More Experiments, Better Results

While rather little will eclipse the jackfruit ice cream of a few weeks ago, tonight's concoction certainly works quite well for the entree category. Through a lot of appliance issues this weekend I still managed to (sort of) make these tempeh cakes from Isa Moskowitz's newest book (BUY IT) Vegan Brunch. They were stellar, but as I lack a stove at the moment, they are a bit beyond my ability to recreate. So I moved on to a staple that does not require boiling or steaming to remove bitterness before cooking, chickpeas. We pretty much always have them in the pantry or freezer, though I've used so many this weekend that I need to make a fresh batch to restock our supply. Rather than season my chickpea cakes like crab cakes I wanted to make them more similar to chicken croquettes, which lead me to think of my mom's recipe for swiss chicken salad, a very versatile salad that can be served hot or cold and takes some simple flavors and milks them big time. The high points are croutons, mushrooms, celery, onions and a creaminess from a milk/mayo dressing and somehow I wanted to incorporate the flavors and the crunchy/toasty texture from the croutons into this dish. What I ended up with were baked patties topped with a sauce that while not pretty, highlights the creamy mushroom flavor and provides a nice textural contrast to the patties' somewhat crisp veggie bits and crusty exterior. I served this to myself with a side of steamed fresh green beans and mashed cauliflower, but they'd be good with just about anything. Smaller patties would work great as appetizers and larger ones make for easier serving for a main course. Either way, they are addictive and I will be making these fairly often. Perhaps next time they'll last long enough to take a picture, but I doubt it.
Do make these immediately before serving, otherwise make the batter but hold off on forming the patties and baking them until just before dinner. They taste fine reheated, but the lose the crunchy exterior in the fridge, so keep that in mind if you're trying to impress someone.
You would probably guess that these are vegetarian (or vegan, if you use vegan dairy products) but you probably wouldn't actually care. As I've said before, if Dad will eat it, pretty much anyone will. If he's lucky I'll actually let him try these, and I will definitely make them for a dear friend who just does not like the texture of mushrooms, as you get the flavor but not the big, squishy chunks that turn her off of the fungi.

Swiss Chickpea Patties
(makes about 10-12 3-4 inch patties)

Ingredients:
2 cups panko crumbs
1 large can chickpeas, rinsed and drained (about three cups)
1 medium onion, diced small
2 tablespoons vegenaise or mayonaise
1 rib celery, diced small
4 oz white mushrooms
1/8 teaspoon each paprika, garlic powder and black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spread about two cups of panko on a cookie sheet or toaster oven baking sheet in an even layer and spray with a fine layer of olive oil or cooking spray. Place in oven and toast until well browned, stirring frequently to brown crumbs evenly. While crumbs are toasting mash chickpeas until there are almost no whole peas left. Stir in onion, celery, mayonaise and spices. Pulse mushrooms in a food processor until thoroughly chopped, then stir mushrooms into chickpea mixture. Mix in toasted panko with a fork until a moldable dough forms--start with a cup, add more as needed, making sure to reserve some panko for dredging. Taste mixture and adjust seasoning if needed. Form mixture into patties of 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick and sized from 1 inch to 4 inches across. Press both sides of patties gently into toasted panko crumbs and arrange on a greased cookie sheet. Bake patties at 375 degrees for 20-30 minutes, flipping at least once halfway through cooking to brown evenly on both sides. Patties are done when crispy and brown on the outside (though it's rather hard to overcook them, so don't worry too much). Serve topped with mushroom sauce.

Mushroom Sauce

8 oz white mushrooms
2 ribs celery
1 tablespoon margarine or butter
2 or 3 tablespoons soy, rice or dairy milk
Salt and pepper to taste
About 1 tablespoon leftover toasted panko crumbs

Process the mushrooms and celery in a food processor until ground into a uniform mixture. Scrape into a microwaveable bowl and add the margarine, milk, salt and pepper and microwave on high for two minutes. Stir panko crumbs and serve on chickpea patties.
--If you have sauce leftover it is equally good on toast with or without scrambled or poached eggs or scrambled tofu for breakfast or brunch.

I scream...

Ice cream is an important thing in our family, even if I don't eat it that often any more. As with everything, I've been experimenting with vegan versions and made this one tonight. And, oh, is it good. Possibly even better than the white chocolate champagne of parties past, and with less bad things in it. Though the reduced champagne would probably be great here too. Regardless, a second batch of this will be made this week. This base of almond milk would work really well with peaches, pineapple, banana or any number of squishy fruits that would taste good in ice cream. I fully intend to do some experimenting later, and eat the results over sliced strawberries. Because that's just the most perfect way to eat ice cream, ever.


Jackfruit Ice Cream
(makes about 1 quart)

Ingredients:
3 cups vanilla almond milk (or rice, soy or lowfat/skim dairy milk)
1/2 cup coconut milk (or soy creamer, cashew cream, heavy cream) OR another 1/2 cup milk
3 Tablespoons sugar or 1/4 cup syrup from fruit can
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 can of jackfruit (or equivalent amount of peaches, apricots, bananas, etc.), drained, syrup reserved if needed

Directions:
Pour all but 1/3 cup of the milk/cream into a saucepan along with the sugar and heat to near boiling. In a separate small cup or bowl mix the cornstarch and remaining milk into a slurry and set aside. While the milk and sugar heats up, either chop or process the fruit into the desired size and texture. Add slurry to hot milk, stirring often to keep from curdling. Taste the custard and adjust for sweetness or vanilla level if needed. Add the fruit to the custard and cook until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and leave a distinct trail when you draw a finger down the back of the spoon. Remove custard from heat and chill in the fridge until ice cold. The recipe up to this point can be done well in advance of when you wish to freeze the ice cream. When it is cold, usually after two hours in the fridge, freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions for your machine.

Notes
-Home made ice cream starts out far softer than commercial, but freezes much harder when you put it away due to the lack of air being added while freezing. If it comes out of the freezer too hard to handle you can either let it sit on the counter for five or ten minutes or zap it in the microwave for 7-10 seconds. The lower the fat and air content the harder it's going to freeze, so keep that in mind if you're making this with straight skim milk--it will be a brick in the freezer. Freezing the super low fat/sugar versions in smaller cups has worked well for me in the past, and makes portion control/counting easy too. They also soften up a bit faster due to the smaller size.
-Alcohol can also impede the freezing, but might not be the best idea if you're serving this to your kids. Mango rum would be ideal here, or another lighter tasting spirit like plain old light rum or vodka. If you're going to use it, add 1/4 to 1/3 cup to the cooling custard so that the alcohol doesn't burn off. You might taste it, but it won't be enough to make you tipsy.