VeggNog Crepes

Historically,¹ crepes were the fancy, cosmopolitan cousin of the pancake -  not something we ever prepared at home. I have wonderful memories of my mother taking us to the Oakbrook Mall, during the holidays, and getting strawberry crepes at The Magic Pan.

I haven't been to many malls here, which is odd because L.A. seems to be made of strip malls, but I did somehow end up at an outdoor mall, which vaguely reminded me of Oakbrook. They were even shooting this foam/bubble "snow" up from the top of the building to enhance the holiday season theme. It was weird but cool at the same time. And I can't believe I'm about to say that I sort of like the idea of a peaceful snowfall around the holidays. Of course, I greatly dislike trudging out in the cold, grey, salty sludge into which it transforms...and slipping on the ice underneath it... and scraping off my windshield... but I digress...

The point is that the trip to that outdoor mall conjured up my memories of Oakbrook... and crepes.  When I returned home to find my carton of vegan "nog" staring at me from the fridge, it practically begged me to be incorporated into a crepe. A gluten free, vegan crepe, naturally.

 
These light, slightly sweet crepes have a delicate flavor that is complemented well by cinnamon and nutmeg flavors and a frugal use of condiments. Of course, you could also slather on some blueberry jam (ala the BF), and be quite happy. I was told these tasted just like the non-vegan crepes his mother used to make, back in France. The last batch I made yielded 10, and he ate all of them.

VeggNog Crepes
(makes 8-10 crepes)

• 100g (3/4 Cup) Sorghum Flour
• 30g (1/4 Cup) Tapioca Flour
• 3/4 Cup So Delicious^® Coconut Nog
• 1/2 Cup Filtered Water
• 30g (2 Tbsp) Earth Balance^® Coconut Spread (melted)

Optional Garnish:

• 30g (1/4 Cup) Toasted, shelled Pistachios
• 10g (1 Tbsp) Coconut Palm Sugar (Turbinado, Sucanat, etc... can easily be subbed)
• 1/8 tsp Ground Nutmeg

1. Prepare the pistachio garnish by processing all ingredients in a food processor or mini blender, until the pistachios are well-chopped. Set aside.

2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together all crepe ingredients, until batter is smooth.

3. Lightly oil a non-stick (ceramic is best) pan/griddle or a seasoned, cast iron skillet, and heat over medium heat.

4. Using 3 Tbsp of batter per crepe, prepare crepes by adding batter to the pan and quickly swirling the pan to spread the batter into an thin, even disc.

5. Cook each crepe for 4-6 minutes, flipping once midway through cooking. Crepes should not brown.

6. Serve with Pistachio Garnish... OR powdered sugar, coconut whipped cream, spiced cranberries, candied pecans, or any other garnish that strikes your fancy!

Enjoy!!


1. In our household, anyway.

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Cinnamon Roll Muffins

First, I'd like to take a moment to extend a most heartfelt THANK YOU to everyone who voted for my Apple Cinnamon Quinoa Breakfast Bake in last week's SO Much to Love recipe contest. I'm grateful and sincerely humbled by the support and effort extended by each and every one of you!
I did not offer recipes for this or next week's voting, but So Delicious did select my other recipe to be included as well. It will be featured in the final (dessert) week of voting. I will post details (and the recipe), when the voting week begins :-)

Because you are all so amazingly awesome, I would like to express my appreciation with cinnamon rolls! Well... Cinnamon Roll Muffins, to be precise.



I suspect I must have had a traditional cinnamon roll, at some point before adopting a Vegan diet; although, I honestly cannot remember. They definitely weren't a foodstuff we made/bought when I was growing up. By the time that cinnamon roll franchise began popping up in every shopping mall, I was already well into veganism.
As I write this, I'm struck by the feeling that I did try a vegan (albeit gluten-y) cinnamon roll many many years ago. If that did happen, I suspect it was probably dry and lackluster, or I'm sure would have sought out more of them.

I'm rather fond of cinnamon. I love the scent that permeates the area around those aforementioned cinnamon roll franchises - despite not being even remotely vegan-friendly. I'm certainly not alone. I don't know anyone who dislikes the scent of cinnamon.¹ Studies have shown that the scent of cinnamon elicits positive, warm feelings, and other studies indicate that some people find the scents of cinnamon, vanilla and lavender sensual.²
 


Well, there is no lavender in these muffins, but there is a touch of vanilla and plenty of cinnamon. In addition to evoking all those lovely, warm feelings, cinnamon (when consumed) has proven to balance blood sugar levels.
Buckwheat flour gives the muffins an additional fiber and protein boost. It is is also a great source of Manganese, Magnesium, and Iron. Pretty cool for a little groat.3
With additional fiber, protein and EFAs from the chia, and MCFAs from the coconut oil, the result is a filling, nutritionally-packed muffin that you could (more) confidently serve for breakfast.

I mean, let's face it; muffins (especially store/cafe/restaurant-bought) are generally not much more than glorified, oversized cupcakes masquerading as some sort of "healthy" breakfast food option.
I certainly don't mean to slam muffins.⁴ They can be done right, as a once-in-awhile breakfast option... and ideally when home-made.
But let me get off this soapbox, and get down to the recipe.

Naturally, these muffins contain no refined sugars, and, although cinnamon could help balance the effect of those unrefined sugars, they can also be made free of sugars - I've included those mods below.
Part of this batch was experimentally topped with an impromptu maple glaze (as seen above). The actual intent was to add an icing.⁵ However, the consistency remained syrupy, as I ran out of a crucial ingredient, so glaze it remained. I went non-traditional⁶ and used it anyway, although I will wait until perfect it, before I post any directions for it.
Still, the sweet-toothed BFF gave it a thumbs up. I thought the muffins were delicious sans glaze.

Cinnamon Roll Muffins
(makes 6 muffins)

Batter:

• 1/2 Cup (70g) Sorghum Flour
• 1/2 Cup (70g) Buckwheat Flour
• 1/2 Cup (60g) Tapioca Flour
• 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/2 tsp Cream of Tartar
• 1/4 tsp Sea Salt
• 2 Chia or Flax Eggs (2T Ground Chia or Flax + 6T Filtered Water)
• 1/4 Cup (80g) Maple Syrup (OR 30-40 drops liquid stevia + 3T non-dairy milk)
• 2 Tbsp Non-Dairy Milk (I used So Delicious^® Unsweetened Coconut)
• 2 Tbsp (30g) Virgin Coconut Oil (gently warmed to liquid)
• 1 Tbsp (15g) Olive Oil
• 1 Tbsp Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 tsp Almond Extract (optional)

Cinnamon Paste:

• 1/4 Cup (80g) Maple Syrup (OR 1/3 Cup [60g] Coconut Palm Sugar & omit Coconut Flour. For Sugar-free option use: 3T non-dairy milk + 20-30 drops liquid stevia)
• 2 Tbsp (15g) Coconut Flour
• 1 1/2 Tbsp (22g) Virgin Coconut Oil
• 2 Tbsp Ground Cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp Sea Salt

Oven: 350F/180C
Bake time: 25-30 minutes

Lightly coat a muffin tin with coconut oil, or line with muffin cups.

Prepare the chia/flax eggs and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine all of the ingredients for the Cinnamon Paste. Mix well, and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients for the batter. Add the remaining wet ingredients - including the chia/flax egg - and mix well.
The resulting mixture should have a consistency somewhere between batter and dough - it should be thick and retain some shape but also still sticky and slightly "loose".


OK now for the fun part. You can swirl the cinnamon paste in however creatively you like (dollop it on to 7/8 full muffin cups, and swirl with a chopstick... whatever works for you!)
In order to get the spiral/swirl and maintain more definition between the muffin and the cinnamon, THIS is what I did:

Lay out a sheet of parchment paper.
Scoop approximately 1/2 Cup of muffin batter onto the parchment, and spread it out to approximately 6" wide; the length should be approximately the height of the muffin tin cups - more or less rectangular, but doesn't have to be perfect.
Gently and evenly spread a heaping tablespoon (or so) of Cinnamon Paste over the batter blob.
Using a (silicone/rubber-style) spatula or spoon, carefully roll the batter over onto itself to form a roll - you can use the parchment to help keep it together.
As soon as you've formed your roll, scoop, slide or plop your roll into a muffin cup. If you work quickly but carefully, you can maintain the integrity of the roll.

Bake the muffins for 25-30 minutes. Allow to cool slightly. Serve warm.

ENJOY!


1. I'd certainly be interested to know of anyone who has an aversion towards it.
2. Lavender really surprised me, to be honest.
3. Which, again, is not a grain :-)
4. Trash muffins in a muffin recipe post?? I'd never! Not to mention doing such a thing on a blog with other muffin recipes.
5. Cucina Libera-style.
6. When making non-traditional cinnamon "rolls", I suppose it does make more sense to just ditch tradition entirely.

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Raw Apple Pie Tarts

My goodness! I can't believe it has been over a week since I've posted. I suppose I've been caught up in trip planning, my girl bff's upcoming nuptials, extra teaching, summer program planning... and despite being fairly well-organized, I've still felt as though something was not quite right - missing.
Uh... yeah... THIS.
Hmph.
I haven't been in the kitchen to actually prepare a dish. A gathering had been set for this past Sunday, and I was planning on preparing some fun, chocolatey treats, the recipe of which would then find it's way to being shared here. Alas the gathering was cancelled, and the chocolatey treats were (temporarily) abandoned.¹

This, however, may have been fortuitous² because I'd been postponing another recipe... or more appropriately, I waited to share it and was then distracted by other recipes I was creating. So, this presentation is brought to you by a specifically arranged series of events/occurrences.
Enjoy.

I know. A small dessert. Why are all of the "dessert" items I make small?
Someone might say it's because I'm small. I say that small things are cute.
And I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but I've also been known to a bite or two of a sweet and then try to pass the rest to the nearest bystander (usually the BFF). Small treats eliminate that tendency.

In addition to being nut free, I'd say these tarts fall are somewhat closer to a fruit salad than a pastry. They're quite fresh and light. The crust isn't heavy. The fruit isn't overly sweet or bogged down under a thick, syrupy "glaze". I made a batch for our YTT graduation party, and despite my last-minute concerns over bringing a raw dessert, they were very well-received.

Don't be intimidated by the number of steps/prep time required. They're really not at all difficult to prepare.
Really.
I actually thought later that they would be quite nice crumbled (or smushed) over a chia pudding or raw ice cream. Although, after taking the time to put them together so nicely, it would be a shame to just smash them up. They could make a nice presentation sitting atop a scoop of raw ice cream... OR if a crumbled topping idea does sound interesting at all, you can (of course) prepare the components as directed and skip the crust pressing and assembly steps :-)

For our current purposes, however, we are going to continue with pies!³

Mini Raw Apple Tarts
(makes 12)

For the Filling

• 3 large Granny Smith or Fuji Apples
• 6-8 (75g) Pitted Dates
• 1/2 Cup Filtered Water
• 1 1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp Ground Ginger
• dash of Nutmeg
• 1 tsp Lemon Juice
• pinch Sea Salt

For the Crust

• 1 1/2 Cups (120g) Shredded Coconut
• 5-6 (40g) Pitted Dates
• 1 Tbsp (15g) Virgin Coconut Oil
• 1/4 tsp Vanilla Extract (optional)
• 1/4 tsp Sea Salt

For the (optional) Creme Topping

• 1 Young Coconut (Meat & Water)
• 2 tsp Ground White Chia (black chia is fine; it will just make the topping more "speckled")
• Seeds from 1/3 Vanilla Pod (or 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract)
• pinch Sea Salt

Soak the dates (for the filling only) in the 1/2 cup of water for 4-6 hours or overnight.
Peel, core, and dice the apples into small, bite-sized pieces.

In a blender or mini blender, puree the soaked dates, with their soaking water, until smooth. Add the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, lemon juice, and salt; give the blender a a few quick pulses to make sure all the ingredients are thoroughly incorporated.

Add the date mixture to the diced apples, and gently stir enough to ensure the all of apples are evenly coated. Allow the apples to marinate, covered in the refrigerator, for at least 8 hours or overnight.
Wait until the apples have marinated sufficiently, before you begin to prepare the crust.

In a blender or mini blender using the grind attachment, pulse the shredded coconut until it develops a fine, more flour-like consistency. Take care not to over-blend, or it will begin to turn into coconut butter.

Add the coconut, dates, coconut oil, vanilla and salt to a food processor, and blend until the dates have combined smoothly and evenly. If your dates are on the harder/drier side, soak them in room temperature, filtered water for 10-15 minutes; remove them from the soaking water before blending with the other crust ingredients.

Use a mini tart pan, or line 12 muffin tins with muffin cups. Press the crust mixture evenly into the tins/cups to create a crust that is approximately 1/8" thick. If using muffin cups, create a crust that is between 1/2" to 3/4" tall.
When all the crusts are prepared, spoon the apple filling into each crust, allowing the filling to come slightly above the rim of the crust. Allow the tarts to chill and set in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours or overnight.
Trim any excess paper from the muffin liners, once the tarts are set.

If using/adding the Creme Topping, set the tarts in the refrigerator, while you prepare as follows:

Crack open the coconut. Pour the coconut water into a separate bowl, and scoop out the coconut meat.

In a high-powered blender, combine the coconut meat, chia, vanilla and salt, along with half of the coconut water.The goal is to blend the coconut meat until it is completely smooth. The trick is to use as little liquid as possible, in order to retain a thick consistency. This may require some patience.

If you find the mixture getting stuck or unable to blend, gradually add some of the remaining coconut water, in small increments - just enough to get the mixture blending.

Once the mixture is well-blended and smooth, spoon a dollop onto each tart, and allow the tarts to continue to chill for the recommended time (above).
Feel free to blend in a few drops of stevia, a couple teaspoons of coconut nectar, or 1-2 soaked dates, if you prefer a sweeter creme.

Enjoy!!


1. Fear not, dear readers. Those treats are on their way, so keep an eye out :-) 
2. You decide.
3. Tiny pies, obviously.

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Zeppole di San Giuseppe al Forno (Baked St. Joseph's Day Zeppole)

I absolutely adore the color green. Absolutely.

It would seem to follow that around this time of year I might post a green¹ food recipe. You might have noticed that I didn't - not in color, at least. I was too busy fixating on recreating a particular treat.

Italians celebrate March 19th - the Feast of St. Joseph. On St. Joseph's day, it is traditional to wear red, give food to the needy, and prepare an elaborate, 3-tiered Tavola di San Giuseppe (St. Joseph's table).

According to legend, there was a severe drought in Sicily during the Middle Ages, which threatened to destroy the crops and start a famine. The Sicilians prayed to San Giuseppe, their patron saint, to bring rain, promising to honor him with a feast, if he answered their prayers. The rains did come, and the people kept their promise.
Because the holiday falls within the Lenten season, St. Joseph's tables contain only meatless dishes². Fava beans were the crop that saved the Sicilians from starvation, and are featured prominently on the table. Other traditional foods include limes, wine, and sweets, breads and pastries³- particularly Zeppole.

Zeppole are deep-fried or baked (al forno) pastries, traditionally made from pâte à choux. They can be savory or sweet - the sweet ones are often filled with custard, jelly, or pastry cream.

When I was little, I loved zeppole - the crisp, barely sweet pastry filled with creamy, lemon-kissed custard and topped with a cherry were an exciting treat. I liked the savory ones too, but the sweet ones were a rare treat our sugar-prohibiting mother⁴ would allow us to enjoy.⁵
Of course, being incredibly egg-heavy, Zeppole are not something I have "enjoyed" in a very very long time.

Well, until now.

Admittedly, these are not an exact recreation of traditional zeppole. The traditional, egg-heavy pastry is difficult to replicate precisely without... well... eggs. But these are darn⁶ near close for being Vegan, gluten free, allergy friendly, and no refined sugars.

I initially tried to experiment by tweaking the traditional pâte à choux recipe. This ended in unmitigated failure. I feared the pastry aspect of the zeppole was about to become Panettone 2010 Revisited (saga mentioned here), or I guess more appropriately, Zeppole Saga 2012.
I saw the signs though, and I quickly abandoned the idea of any subsequent attempts at vegan, gluten free pâte à choux. I instead decided to start from scratch on my own blank drawing board.

I dare say, it was far more successful.

Zeppole al Forno
(makes 10-12 Zeppole)

For the pastry:

• 2/3 Cup (85g) Sorghum Flour
• 2 Tbsp (15g) Garbanzo Bean Flour
• 6 Tbsp (45g) Tapioca Flour
• 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• 1 Tbsp (10g) Coconut Palm Sugar
• 3 Tbsp (45g) Earth Balance Coconut Spread
• 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 2 tsp Ground Flax or Chia
• 1/4 Cup Non-Dairy Milk (I used So Delicious Unsweetened Coconut Milk)
• 1 tsp Vinegar

For the Pastry Creme*:

• 1/4 Cup Non-Dairy Milk (again, So Delicious Unsweetened Coconut Milk)
• 1/4 Cup (40g) Coconut Palm Sugar
• 1 Tbsp (7g) Tapioca Flour
• 1 Tbsp Vanilla Extract
• 1 tsp Organic Lemon Flavor or zest of one lemon
• Pinch of Sea Salt
• 2 Cans full-fat Coconut Milk chilled in the refrigerator overnight.
• 1 Tbsp Coconut Flour

Garnish with:

• Whole dried unsweetened Bing Cherries - soaked for 2-3 hours - 1 per zeppola (you can also use glace cherries or Maraschinos, if you don't mind the added sugar)

Oven 400F/200C

Prepare the pastry creme:
In a saucepan, combine the non-dairy milk, coconut sugar, tapioca, vanilla, lemon and salt. Whisk well, to ensure the tapioca is fully dissolved and no lumps remain.
Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens - approximately 5-8 minutes.

Remove from heat, and allow the mixture to cool almost completely, before setting in the refrigerator to chill. You want the mixture to be as cold as possible, before adding it to the coconut cream.

Remove the coconut milk cans from the fridge, and scoop out the solid cream, leaving the clear liquid behind. Add the solid coconut cream to a mixing bowl, then add the chilled tapioca mixture and the coconut flour.

Starting on the lowest setting of your hand mixer and working up, whip the ingredients together, until well blended and fluffy. This should only take a few minutes. Sometimes better results are achieved, when everything is cold; you may want to pop the bowl and the beaters into the freezer for a few minutes before whipping the cream together.

*The pastry creme can be made sugar free by subbing 30-40 drops of liquid stevia for the coconut sugar; skip the cooking step and omit the milk and tapioca.
Place the finished pastry creme in the fridge to chill a bit longer, while you... 


Prepare the pastry:
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and set up a pastry/piping bag with a wide tip or cut the corner off of a quart-sized plastic bag. Set the items aside, within close reach.

Cream together the coconut palm sugar and buttery spread. Set aside, to help the sugar dissolve.

In a small bowl or glass combine the vanilla, flax (or chia), non-dairy milk and vinegar. Mix well, and continue to stir the mixture until it begins to thicken.

In a separate bowl, combine the flours and the baking soda. Whisk together so that they are evenly mixed. Add the butter-sugar mixture to the flour and blend well, using a fork or whisk, until it is evenly incorporated. The mixture should be somewhere between crumbly and sticky.
Add the liquid mixture, and mix until the batter is smooth and uniform.

Working quickly but mindfully, add the batter to the pastry bag and squeeze the batter into rings, approximately 3" in diameter. Spiral the batter on top of itself, to create a double layer ring. Make sure to space the rings at least 1" apart on the baking sheet.

Place the baking sheet on the center rack of the pre-heated oven. Bake for 10 minutes at 400F/200C, then reduce the heat to 375F/190C and continue to bake for 10 more minutes.
Turn off the heat, and allow the zeppole to remain in the oven as it, and they, cool - approximately 15-20 more minutes.

Remove the zeppole, and allow them to cool completely at room temperature. Carefully, slice the zeppole horizontally - the way you would slice a bagel - leaving a bit more thickness on the bottom layer.

Now you're ready to assemble the zeppole.

Grab that same (cleaned) piping bag -- or same plastic bag - let's be as earth-friendly as possible :-) -- and fill it with the chilled pastry creme. Pipe an even ring of creme onto the bottom half of a zeppola, and cover with the top half. Pipe an extra little dollop of creme into the center hole/divot, and top with a cherry - the soaked ones should be nice and plump and soft.
Repeat the above steps, until all of the zeppole are assembled.
Serve immediately, or refrigerate, until serving.

Buone Feste!!


1. In all senses of the word.
2. Definitely right up my alley (or vicolo, if you will).
3. St. Joseph is also the patron saint of pastry chefs - I'm so not kidding - what doesn't this guy do?
4. For health reasons (she was "granola" back before natural foods were in vogue - SMART lady!), but probably also because I was a rather hyperactive child.
5. It was only once a year, after all.
6. Please, San Giuseppe, excuse my language.

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Caramelized Leek and Mushroom Tartlettes

I've been playing with some different flour blends (and baking ratios) lately. You might have noticed¹ that I bake by weight. I strongly recommend it; it's a must for truly consistent results. Good digital scales are easily found for under $30, so cost shouldn't be a deterrent. My scale was $25, and I love it.
When bakers speak of ingredient ratios, they mean amounts as measured by weight. I'll illustrate using a 1:1:1 (flour:sugar:fat) ratio and say that our weight is 100g. Each item needs to weigh 100g. Easy. By volume, however, the measurements are not equal. Let's convert.
100g of each item looks something like: 3/4 Cup of flour; 1/2 Cup + 1tsp of sugar; 7 Tbsp of fat.
Allow me to note here that for small measurements, such as 1/4 tsp, weight isn't as much of a factor; it's perfectly acceptable (and common practice) to use volume.

I do my best to include approximate volume measurements for my recipes. Unfortunately (and the reason I said "approximate" just then), you're now left with a couple of variables that can result in significant deviations in outcome.² Remember, these variables affect baking by volume alone. If you bake by weight, you're pretty much good.

• Variable #1: Flours have different weights. I mix my own GF flour blends and use different ones, depending on what I'm baking. If I measured 100g of each blend by volume, I would undoubtedly notice differences. For instance, brown rice flour weighs more than sorghum by over 30g! If another baker subs flours or uses a packaged blend, the recipe results could be quite different... and not in a good way.
• Variable #2: How the flour is measured.³ Do you scoop flour out of the bag and level off the cup? Do you spoon flour into the measuring cup evenly up to the rim? Depending on your method, you can end up with weights ranging  from 110g to 150g. This translates as potentially 30% more or less flour than the recipe requires.

How's my argument for baking by weight? Convincing? Maybe a little?
Once you've converted to baking by weight, the lovely thing about understanding ratios is that, you have a freedom from recipes and can play with being more inventive and creative. Of course, gluten-free ratios don't quite work the same as ratios for gluten-based flours. Now add Vegan into the mix⁴, and you've got a pretty different set of "rules" with which to work.
Enter intuition.
I once thought⁵ I could improve upon recipe ideas by plugging my GF, vegan ingredients into common ratios for recipes. I had baked enough⁶ to know how a batter or dough should look, but when my cupcake batter turned out to be the consistency of a half-melted milkshake, I defied my better judgment, and popped them into the oven anyway. They were not a success.
One might say that baking requires Scientific Intuition.⁷ Gluten-free, vegan baking seems to require a tad more intuition. Since we've been talking ratios, let's say, Intuition:Science = 2:1 

Well, now I've taken the circuitous route to bring us to this point:

Caramelized Leek and Mushroom Tartlettes... and some really green arugula.

A point that is not unrelated to my previous ramblings, since I used that Scientific Intuition to create this (vegan, gluten free, nut free, soy free...) recipe. The filling was all intuition; the crust was a combination of both.
Here's where I add my disclaimer: In the event of volume measurement, I cannot guarantee crust outcome.

Is it tartlette or tartlet? I prefer the look of the former; I'm going to use that.
Since it's that time of year, these struck me as a lovely hors d'oeuvre  for a holiday dinner or New Year's gathering. They can be snapped up in two little bites. The mushroom filling has creamy undertones without being too rich; the leeks are mild, so there's no need to worry about onion-breath in a social setting; and you get a nice boost of B vitamins from the nutritional yeast.
Honestly though, nothing says you can't bake them up for tomorrow's lunch.

You'll need a mini tart pan for this recipe. It could work in four ramekins or a 6" pie plate as well. If anyone tries one (or both) of those variations, I'd love to hear.

Don't be discouraged by the written length of the recipe. There are a few steps involved, but it doesn't take much time to prepare, and the labor intensivity⁸ factor is low - "special occasion" not required.

Caramelized Leek and Mushroom Tartlettes
(makes 12 tartlettes)

For the crust:

• 3/4 Cup (102g) Sorghum Flour
• 1/4 Cup + 1 tsp (33g) Tapioca Flour
• 2 Tbsp (15g) Potato Starch -(not Potato Flour)
• 2 Tbsp (16g) Buckwheat Flour
• 1/3 tsp Guar Gum*
• 1/3 tsp Sea Salt
• 6 Tbsp (85g) Earth Balance® Coconut Spread (or any vegan margarine or shortening)
• 1 Tbsp + 2 tsp (25g) Ice Cold Water

For the filling

• 8oz (224g) White Button or Crimini Mushrooms
• 1 Large Leek
• 1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil (I used a homemade rosemary-infused⁹ one, but plain EVOO is just as delicious)
• 2 Tbsp Unsweetened Non-Dairy Milk (I used So Delicious® Unsweetened Coconut)
• 1 tsp Coconut Sugar
• 1 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast Flakes
• 2 tsp Tapioca Starch
• Sea Salt to taste

Oven 350F/180C

Prepare the crust.
*I tried it without the gum, but the crust was a bit too crumbly when served warm. It would work perfectly sans gum for a dessert pie/tart meant to be eaten cool/cold. 
 
Make sure everything is really cold - place a few ice cubes in your water; measure out the buttery spread and pop it in the freezer for 15-20 minutes.
Using a food processor, pulse together the flours, starch, guar gum and salt. Cut the frozen buttery spread into smaller pieces; add it to the flour mixture, and pulse until the fat is uniformly distributed and the mixture is crumbly. You can also cut the fat into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or two knives. If you prefer this method, it may be helpful to use a cheese grater to grate the frozen buttery spread into your flour mixture; it will help with even distribution.

I highly recommend using a food processor for this step, even if you cut in the fat by hand. Once your flour/buttery spread mixture is the proper consistency (I once saw someone refer to it as being like beach sand after a light rain; I like that analogy), with the food processor on low, begin to add the cold water 2 tsp at a time. The dough will begin to come together. Watch your dough. You may not need to add all of the water - just enough to make a dough that is neither wet nor too dry or flaky.
Form the dough into a smooth ball, and pop it into the fridge, while you...


Prepare the filling
Leeks are notorious for hiding little dirt and stone surprises in their layers. Make sure you wash them well. Chop off the end and slice the leek lengthwise. Chop into quarter inch pieces, leaving the tough green tops out. Chop mushrooms into small pieces and set aside.

Add the leeks, olive oil and a pinch of salt to a covered wok or large saute pan, cook over medium heat until softened and translucent. Add in the coconut sugar after a few minutes to help them caramelize.
Once the leeks are tender, add the mushrooms and another small pinch of salt. Cook until the mushrooms are tender and have released their water.
In a small bowl or glass, create a slurry by adding the tapioca starch and nutritional yeast to the (cold) non-dairy milk and mixing until there are no lumps. Add the slurry to the cooked mushrooms and leeks. Stir for a minute or so until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat and set aside.

Now assemble.
Grab your chilled dough from the fridge. If you're using mini-tart tins, as I did, your life crust prep just got easy. Pull off small pieces (enough to form an approximately 1" ball), and press the dough evenly into each tin. Allow the crust to be slightly thicker around the top edge.
Poke the bottom of each crust with a fork, and bake the unfilled crusts for 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, and spoon the mushroom mixture into each crust, filling the tartlettes to the top.
Return the pan to the oven and bake for another 20-25 minutes. The filling should be bubbling and the tops should be a bit brown.

Allow the tartlettes to cool slightly before removing from the pan and serving.

The crusts didn't brown quite as much as I had hoped. I think it was the fault of my tart pan, which needs to be replaced for a number of reasons.
Regardless, the tartlettes were still fully cooked and delicious!!

Create a Fabulous Day!

1. If you've seen my recipes, read my "About Me" page, etc... etc... 
2. If significantly unappetizing variations.
3. And/or who is doing the measuring. 
4. Ha-ha. Mix! Get it? Mix?
5. Rather naively
6. Of other people's recipes... and some of my own.
7. I say it all the time. 
8. I may have just made that up, but whatever.
9. There's that rosemary again; no one was around to stop me.

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