July 22nd, 2007
100% Scratch!
I’d like to take a moment to interrupt the regularly scheduled bread events to share today’s lunch, prepared 100% de scratcho. I made the lovely seeded marble rye in school. The tempeh is from my previous makings (it kept very well in the freezer). The flavor is so delicate I didn’t want to alter it by breading or marinating. I just steamed the tempeh for 20 minutes to kill any unwanteds then seared it in a little canola oil for color, crispness and a little fat. The sauerkraut is my latest love, it is from a red cabbage and is a shocking shade of magenta. The sprouts are radish seeds that have quite a spicy kick to them. The cheez sauce is from the Uncheese Cookbook (Swiss White Melty Cheez recipe). I’m not too excited about the cheez, but it’s an effort and it added to a creaminess in the sandwich. Please let me know if there are any keepers in that cookbook; I know I won’t have the patience to cook them all….
May 28th, 2008 at 8:13 am
i haven’t found any recipes in the uncheese cookbook that have blown me away; some have been good, most okay, and a couple pretty icky. i enjoy making the swiss block uncheese, but i replace the water with a combination of white wine and oil to make it creamier. i think she has an intensely different palate than i do; most of the recipes end up tasting the same and particularly like ground mustard, which is prevalent throughout. i found myself enjoying the macaroni and cheese (i can’t remember which version it was, but involved baking) despite its blandness and semi-dryness, but the latter might have been my own fault for using too much pasta. anyway, i’ve found myself more into raw nut cheeses these days, though i’m considering taking the structure of the uncheese recipes and just changing the flavors more to my liking.
May 28th, 2008 at 8:41 am
a-k, I’m glad to hear I’m not the only one that feels the uncheese book is in the okay category. It’s a great concept and we need more vegan cheese recipes out there that are outstanding. I’ll have to try your take on the swiss block and the mac & cheese. I really loved the cheese sauce in VWAV in the Fettuccine Alfreda recipe and have had some amazing nut cheeses in raw restaurants but have not been able to duplicate it (Cashew Cheese from Vegan World Fusion was a total failure!) I will continue the search and testing for affordable, tasty vegan cheese made at home.