How to Throw a Vegan Party that Everyone Will Like

On Friday I had the history department over for a reception to celebrate the impending birth of our department chair's second child. I decided that, rather than making it a pot-luck, I would make everything. I think this made some of the meat-dependent grad students a little wary, so I wanted to make sure that I could deliver a menu that would not disappoint. I think the trick is to keep the menu clean and simple by sticking to dishes that are more or less naturally veggie. It took some careful planning (i.e. a comprehensive chart of what had to be made and when) but the whole thing went off very well indeed. Here is what I did:

Since the reception was on Friday after a long week of work, and right after back-to-back departmental and grad faculty meetings, I wanted to make some food that offered protein and carbs to nourish and energize. To that end, I served Kung Pao Sliders from the Jan/Feb 2011 issue of Vegetarian Times. I made my own buns (50g of dough makes the perfect slider bun) and grated the zucchini and carrot for the slaw rather than julienning them as per the recipe. These were far and away the most popular item, with 36 of the 40 I made eaten. I also served white and whole wheat pita (sub 50% of the white flour for whole wheat) with hummus. I also included a veggie tray with the hummus (broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots).

In keeping with the Asian flavours of the sliders I also offered Spicy Fried Shitake Mushrooms. I tossed 1 lb of cleaned and stemmed shitake mushrooms with a large minced clove of garlic, 1 tsp minced ginger, a generous tsp of hot chili powder, 1 tsp black mustard seeds, 1/2 tsp tumeric, and some salt. I then fried the shrooms in a hot wok in some oil (adding more as needed), and when soft I poured in about 1/2 cup of coconut milk and heated through.

The other food was inspired by Italian flavours and dishes. I started with focaccia, which I cut into small squares and served with marinated veggies: I roasted 6 peppers (2 red, 2 yellow, 2 orange) and de-seeded, skinned, and thickly sliced them. I then tossed them with some olive oil, salt, 4 thinly sliced garlic cloves, some chopped fresh basil leaves, and salt and pepper and let marinate overnight in the fridge (let come back to room temperature before serving). I also thickly sliced 1 lb of washed and trimmed white mushrooms. I then sauteed 1 large minced clove of garlic in 1/4 cup of olive oil, added 1 tbsp minced fresh rosemary, and then 1 cup white white. I brought that to a boil, added the shrooms and let simmer for 1 min. I let them marinate in the fridge over night, then drained and served at room temperature. I also served Zucchini Pancakes with Tomato-Onion Relish. These were also very popular. Maybe not Italian per se, but the sage in the pancake and the tomato relish went well with everything else.

Of course we also had to have dessert. First up were Apple Turnovers. I used 1/2 block of puff pastry and rolled it into a 10 x 12 inch rectangle. I then cut out 2 inch squares, then filled them with a version of the filling here (1 tbsp margarine, 2 apples, 1 tbsp brandy, and white sugar instead of brown). I baked them as per this recipe, but for only 15 mins at each temperature. Next were Schnecken (filled with a strawberry/raspberry filling), as well as good old fashioned chocolate cupcakes.

Many apologies for not having a picture of the entire spread. Guests were arriving, I was making still firing food, and things just got too busy.

FOR THOSE INTERESTED IN THE LOGISTICS:
Guests: 20 adults, 8 kids
1. Make ahead and freeze: pita (I made a double recipe of white and a double of whole wheat. It was too much and I could have done a single of each); slider buns, schnecken (unfilled, as per the recipe linked above); puff pastry dough (make sure to put the dough in the fridge no later than the day before the party).
2. The night before: marinated veggies (I did a 1.5 recipe of the shrooms); schnecken filling; turnover filling; bake the tofu for the sliders; make and pan (and refrigerate) the focaccia; make tomato-onion relish; make hummus.
3. The day of: (several hours before) thaw previously baked and frozen goods; thaw and bake schnecken; bake focaccia; make and bake turnovers; make and bake cupcakes; make slaw for sliders; cut up veggies for veggie tray; mix wet and dry ingredients for pancakes in separate bowls; remove marinated veggies and hummus from fridge to get to room temperature; toss shitake shrooms in garlic, ginger, and spices.
4. 30 mins before (or so): Heat tofu in the oven in a covered dish at 250 degrees; make Fried Spicy Shitake mushrooms and keep warm; heat tomato-0nion relish; cut pita; warm pan for cooking the pancakes.
5. As guests arrive: assemble half of the sliders (keep tofu warm in the oven); start cooking some of the pancakes. Keep the pan warm and replenish the plate as needed. Make more sliders as needed.

Apple Brandy Croissants

This recipe came to me one night while I was preparing a special meal for Vegan Mom and myself. The original idea was to make Apple Brandy Crepes, but then the croissants were sitting there just begging to be used. The result is absolutely divine. The sweet, syrupy filling runs into the nooks and crannies of the pastry which still imparts a delicate crispiness to contrast the soft apples.

INGREDIENTS
Serves 2
- 2 croissants, halved lengthwise
- 1 large cooking apple, small dice
- 3 tbsp margarine
- 3 tbsp brandy, divided
- 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- icing sugar for dusting

METHOD
1. Melt margarine in a small saucepan over med-hi heat. Add apples and cook for 4-5 mins, until soft but not mushy. After 2 mins, add in two tbsp of brandy, mix well, and let cook down a bit.
2. Add brown sugar and mix well. Then add the remaining brandy and mix well. Let bubble for a min or so, until nice and syrupy. Mix in spices and remove from heat.
3. Spoon 1/2 of the apple mixture over each bottom slice of croissant. Top with the top slice, then dust with icing sugar.

A Final Word on Lamination

I know I said I would not post about laminated doughs again, but I lied. Son #2 is going to a birthday party this weekend where they are having croissants (geez, why wasn't I invited to a party like that when I was a kid?) so I need to provide him with a vegan substitute. No problem. So, I added croissants to my baking list on the weekend. I then remembered that the very first recipe I used to make puff pastry used a double turn to laminate the dough. This sounded perfect to me since my weekend baking schedule is busy enough getting ready for lunches for the week. I tried the double turn and it worked perfectly, and meant I got the dough ready in about half the time (considering you need to let the dough rest for about 40 mins between turns, this was significant time savings). Check out the link and try it yourself. As you can see from the pic above, the croissants came out flaky and crispy and delicate, but this could be because I let them rise longer than usual.

Pain Au Chocolat

Alas, this is the last of the laminated pastry posts. I had a lot of fun (and possibly gained a few pounds) but I realize that not everyone is game to spend the entire day laminating and baking dough and pastries. Still, if you ever decide to give it a whirl know that it can be done and can be tasty. Pain au Chocolat is a snap to make (provided you have some croissant dough already made). You can also use the same method to make chocolate croissants.

Makes 6
INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 recipe croissant dough
- grated or finely chopped semi-sweet chocolate
- soy milk for brushing

METHOD 1
With the oven at 425 degrees, the pastries spring up quickly and bake to a lovely golden brown. The quick oven rise means that the pastry comes out fairly soft but with a few air pockets.
1. Roll dough on a into 8 x 12 inch rectangle, then cut into six 4 inch squares. Place about a tbsp of the chocolate down the middle the each square, then fold the top 1/3 down and bottom 1/3 up. Gently seal the seam and place seam down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
2. Cover the pastries and let rise for about 1.5 hours, or until nicely swelled.
3. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Brush pastries with soy milk and bake on the middle rack for 15-17 mins. Let fully cool in the pans and serve.

METHOD 2
With the lower oven temp and longer cook time, the pastries rise more evenly in the oven but are a bit drier than the above method.
1. Do Steps 1 and 2 as above.
2. Bake as per the instructions in the croissant recipe.

Croissants

Vegan croissants! This is not the first recipe of its kind (Vegan LunchBox had one years ago), but I find these ingredients and method produce a wonderfully light and flaky pastry.

Makes 14
INGREDIENTS
Dough
- 2 tsp instant yeast
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 3 tbsp warm water
- 1 cup cold plain soy milk
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp melted margarine
- 13 to 14 oz all purpose flour

Margarine Block
- 1 cup Earth Balance margarine (not the whipped kind)
- 2 tbsp flour

METHOD
1. Whisk the yeast and sugar into the water. When yeast is hydrated, whisk in soy milk and salt. Add in melted margarine and flour and bring into a very soft dough. Do not overknead.
2. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and roll/shape into a 9 x 13 inch rectangle. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 mins, or until well-chilled.
3. While dough is chilling, make the margarine block. Use the method described here, but shape it into a 6 x 8 inch rectangle.
4. Laminate the dough: place the margarine block in the bottom half of the dough, making sure there is a about a 1/2 inch border.
Fold the top half down and seal the edges. Take your time to make sure everything is sealed properly.
5. Making sure your surface is properly floured, place the folded side on our left and roll the dough into a 10 x 24 inch rectangle. Take your time, rolling from the centre to the edges first. Try to square everything up as best you can. With the short side towards you, fold the bottom third up, then the top third down, like a letter. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 mins.
6. Repeat step five 3 more times, always placing the folded side on your left. After the final turn, refrigerate for a few hours to chill all the way through.
7. To make the croissants, roll the dough into a 9 x 32 inch rectangle. Starting in the bottom left corner, make a notch every four inches along the length of the dough. Then, from the top left corner, make a notch 2 inches in, then every four inches thereafter. With a pizza cutter, cut from the bottom notches to the top to make triangles. (You can make mini pastries with the leftover edges)
8. Gently pull the bottom of the triangle wider then, with the point pointing at you, begin to roll up the pastry. Hold the tip/point with your finger so you can pull the pastry as you roll it up. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, making sure the tip is on the bottom. You can curve the ends inwards to get the crescent shape if you like. (You can freeze them at this point, then thaw, let rise, and bake later)
9. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for about 1.5 to 2 hours, until nicely swelled. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Brush the croissants with soy milk, if you want.
10. Place the croissants in the oven and reduce the heat to 375 degrees. Bake for 15 mins, then rotate the pan and reduce the heat to 350 degrees. Bake for another 15 mins, until a golden brown. Let completely cool in the pan before serving.