We had friends over for a quiet Thanksgiving this year. The four of us were in France in September and decided, once I bought a very not vegan cookbook filled with traditional Alsatian recipes, to create a November feast with vegan versions. We made tartes flambeés, fleischschnacka and crêpes – all of which we had vegan while staying in Ensisheim, a lovely village in the Alsace region. There was one recipe in the book that I wanted to try that we did not get to experience while in France: Baked Muenster Cheese.
I happen to make Muenster cheese from scratch fairly often – thanks to Chef Sky Michael’s The Non-Dairy Evolution Cookbook – and was obsessed about breading and baking it based on the recipe in the cookbook. I dredged four pieces of cheese in flour, then coated it with a combo of panko, chopped and roasted hazelnuts, cumin, and VeganEgg. I air fried for 10 minutes at 400°F and then broiled it for 5 minutes longer. Perfect.
And it needed to be served perfectly.
While I was breading the cheese, I started grabbing some things from my pantry. My vision was serving the heavy, breaded cheese on light greens with a small amount of a sweetly savory dressing. The result is this Cranberry and Currants Dressing (or sauce). Which is so thick it makes for a delightful spread on a piece of crusty sourdough bread, too.
Enjoy!
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Cranberry and Currants Dressing or Spread
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup dried currants
- 1 medium orange (juiced)
- 1 large lemon (juiced)
- 1 shallot ((about 1-ounce))
- 2 tablespoons plain vegan yogurt
- 2 tablespoons agave syrup
- 2 tablespoons pecan or walnut oil
- 1 tablespoon white balsamic glaze
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
- Combine the cranberries and currants in a small bowl. Pour the orange and lemon juice over the dried fruit and set aside for 10 minutes.
- Transfer the reconstituted fruit (and juice) to a food processor or blender. Add the remaining ingredients and puree to desired consistency (it should be creamy but still chunky for spread; add more lemon or orange juice for a thinner dressing).
JL Fields 