VEGAN TOFFEE SAUCE

Having already produced a successful vegan Eton mess for the family, I recently made a vegan roulade for them, using coconut cream, aquafaba and soya margarine. Tasted good, but the less said about my success in rolling up at the final stage, the better.

Still, the roulade's shape was to be cunningly disguised by my invention of vegan toffee sauce. The recipe here takes about fifteen minutes to make, and the quantity would be about right for two to pour over a messy roulade or perhaps some great vegan ice cream. It can be served warm or at room temperature; if served hot it could be a bit runny, as it thickens slowly with cooling. The recipe doesn't even require weighing scales.

Vegan Toffee Sauce

Ingredients
100ml soya 'single cream' (e.g. Alpro)
1 tbsp soft dark brown sugar
half tsp vanilla paste (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
1 tbsp agave syrup (or golden syrup)
1 tbsp vegan margarine 

1  Put all the ingredients into a small pan and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved.
         Stir occasionally. 
2  Bring to a gentle simmer and continue to cook for around 10 minutes, stirring
         occasionally, until the mixture starts to darken. Remove from the heat and leave
         to cool.

Can be made a day or two in advance and kept in the fridge, then brought to room temperature to serve. I love it. 

Luscious Stuffed Peaches w Caramel & Whisky Sauce

As is always my aim, this recipe delivers a really nice, really easy dish, and I consider it to be so gorgeous that it's suitable for a romantic dinner dessert as well as one to impress a family. It's portable, too, if necessary - so next visit to my brother and sister-in-law I'll be preparing the components and taking them to assemble after main course at lunch.

The quantities given will serve two - with quite a rich filling and sauce, two peach halves is just right per person. The recipe is based on an idea from The Guardian Cook supplements, but the sauce is different. If the ingredients are ready measured out, 25-30 minutes should be enough to prepare and serve.

Here the peach halves are grilled, but could instead be heated and marked on a griddle pan (cut side only is enough) until hot and gently seared. I like whisky in the sauce, but Southern Comfort is good too - or neither, and substitute a pinch of salt.

Ready for the grill or griddle

Luscious Stuffed Peaches with Caramel and Whisky Sauce
Ingredients
2 large ripe peaches
110g mascarpone
2 tsp vanilla extract (otherwise use essence)
70ml single cream (double would work but result in a thicker sauce)
30g soft dark brown sugar
15g butter
1 tsp whisky 

Method
1  Cut each peach right around, starting at the stalk site, cutting right to the stone.
         To remove the stone, hold each half gently and twist - the halves should
         separate (as do avocados), but if not, carefully insert a knife to ease out the
         stone. Put the halves, cut side up, in the grill pan.
2  Put the mascarpone and vanilla extract into a bowl, mix them well and set aside. 

Mascarpone & sauce

3  Place the cream and sugar in a small pan and heat gently, stirring at times, until
         the sugar is dissolved. Bring to a simmer for 3 mins, stirring occasionally. Remove
         from the heat, add the butter and whisky (or Southern Comfort or salt) and stir until 
         the butter has melted.
4  Heat the grill, then place the peaches under it until they start to scorch (keep watch), 
         then remove from the heat and place two halves on each of two small dessert
         plates. 
5  Scoop the mascarpone mixture into the centre of the peaches, then drizzle the
         sauce lightly over them, allowing it to pool a little around the plate.

And ... eat!

If serving this after a cooked meal, you could follow the recipe up to the end of stage 4 before devouring the main course. Then it takes just a couple of minutes for step 5.

I wish we had a peach tree in the garden. Wouldn't be possible with our apples - although come to think of it, plums might work OK providing they are well ripe. But not so decadent.

Coronation Quorn & Jubilee Dessert, fit for ... most people!

Couldn't let the weekend pass without a nod at food fitting the theme.


The Coronation Quorn is similar to the chicken version which was apparently created for the coronation in June 1953. I have to admit its 'back-cover blurb' lacks a certain something, as it's served at room temperature and can look a bit of a mess. But its appearance doesn't do it justice, if that helps. I loved it, and John ate every scrap. Turns out his resistance to Quorn chunks dates back to when he was very young, and the family ate stewing steak which had gristle. Reminds me of the charming little boy in 7-Up who said he wouldn't get married because 'Supposing she served me greens. Well I don't like greens.' Such a fascinating series, but I digress.
     To check I hadn't forgotten any key ingredients, I first checked the recipe on http://www.cookvegetarian.co.uk , which is 'Cheat's Coronation Quorn'. But all was well. The recipe below serves 2-3, but the Jubilee Dessert would serve 2.

Coronation Quorn
Ingredients
3 tbsp good oil
1 large onion, peeled & coarsely chopped
1 tbsp soft dark brown sugar
3 tbsp plain flour
1 tbsp sesame seeds
300g pack Quorn chunks, defrosted if frozen
2 tbsp mayonnaise (light version is fine)
1 tbsp strong curry paste (approx)


Method
1  Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large frying pan. Add the onion and fry gently for 7 mins.
2  Stir in the sugar and cook gently for a further 7 mins, stirring from time to time.
3  Meanwhile, place the flour and sesame seeds on a medium plate and mix them. Use this
       to coat the Quorn pieces on all sides.
4  When the onion is done, remove it from the pan into a medium bowl..
5  Heat the remaining 2 tbsp of oil in the pan and fry the Quorn pieces gently for about 10
       mins, turning so that all sides of the cubes are browned. Add to the bowl.
6  Add the mayo and curry paste and mix gently (so the cubes don't break down but are
       evenly coated). Taste at that point, and add more mayo if too spicy, or paste if too 
       mild.


The cucumber and crusty French stick went well with this. To get the frilly edges to the slices of cue, cut a single chunk enough for 2-3 people. Then use the tines of a tough fork to score heavily down the rind lengthwise before slicing thinly. There's no waste, unlike methods which involve cutting out triangles lengthwise down the side.

Jubilee Dessert
This looked very fine, but as it doesn't have a solid base it couldn't be served in neat portions. Tasted great, all the same. I could have made it on parchment on a square plate, then cut through the dessert and parchment with scissors and serve like that! Confess I needed to find a clear pic of the Union flag to make sure I got the white stripes right.
Ingredients
150ml double cream
70g strawberries
60g blueberries


Method - if possible, use a square plate with flat part more than 20cm along each side.
1  Whip the cream until it is just stiff. Spread it on the serving dish to a square with sides of
       about 20cm, smoothing the top flat and tidying the edges.
2  Wash and pat dry the strawberries. Slice thinly and arrange on the cream to match the red
       in the Union flag.
3  Wash and pat dry the blueberries and put in place for the blue parts of the flag.


A cuttable base would have been good, such as a sweet pastry square, or a base made from crushed digestive biscuits mixed with melted butter and chilled before topping. Even a square of simple sponge cake would be nice too - more or less the ingredients for a Victoria sponge!


And a last thought - is someone going to invent a replacement for the Vic Sponge and call it an Elizabeth sponge? I just might have a crack at that.