Dining With Friends: Soup and Pie, Oh My!
By Dustin Garrett Rhodes
You don’t know how badly I wish I would have had this recipe seven years ago when I produced the worst chestnut soup ever made. Completely inedible, I had to actually throw it out right before dinner. The experience scarred me, but did not dissolve my affection for chestnuts. Rest assured, this soup is fantastic: creamy, rich and nutty. The sour cream and cayenne pepper, which impart surprising flavor and consistency, finish this delightful soup. It’s worth the effort, I promise.
I am always looking for new recipes that use pumpkin—a nutritious, versatile and delicious squash. Here’s a recipe for pumpkin cheesecake that’s decadent and delightful—and what a welcome departure from the standard issue pumpkin pie. Pumpkin and vegan cream cheese were made for one another.
(Happy Holidays!)
Perfect Chestnut Soup
Serves 6
Chestnuts are low in fat. They are also highly perishable, so store them in a plastic bag in your refrigerator until you are ready to cook. This recipe was adapted from a recipe from Delmarvelous Chestnuts, a chestnut grower in Towsend, Delaware. We’re please to offer our friends a vegan version of the experts’ festive winter soup.
8 tablespoons soy margarine
4 cups whole roasted chestnuts (about 1 ½ pounds)
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 leek, mostly white parts, well rinsed and chopped
1 parsnip, peeled and chopped
1 cup celery, peeled and chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
7 ½ cups vegetable broth
½ cup Madeira wine
2 or more parsley sprigs, chopped
Pinch of grated nutmeg
Sea salt
Fresh ground pepper
Tofutti brand imitation sour cream
Cayenne pepper
Preparation:
To roast chestnuts: Choose fresh, firm, unwrinkled chestnuts with no signs of spores. On the flat side of each chestnut, take a small knife and cut an X from one end to the other. Make sure you cut all the way through the shell. Lay the chestnuts in one layer in an oven proof dish. Bake at 325 degrees F for 25-30 minutes, until the cuts peel back naturally from the heat. Cool only slightly. Pull off outer shell and the fuzzy skin, and set nuts aside.
In a heavy saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons of margarine over medium heat. Add chestnuts and sauté until heated through, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
Melt the remaining four tablespoons of margarine in a heavy, large soup pot over medium heat. Add carrot, parsnip, leek and celery; sauté until soft, about 7 minutes. Add vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Add the chestnuts, Madeira wine, parsley, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Continue to simmer for another 15 minutes.
Puree the soup in batches in a food processor or blender. Transfer the pureed soup to a large soup pot and reheat, stirring frequently.
When it’s thoroughly heated, ladle the soup into bowls. Top it off with a dollop of non-dairy sour cream and sprinkle lightly with cayenne pepper.
Two-Layer Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake
Crust:
1 ½ cups of graham cracker crumbs
1 tablespoon canola oil
4 tablespoons maple syrup
or
9-inch graham cracker pie crust
BOTTOM LAYER:
6 ounces softened Tofutti “Better than Cream Cheese”
¼ cup Florida Crystals natural sugar
½ teaspoon grated lemon rind
Ener-G Egg Replacer (Mix according
to box instructions to make equivalent
of 2 eggs.)
½ cup Tofutti brand imitation Sour Cream
TOP LAYER
1 cup pumpkin
½ cup sunflower seed butter
1 cup sugar
Ener-G Egg Replacer (Mix according to box instructions to make equivalentof 2 eggs.)
1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Preparation of Crust:
Position a rack at the central height level in the oven, and heat to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9-inch or 10-inch round springform pan with canola-oil cooking spray. Mix graham cracker crumbs, canola oil, and maple syrup together, and press the mix into the prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes.
Preparation of the Bottom Layer:
Pur é e the bottom layer ingredients. Pour into prepared pie crust.
Preparation of the Top Layer:
Using hand mixer, blend all of the top layer ingredients together. Pour on top of the cheesecake batter.
Bake the pie:
Bake at 350 degrees F for 50 minutes. Let cool for 30 minutes, then refrigerate overnight before serving.
Chocolate Pudding with Berries
Ingredients:
1½ cups fresh berries (blackberries, raspberries or blueberries)
5 ounces organic bittersweet dark chocolate
3 tablespoons Florida Crystals sugar
¼ cup water
6 ounces firm silken tofu
Preparation:
Melt sugar and chocolate in double boiler.
Place tofu, water and chocolate in a food processor and blend until smooth, about 2 minutes. Place pudding in parfait glasses, refrigerate for at least 2 hours and top with berries.
Variation: Several pieces of candied ginger blended into the pudding makes a wonderful addition.