The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vegan Baking - Donna Diegel [86]
6. Using a pastry brush or your fingers, moisten edges of piecrust with a small amount of water, and carefully fold up, pressing, folding, and pinching the edges in a rustic pattern. Bake for 30 minutes.
7. In a small cup, mix 1 tablespoon cane sugar and remaining ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon.
8. Meanwhile, for “custard” (if using): in a small bowl, dissolve cornstarch in ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon soy milk.
9. In a blender, combine soft silken tofu, remaining 1 tablespoon cane sugar, and almond extract, and blend until smooth. Add melted vegan margarine and cornstarch mixture, and blend on high speed for 1 minute or until smooth.
10. Remove galette from the oven after 30 minutes, and carefully pour “custard” into the center. With a pastry brush, paint outside of crust with remaining 1 tablespoon soy milk, and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Return galette to the oven, and bake for 10 to 20 more minutes or until fruit is tender and “custard” is set. Remove galette from the oven, and let sit for 10 to 15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. This galette is best eaten within a day, but will keep in the refrigerator loosely covered for up to 3 days. It does not freeze well.
Variation: For Mixed Fruit Galette, experiment with different berries, fruits, jams, and spices.
BAKER’S BONUS
Instead of one big galette, you could create mini galettes. Divide piecrust into 4 balls, and roll out each individually. Arrange fruit in them as you would the large galette. Continue with the recipe directions, decreasing the baking time by approximately 15 minutes or until galettes are golden brown and bubbly.
Chapter 16
Cobblers and Crisps
In This Chapter
• Cobblers and crisps—comfort-food favorites
• Fresh fruit cobblers with soft biscuit toppings
• Crumbly fresh fruit crisps
Old-fashioned desserts such as fruit cobblers and crisps have been around for a very long time. Recipes from cookbooks printed in the 1800s reference these delicious seasonal and regional specialties. Many years later, we still rely on fresh seasonal fruit for their awesome flavor in baked goods.
Although traditional cobblers, crisps, and fruit dessert recipes were originally written with gobs of butter and cream, they are super easy for today’s vegans to adapt. With a few substitutions and ingredient replacements, dairy-free and egg-free cobblers and crisps are just a few minutes away!
Cobblers Versus Crisps
Depending on where you live, cobbler can mean different things to different bakers. The only thing regional bakers can agree on is that everyone has their own interpretation of how a cobbler is made. Some argue that a cobbler has to have a piecrustlike cover, while others say a solid biscuit topping with decorative vents cut out is best. Still others claim the only way a dessert can be called a cobbler is if it’s baked with individual sweet dough biscuits on top. They say this cobbler topping most resembles the cobblestone streets cobblers were named after way back when.
Crisps, on the other hand, are more straightforward. A crisp is a crisp because it’s crispy! Baked crisps consist of two parts: a layer of fresh fruit on the bottom and a streusel-like crumble layer on top. Although the crisp is less likely to be open to debate, some bakers still like it the way they like it. Some say a crisp has to contain rolled oats, brown sugar, flour, and spices and that it has to have the right “crisp” texture. Others like it without oats, preferring a less-crumbly, sweeter topping.
There are also many options when it comes to the fruit used. Go beyond the standard Apple or Blueberry Crisp, and try experimenting with unusual fruits for your crisps. Try apricots, pears, plums, and cranberries. For cobblers, mix and match the fruits according to the season. Choose from basic fruits like peaches, apples, strawberries, rhubarb, and cherries, or try some of the seasonal options available where you live.
And dare to venture away from the same-old fruits sometimes, with options