293060 Thu Jun 05 12:08:17 -0700 2003 38 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1601989 I've volunteered to bring dessert (as usual) to a potluck this weekend. Usually, I forget all about the one vegan in the crowd, and the poor guy has to watch the rest of chow down on the usual butter,eggs and cream desserts I usually make. For once, I'd like to bring a dessert that we can all enjoy. So, does anyone have any truly scrumptious vegan dessert recipes? I have found that vegan desserts can make carboard seem tasty - so I'd rather go with something tried and true rather than risk an unknown. thanks! Thu Jun 05 12:08:17 -0700 2003 0 Montrose 1 1601992 How about ambrosia? I don't have a recipe but you could probably surf for one that's vegan. Thu Jun 05 12:18:45 -0700 2003 1601989 0 Michele Cindy 2 1601998 many southeast asian desserts are vegan and scrumptious - made with tapioca, coconut milk, black rice, sticky rice, etc. Just avoid those with egg (and the very few with condensed milk) The sticky rice balls coated in coconut and filled with sugared peanuts (sometimes these are orange in color and flavored with mango rather than peanuts) can be found in chinatown bakeries and are much loved by vegans and others. My daughter makes vegan oatmeal cookies which are a hit - however she uses boxed "egg replacer" - whatever that is - rather than the flour water mix suggested above. If you make your ambrosia with fresh pineapple, bananas and oranges, (maybe even fresh grated coconut) and flavor it up with lime, sugar and rum (maybe malibu, coconut flavored rum) it will be popular with vegans and non-vegans. Skip the marshmallows and mayo, of course. Thu Jun 05 12:31:29 -0700 2003 1601992 0 jen kalb 3 1602328 egg replacer comes in a box but it is mostly tapioca flour actually. Sun Jun 08 16:27:08 -0700 2003 1601998 0 epicure-us 1 1601993 Sorbet? (Or granita if you don't have an ice cream maker.) Just don't sweeten it with honey. Thu Jun 05 12:19:13 -0700 2003 1601989 0 Janet A. Zimmerman 1 1601994 If you don't mind making cookies.... that's super easy to make vegan. Just use margarine instead of butter, and in replacement of 1 egg, use 1 TBPN flour+3TBPN water (whisk together). Works really well, and actually, you can hardly tell the difference! (Works especially well for really standard cookie recipes, like snickerdoodles, oatmeal raisin, PB, etc.) Good luck! Thu Jun 05 12:21:48 -0700 2003 1601989 0 Queen of Hearts 2 1601997 You CAN tell the difference. Butter tastes good. Margarine does not. Why ruin the cookies for everyone else? Anyone see "The Girl from Paris"? The curmudgeonly French farmer character refers to margarine as "bull butter". Thu Jun 05 12:29:05 -0700 2003 1601994 0 ADL 3 1602019 Since you obviously aren't vegan, and object to such cookies on principle (without even trying them), then don't eat them. Thu Jun 05 14:01:23 -0700 2003 1601997 0 Spoony Bard 4 1602026 (1) No, I'm not vegan. (2) I don't object to vegan cookies on principle. I object to them because they taste bad. (3) I have tried them. Which is how I arrived at the previous conclusion. I think it's fantastic to accomodate a vegan friend. But it needn't entail subjecting everyone to awful food like vegan cookies. Sorbet, which someone else mentioned, sounds like a delightful suggestion. Thu Jun 05 14:33:19 -0700 2003 1602019 0 ADL 5 1602028 I thought the same way as you at one time, then I found a very talented baker who bakes scrumptious cakes, and cookies you would swear were not vegan. Some are works of art, she works magic. Thu Jun 05 14:37:17 -0700 2003 1602026 0 Michele Cindy 1 1601995 You can find great berries now. Cook and strain a simple syrup with lots of fresh mint for a topping, or drizzle on some port or dessert wine. If you have an ice cream maker, interesting sorbets can be a hit. Thu Jun 05 12:23:47 -0700 2003 1601989 0 Uncledave 2 1602017 If you put a little Chambord in that simple sryup and some orange zest, it is fabulous with berries, especially blue. Thu Jun 05 13:48:33 -0700 2003 1601995 0 danna 1 1601996 You'll certainly get better suggestions than mine, as I can't think of a single cooked dessert that doesn't contain dairy or eggs. I know that there are vegan substitutions for those things, but all those products are categorically vile. However... I can't think of too many things tastier than fresh just-picked strawberries from your local farmer's market. They are already nature's most perfect dessert when you buy them, without any additional effort. Other tasty berries should be showing up any time now (don't know about this weekend. It depends on where you are located). Or, as a compromise, make your butter-eggs-and-cream dessert incorporating fresh berries, and reserve some of the berries for your vegan friend. I gather you were asked to bring dessert with the expectation that you'd bring the butter-eggs-and-cream variety... no sense disappointing everyone else. Thu Jun 05 12:25:28 -0700 2003 1601989 0 ADL 1 1602001 How about a beautiful fruit terrine, made with agar-agar instead of gelatin? Flambée'd or grilled fruit skewers (e.g., mango) are also wonderful, although you unfortunately can't make them beforehand for a potluck. Southeast Asian desserts such as a mango & tapioca pudding made with coconut milk can also be tasty. Thu Jun 05 12:39:23 -0700 2003 1601989 0 Heather 2 1602018 If you can find agar-agar, you can always use kosher gelatin which is vegan. Ko-jel is a popular brand that can be found in the kosher sections of most major supermarkets. Thu Jun 05 13:57:23 -0700 2003 1602001 0 baruch 3 1602078 Kosher gelatins are not always vegan. They can be made with fish cartilage. Check the labels if you want to be certain. Thu Jun 05 19:22:41 -0700 2003 1602018 0 mm 4 1602125 SORRY! Problem with writing too fast! I meant to write "you can always use THIS kosher gelatin which is vegan:" Ko-Jel is made from Carrageenan (seaweed). So is Hain brand and Carmel. Amazing what a left out word and colon can do... Fri Jun 06 11:08:01 -0700 2003 1602078 0 baruch 1 1602012 My friend makes a bitchen chocolate cake that is similar to this recipe I found with a quick google search. Adding vinegar at the end of mixing makes it rise to compensate for the lack of egg. You can make great frosting by melting vegan chocolate chips and mixing with soft tofu. If you're really adventurous, make two layers of this cake with raspberry jam in between and vegan chocolate frosting on top. Link: http://veganfamily.co.uk/cake.htm Thu Jun 05 13:39:14 -0700 2003 1601989 0 RedRob 2 1602014 My experience with most vegan versions of standard baked goods (including some recipes obtained on this site) is that they are not any where near as good as their equivalents containing dairy and egg products. I would strongly advise not to go the vegan cake route if you want to please all of our friends. Thu Jun 05 13:46:35 -0700 2003 1602012 0 jen kalb 3 1602024 Then you haven't been eating the right baked goods. If you live in the California Bay Area, try Black China Bakery's vegan cakes. Truly amazing, from the decadent chocolate to their carrot cake to my favorite, their vanilla bean cake. Their cakes are always a hit with both vegans and non-vegans, as are my friend's cakes. Thu Jun 05 14:22:01 -0700 2003 1602014 0 RedRob 3 1602087 The vegan chocolate cake recipes using oil and vinegar, such as the ones posted on this thread and others previously posted here, are an exception to the rule of vegan baked goods. This is a very old recipe, and while it's not the same as a butter cake, it can be very moist, rich and chocolatey - and therefore very satisfying. I started making this kind of cake in my teens (from a recipe also called "wacky cake"), and people were always astounded to learn it had no butter or eggs. It is always my first recommendation to people looking for a "conventional" vegan dessert that doesn't need to stay in the fridge or freezer (though the fruit pie or tart is a very good idea too). Since I won't make a frosting with margarine, I like to do it in a Bundt pan, with a simple powdered-sugar glaze or just a sprinkling of powdered sugar. Linked below is a recipe with plenty of positive testimony from non-vegans. Link: http://food.epicurious.com/run/recipe/view?id=755 Thu Jun 05 20:44:32 -0700 2003 1602014 0 Caitlin McGrath 1 1602016 How ambitious are you? And how showy does the dessert need to be? I am thinking of the humble, but insanely delicious, Rice Krispies Treat. If you go to the trouble to make your own marshmallows using a vegan product called Emes Kosher Jel in place of gelatin, you will have the freshest-tasting, most delicious Rice Krispies Treats ever, and your friend will enjoy a comfort food he ordinarily can't eat. (This is assuming Rice Krispies are vegan--if not, you can substitute a vegan cereal.) Thu Jun 05 13:47:30 -0700 2003 1601989 0 Grace 1 1602027 A non-vegan friend swears by this chocolate pudding made with silken tofu. Link is below. It actually does sound pretty good! Link: http://www.care2.com/channels/solutions/food/704 Thu Jun 05 14:35:50 -0700 2003 1601989 0 Dipsy 1 1602029 Wow! You know, I never really gave much thought to veganism since vegetarianism always seemed to me like such a radical idea--I can't imagine going through life never having a good steak or bacon--but after reading through these posts and realizing just how little a vegan can eat that would actually taste good, I can't imagine that you can possibly be a food lover and a vegan. It sounds like you'd spend most of your time just trying to make inferior replicas of foods that contain animal products. I don't get it. As for recommendations for the dessert: I'd recommend macerating strawberries in white wine (or vodka), sugar, and basil. Let it all sit in the fridge for a few hours. And make some nice (real) whipped cream on the side for the rest of the crowd to plop on as desired. Thu Jun 05 14:44:43 -0700 2003 1601989 0 Bunny-Bunny 1 1602031 Why not make a strawberry (or cherry) pie? You can use a crust made with shortening -- there are many such recipes on the net, and many chefs swear that shortening makes the best crust. The filling need not be anything more than fresh berries with a simple syrup (or jam) glaze. You could pass the whipped cream separately for the non-vegans to enjoy. While searching the net, I also found this recipe for "Rasberry Shortbread Bars" using shortening/margarine which sounds good and has gotten some decent reviews. http://www.vegweb.com/food/sweets/shortbread1.shtml Link: http://www.inmamaskitchen.com/RECIPES/RECIPES/Desserts/Basic_Pie_Crust.html Thu Jun 05 14:55:59 -0700 2003 1601989 0 DanaB 2 1602052 What a good idea...I was wracking my butter&eggs obsessed brain. You could also make fluted edge tarts if you wanted to be fancy, and arrange the fruit decoratively...like french patisserie. Thu Jun 05 16:56:06 -0700 2003 1602031 0 danna 1 1602045 This Amazon Chocolate Cake is supposed to be great. I think it is from Cafe Beaujolais and if so a non-veganfriend swears it is great. Use good quality chocolate. Link: http://www.tasteoftx.com/recipes/cakes/amazon.html Thu Jun 05 16:29:22 -0700 2003 1601989 0 Thea 2 1602046 OK this is a Margaret Fox recipe from Cafe Beaujolais. She frosts it with Mocha Buttercream, so you have a prob there. Thu Jun 05 16:32:09 -0700 2003 1602045 0 Thea 1 1602047 If I were in this situation, I would definitely NOT make one of the vegan emulations of cake, cookies, or whatever. Instead, I'd make a regular dessert that a vegan can eat (fruit salad, sorbet, granita, etc.). A few posters have noted that it's possible to make good vegan baked items, but the examples given were of items made by masters of the art of vegan baking. What chances does a home cook--one unfamiliar with vegan techniques or ingredients--have of turning out a decent vegan cookie or cake on the first attempt? Besides, with the weather getting hotter and all the great seasonal fruit right now, it's almost criminal not to make a good fruit ice of some fashion. Put out some fresh whipped cream on the side for anyone who can't live without animal fat. -Nick Thu Jun 05 16:47:23 -0700 2003 1601989 0 nja 1 1602056 I'm back. I'm sort of amused that so many of you feel that a cake cannot be good if it's not made with eggs and butter. Trust me. I'm a full on non-vegetarian, pure dairy girl -preferably organic but that's a personal preference - but I've had some amazing vegan sweet treats recently that would lead me to say "Try Again"! My local juice bar offers some fabulous vegan sweets. I had an incredible butterscotch cookie the other day, vegan and made with spelt. I tried a sample of the soy strawberry cheesecake the other. It was wonderful. They offer vegan sweet potato bread that's out of this world. Vegan does not have to mean nasty. Sometimes it does. But not always. And I think there are more and more options out there. I'm sure your vegan friends are tired of being offered fruit salad. Come on Chowhounds....I urge you to dig a little deeper before instantly discounting a cookie made without butter. I consider myself the last of the carnivores but I'll be the first to say that there are some mighty tasty vegan dessert offerings out there. Thu Jun 05 17:02:11 -0700 2003 1601989 0 Dipsy 2 1602133 "I urge you to dig a little deeper before instantly discounting a cookie made without butter." Awright, this is directed partly at me, so maybe I should reconsider, since I generalized to all vegan desserts from only the ones I have tried. I concede that it might be possible to bake a good dessert WITHOUT butter. However, I maintain that it is categorically impossible to make ANYTHING good WITH margarine. My error, of course, was in assuming that the absence of the former implies the presence of the latter. However, if you wish to correct any misperceptions I have about margarine, you're welcome to try. To date, I have never, ever encountered a margarine that was even remotely edible. On the broader topic of eating vegan, there seem to be a wide number of options, at least at this time of year. Last night I made a vegan soup (yes, I used veggie stock) from my latest farmer's market bounty. I frequently make hearth breads that would qualify as vegan... and cheeseless pizzas which, when topped with roasted veggies, would also be vegan. I cook with olive oil a lot... skipping the butter seems eminently feasible. And don't forget those fresh berries! With so many options available, I cannot imagine ever wanting to use margarine for any reason, even if I could never use butter again. That said, since I don't subscribe to underlying principles of veganism, all of this is really just an intellectual exercise on my part. If you can make good cookies without butter or margarine, I'd be interested in trying them. If you like your cookies with margarine, go for it. Just please, please, please don't foist that abomination on anyone else. Fri Jun 06 11:57:30 -0700 2003 1602056 0 ADL 3 1602137 I have HAD to stop using butter when cooking for my father, who has a serious heart condition and should eat NO cholesterol. This is not a problem in most of his favorite savory foods, just use olive oil. However his favorite desert, blueberry pie, poses a real problem. I (and my grandmother, his Mom and the deity of Pie-making in our family) have always used butter for a crust that is more of a French short crust than American crisco /diner style. After much experimenting I have found using Spectrum brand Canola spread, chilled in the freezer for a bit beforehand, is acceptable. No, it's not absolutely delicious like butter, but if you work very lightly you get a good crumbly/flaky texture. So I recommend this if you are interested in baking a great summer fruit pie for your vegan friends. I totally agree about cookies though, there is no way to replace the butter in butter based cookies and come out with anything similar. Stick with cookie recipes, like oatmeal, or dark chocolate, that get most of their flavor from other ingredients. Fri Jun 06 12:31:54 -0700 2003 1602133 0 Ciaolette 1 1602072 the chocolate cake listed below (my mother in law calls in wacky cake) was designed during the war, so that you didn't need to use expensive eggs. it is the most requested cake at this non-vegetarian house. it is moist and delicious. the frosting is wedding cake types with a substitution of margarine for butter. Wacky Cake sift into and ungreased 8 in pan 1 1/2 c flour 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp soda 1 c sugar 5 T cocoa 1 tsp instant coffee(my addition) make three holes evenly spaced in the powder with your finger. add hole #1 1 tsp vanilla hole #2 1T vinegar hole #3 5 T melted margarine or salad oil pour 1 C cold water over it all and mix in the pan with a fork until blended. Bake at 350 for 35 mins or until it springs back. you can easily double this and use a large pan. I have had trouble making it a layer cake becausee it is so moist. Frosting 1/2 C solid vegetable shortening (crisco) pinch salt 1 1/2 C powdered sugar 3/4 tsp vanilla 2T soft margarine beat crisco with salt. add the vanilla and margarine. add powdered sugar 1/2 c at a time. beat. good luck, jill Thu Jun 05 18:58:09 -0700 2003 1601989 0 jill 1 1602080 Wow, I mostly lurk but I must confess publicly that I am saddened by many of your experiences with vegan desserts. It's true that there are a lot of tasteless vegan sweets, but there are a lot of fantastic things too. IMHO, the most annoying thing about vegan desserts is that it's a real crapshoot and part of the problem is that they are always compared to "regular" desserts. No one compares a flourless chocolate cake to a regular chocolate cake - they are accepted as two different desserts. And so it should be with vegan confections. Okay, I'll get off my high horse to say that if you don't have the time to experiment with vegan cooking per se, don't try a vegan recipe unless you are absolutely sure, from friends who are not vegan, that it tastes good. Otherwise, there have been tons of great option listed here. Also, most good quality dark chocolate is vegan, so that's always an option. By the way, there is a company named Pangea (search on web for it) that sells vegan marshmallows and gummy bears, and stuff like that. Even my husband, a die hard candy freak and meat eater, likes the stuff from there. Thu Jun 05 19:30:58 -0700 2003 1601989 0 mm 2 1602085 Thank you! Pangea definitely sounds like the best tip of the day to me. I'm going to check it out now and will report back when my order arrives. The vegan marshmallows sound wonderful. Thu Jun 05 20:30:11 -0700 2003 1602080 0 jane 1 1602095 I heard about a vegan PETA fundraiser dinner thrown by Woody Harrelson or some such Hollywood type. The interesting idea I remember was ice "cream" made with coconut milk. Sounds pretty tasty to me! Could be served with flambeed or just plain fried bananas and topped with toasted coconut, and dark chocolate sauce. Thu Jun 05 22:47:19 -0700 2003 1601989 0 julesrules 2 1602110 Which reminds me: Sharon's Coconut Sorbet is so rich, it tastes more like an ice cream than a sorbet. If you melt (vegan) chocolate over it and stir in some almonds - Voila! Frozen Mounds or Almond Joy! Similarly, you could use it to make any kind of molded frozen parfait. Or use some kind of vegan cookies from the health food store and make "sorbet" sandwiches. Fri Jun 06 09:20:59 -0700 2003 1602095 0 mm 2 1602132 A chowhound contributor in mid September, 2002, suggested making "ice cream" from almond milk. Here is the way I copied the recipe. Looks like it would make a good base for fresh fruit livened-up with a glog of liquer. FROZEN ALMOND MILK DESSERT 3/4 c superfine sugar mixed into 1 liter of almond milk. Freeze it in an ice cream maker (Apparently the almond milk is an Italian import) Fri Jun 06 11:42:12 -0700 2003 1602095 0 Sharuf 1 1602153 How about that incredible sticky rice/coconut milk/mango dessert you can get at a Thai restaurant? Served warm.,.......ummm I getting hungry for it as I write. Would love to make this myself, but no recipe on hand. Does anyone have a good one? Fri Jun 06 14:21:58 -0700 2003 1601989 0 Science Chick