil sprigs
How to Plate: Slice the ends off each Mochi-Covered Ice Cream ball to make two uniform pieces. Pour about a 2-inch-wide strip of Black Cocoa Syrup onto a dinner plate. Place a slice of each ice cream flavor partly in the syrup. Garnish with mint or basil sprigs, if desired.
Michel Nischan
“To cook without dairy, eggs, meat, or fish—and still get great results—requires not only skill but thoughtfulness. It’s inspiring to know the days when restaurants served an uninspired plate of steamed broccoli and cherry tomatoes to vegan customers are coming to an end.”
Growing up on a farm instilled in Michel Nischan a deep appreciation for sustainable agriculture and for those who work the land. Today, as a best-selling author and chef/owner of The Dressing Room: A Homegrown Restaurant, Nischan continues to explore his love of food and the people who produce it. His son’s diagnosis with juvenile diabetes began a lifelong advocacy to create a cuisine of well-being, focused on a respect for pure, local, and organic produce without the use of highly processed ingredients. Since his early days with Heartbeat at the W Hotel in New York, he has been continually lauded for his dedication to organics, sustainability, and cultural food preservation.
Nischan’s interest in a more healthful, organic, and sustainable food culture introduced him to Paul Newman’s daughter Nell, the driving force behind Newman’s Own products. A restaurant on the grounds of the Westport Country Playhouse in Connecticut is the common home and expression of Paul Newman and Nischan’s shared values of food, family, and community. A portion of The Dressing Room’s proceeds supports the Westport Country Playhouse, apprenticeships for inner-city children, culinary scholarships, and community-based edible schoolyard programs.
Nischan has appeared on ABC World News and Nightline, and has won New York Times and James Beard Foundation book awards. He has written two books, Homegrown Pure and Simple: Great Healthy Food From Garden to Table and Taste Pure and Simple: Irresistible Recipes for Good Food and Good Health.
Heirloom Tomato and Nectarine Salad with Full-Bodied Vinegar and Rolled Feuille de Bric
Serves 8
6 large heirloom tomatoes
6 nectarines
1 red onion
1 cup baby arugula (optional)
2 tablespoons full-flavored vinegar (chef suggests Banyuls made from a wine similar to port and aged 5 years)
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Cut each tomato and nectarine into 8 wedges. Cut onion into very thin slices. If using arugula, rinse and pat dry. Whisk together vinegar and oil in a small bowl and then season with salt and pepper. Lightly toss the tomatoes, nectarines, and onions together.
Rolled Feuille de bric*
16 sheets phyllo dough
Soy margarine, softened
Salt and pepper
*Feuille de bric can be purchased instead of homemade (as shown in the photo).
To make the Rolled Feuille de Bric: Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove 1 sheet of phyllo dough and fold in half. Place a bowl or plate with a diameter of 6 to 8 inches across the top of the dough and with a sharp knife, cut around the rim to create two circles of dough. Brush soy margarine on the top circle from the center out. Place the top circle to the side, buttered side down. Brush soy margarine on remaining circle and the place on top of the first circle with the buttered side down. Brush the top side