Vegan sweet potato chili
Makes: 8 to 10 servings
2 or 3 sweet potatoes, about 1 ½ to 2 pounds 2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, undrained
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large white onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
3 or 4 garlic cloves, minced
1 to 2 tablespoons mild pickled jalapenos, optional
1 tablespoon chili powder
¾ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon oregano
2 (14-ounce) cans fire-roasted tomatoes
1 ½ cups water
1 tablespoon cornmeal
1 teaspoon molasses or other sweetener 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Cube sweet potatoes and place in a large bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of the juice from the beans, salt and paprika, and toss to coat. Scatter in single layer on a baking sheet. Roast for 20 minutes and set aside to cool.
3. Add oil to a large Dutch oven over mediumhigh heat. Add onion and red bell pepper, and sauté until softened, about 3 to 5 minutes.
4. Stir in garlic, jalapeño if using, chili powder, cumin and oregano. Cook 3 minutes, stirring often.
5. Add tomatoes, water, cornmeal, sweetener and cocoa. Bring to a simmer and cook 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Drain and rinse black beans; add to chili. Add roasted sweet potatoes and taste for seasoning; add salt as needed.
— Adapted from a recipe by Chuck Underwood in Brandnewvegan.com
Moelleux (pronounced moe-low) is a classic French dessert that is a cross between a souffle and a molten lava cake.
For moelleux:
7 eggs
1 ¼ cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar 1 ⅓ cups dark chocolate, 64% cacao, finely chopped 15 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus more to line the ramekins
1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted Powdered sugar for dusting Fresh berries, for garnish
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees for conventional, or 325 degrees for convection.
2. Thoroughly line 8 (4-ounce) ramekins or oven-safe mugs of a similar volume with some of the room-temperature butter. (I used 4 8-ounce ramekins, and had enough batter left over for 3 8-ounce ramekins.)
3. In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, mix eggs and sugar together and whip on medium-high speed for 5 to 10 minutes, until the mixture is a very pale yellow and tripled in volume.
4. In a large bowl, melt chocolate in the microwave or over a double boiler, stirring often, then add the softened butter, mixing with a spatula until no chunks of butter remain.
5. Carefully fold in egg and sugar mixture. Then add the flour and fold in just until combined. Using a ladle, fill the prepared ramekins, leaving a ½-inch gap from the top.
6. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in a conventional oven, or 15 minutes in a convection oven — the centers should still be slightly runny.
Remove from oven, dust with powdered sugar. Serve warm directly from the oven, with warm chocolate sauce, almond caramel crisp and a few fresh berries.
For chocolate sauce:
1 ¼ cups whole milk
¾ cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon sugar
¾ cup dark chocolate (at least 64% cacao), finely chopped
Heat the milk, cream and sugar until nearly boiling. Then remove and pour over the chocolate one-third at a time, mixing to combine with a rubber spatula between each addition. Keep warm until ready to use.
For almond caramel crisp:
¾ cup sugar
½ teaspoon apple pectin 9 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 ½ tablespoons light corn syrup 2 teaspoons water
2 cups sliced almonds, toasted
1. Preheat a traditional oven to 370 degrees or 350 degrees for convection.
2. In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, pectin, butter, corn syrup and water in a pan and bring just to a boil, ensuring that all the butter is dissolved. Add the sliced almonds and mix to combine with a wooden spoon.
3. Using a small spoon, drop nickelsized pieces at least 2 inches apart onto a tray lined with a Silpat or wax paper. Bake for approximately 15 minutes until well-browned, then remove and leave to cool. Remove from the tray when cooled.