Whip it

Having read so much about VersaWhip on vegan blogs and forums I decided to order some to experiment with.

It had to be shipped over from America, as they do not yet sell it outside of the USA, as is the case with so many American vegan products.

http://willpowder.net/versawhip.html

VersaWhip is not vegan by design, it is used in molecular gastronomy as a more stable replacement for egg whites, you just whip it up (with water) and it can then be added to any recipe.

There are a few vegan cooks out there at the moment who are experimenting with it, mostly trying to produce macarons, meringue, marshmallows etc. And because the VersaWhip comes without instruction or recipes of any kind, it's a case of trial and error, and sometimes complete invention!

I managed to find a basic vegan meringue recipe using the VersaWhip and decided to have a go, before I tackle my vegan daemon…macarons!

The recipe I followed was from a site recommended by a user on a Post Punk Kitchen forum, http://chocochichi.com/

Vegan Meringue Cookies

Ingredients

1/2 cup water

2 tsp Versawhip 600

1/2 tsp xanthan gum

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1 – 2 Tbsp flavor extract

Instructions

Preheat oven to 100 degrees C. Line a baking tray with greaseproof baking paper.

Pour water and VersaWhip into a large metal or glass mixing bowl. Beat with electric mixer on low speed until frothy, then increase speed to high. Whip until soft peaks form.

Combine xanthan gum and powdered sugar in a small bowl. Gradually beat into Versawhip until stiff peaks form. Add flavor extract and beat briefly to incorporate.

Drop meringue mix by tablespoon onto parchment-lined baking sheet, or pipe it on using a pastry bag with a large tip.

Bake at 100 degrees for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until completely dry and firm to the touch.

Let cool, then remove carefully from baking paper. Meringue cookies should be stored in an air-tight container at room temperature. If they begin to soften, they can be crisped again by baking at 100 degrees for about 15 – 20 minutes.

Water and VersaWhip

All ingredients whipped and ready to be piped

Standing your piping bag inside a glass or cup makes it a lot easier to fill and leaves you with both hands free!

I used a sandwich bag with one of the corners cut out as a disposable piping bag.

Ready for the oven.

Out of the oven, crisp shells with a chewy centre.

I baked my meringues for around 2 hours as they did not seem to be hardening. When they were out of the oven and had cooled down they were very melt in the mouth with a chewy centre. For me the outside was not really crumbly enough, they melted too fast and were a little dusty, so maybe I had baked them for too long!

After a day or so the insides were even chewier, which I liked, but the outsides had gone soggy. I put them back in the oven for 15 minutes, the outsides crisped up leaving the insides soft, this texture was a lot closer to a non-vegan meringue.

In regards to taste they were flavoured a little too much. I think you probably only need the smallest amount of vanilla or they start to taste like marshmallow rather than meringue, though I guess this depends on your preferences!

I found the VersaWhip really easy to work with. It whips up into stiff peaks so easily and rather quickly, and even though I left them to sit for a good 20 minutes (because of a phone call) they had not collapsed back in on themselves or broken up, which is usually the case with egg whites. I'm already looking forward to tackling macarons!

I think I will keep experimenting with this basic recipe, have a go with different flavours and see how a big dessert size meringue works! Come over if you want a taste :)

Bisous bisous xxx

Afghan Fashion Show

Last week I assisted on the Afghan Fashion show 2010, which raises money for AfghanAid and the soldiers charity AFB. This was it's second year and was held in memory of Dr Karen Woo, an aid worker who was killed in Afghanistan earlier this year.

Clothes from international designer Zolaykha Sherzad were showcased along with traditional Afghan costume, on a carpeted runway in Porchester Hall. The models were led by Olivia Inge, who has walked for the likes of Alexander McQueen and Vivienne Westwood!

Here are a few of the images…

Olivia Inge in a Zolaykha Sherzad design.

Eva Doll in traditional Afghan costume.

Model in traditional bridal costume.

During a break in the catwalk show, an Attan dancer performed a traditional Afghan dance, it was mesmerising. She must have been spinning on the spot for at least half of the 7 minutes and didn't falter once. She was amazing!

It was a really good evening and was really nice to work with some old uni friends :) I was a bit disappointed when I went into the room where Loreal were doing hair to discover they were all drinking Mojitos. But apparently they had gone into the hall and helped themselves, which I was too afraid to do!

As I was leaving the hall they had started the auction, I don't know what the first item was but the opening bid was £4000! Must have been something nice.

I will be posting about my vegan meringue baking soon, I'll let you know how the Versawhip works out!

Bisous bisous xxx

Not sticky enough!

Cinnamon Rolls

Today I had a go at cinnamon rolls after a craving for something sweet and sticky. I searched for the 'best cinnamon roll recipe' and after a scouring over blogs and websites found this… http://baking.about.com/od/sweetrolls/r/ultimtecinnroll.htm.

Since it proclaimed itself to be The Ultimate Cinnamon Roll I thought I'd have a go veganising it!

Altogether there is 2 1/2 hours waiting around for dough to rise but the resulting roll is worth it. It was not quite as sticky or cinnamon flavoured as I had hoped but I think the lesson there is to be very generous with the sugar and cinnamon when spreading the filling. I probably used about 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, 2 tablespoon of golden caster sugar and 1 tablespoon of cinnamon for each half of the dough. I would suggest using more cinnamon (if you like it) and possibly making a syrup to pour over the rolls before they go in the oven or when they come out to make them good and sticky!

I preferred the rolls without the icing as I don't really like the taste of vegan 'butter', and they are delicious heated up with custard or with a scoop of Swedish Glace (vegan) ice cream.

So here they are, some iced, some not...

And here is the veganised recipe, the measurements are in cups (which are easy enough to get hold of from any good kitchen shop)…

Ingredients:

• 3 1/4 teaspoons dry yeast

• 1/4 cup warm water

• 1/2 cup Trex vegetable fat (or similar)

• 1/3 cup sugar

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup oat milk (or preferred vegan milk)

• egg replacer for 1 egg

• 4 cups sifted flour

• 2-3 tablespoons melted butter

• brown sugar

• cinnamon

• raisins (optional)

Vanilla Frosting

• 2 cups powdered sugar

• 1 tablespoon butter, melted

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• oat milk or cream (2 to 4 tablespoons)

Method:

Add the warm water to the yeast, stir well and leave for 10 minutes.

Heat the milk and pour over the Trex. Add the sugar and salt, mix well until all dissolved and allow to cool until tepid. Add the dissolved yeast and egg replacer (depending on replacer’s instructions. I use Allergycare Egg Replacer, which has to be combined with the flour, so at this point I just add the amount of water called for on the egg replacer instructions).

Add the flour (mixed with egg replacer, depending on brand) one cup at a time, beating well after each addition. This should form a soft, but not sticky dough. Knead well for 5 minutes on a floured surface until elastic and smooth. Avoid adding too much flour, as this will make the dough too dry. Place the dough into a well-oiled bowl, cover loosely with cling film or a tea towel and let rise for 1 1/2 hours.

Turn out the risen dough onto a floured surface and flatten the dough using your knuckles or fingertips. Split the dough into two and roll one half of the dough out into a rectangle, around 1cm thick.

Cover with half the melted butter and layer with a generous thick layer of brown sugar. Sprinkle on cinnamon to desired taste. If you like raisins layer some on.

Roll up the dough so you have a long Swiss Roll type sausage shape. Repeat with the second half of the dough.

Cut off slices about 1 to 1-1/2 inches thick. Place slices in an 8 or 9 inch round greased cake pan. You will probably need a couple of pans. Place one slice in the middle and other slices around it. Press the rolls down to even out and fill the pan.

Cover and let rise again until rolls fill the pan generously, about 1 hour.

Bake in a 175 °c preheated oven for about 15 - 20 minutes. (I needed to bake mine for 30 minutes and they were just right, so I’d suggest to check them after 15 minutes and then adjust the time accordingly).

Remove immediately from pan by inverting onto a plate and then tip over onto another plate to right the rolls.

For the Frosting:

In a medium bowl, place the sugar, melted butter and vanilla. Then stir in enough oat milk or cream to reach a thick, hardly-able to stir consistency.

Spread over warm rolls as soon as they are placed on a plate to let the frosting melt and run into the rolls.

I separated my rolls before icing them, but I would suggest leaving them stuck together and then just breaking one off when wanted, this should help to keep the insides fresh.

Have a go :)

Bisous Bisous xxx

Behind the scenes with Ruby and Jude

Second post and it's a fashion one!

These are some behind the scenes images from a photo shoot I directed a couple of months back. The working title was 'Make Believe' and I was very lucky to work with a highly talented team :)

They were. . . Jude Tsang - photographer, Ruby Balthazar - model, Jarna Papinniemi - designer, and myself - make up and art direction.

We shot in Richmond park, (after much stress over getting a permit), on a very windy but sunny day. The tubes decided not to run and we all squashed into a taxi with the 5 surprisingly heavy outfits, a suitcase of makeup and cameras.

I'll post the final edited images soon, after I've had a go at making vegan meringues with my newly acquired VersaWhip, from the USA! http://willpowder.net/versawhip.html

Bisous bisous xxx

Let's start at the very beginning...

…a very good place to start.

I created this blog a few months ago but never got round to starting it as I couldn't decide on one subject to write about.

And so it will be about many things, but mostly about the joys (and trials) of vegan baking and my experiences as a make up artist.

Today I joined a website called The Daring Kitchen. It is a collection of bakers and cooks who each month take part in a cooking or baking challenge (depending on which group you join).

I have joined the Daring Bakers and hope to blog about my first challenge next month.

I'll leave you with some images from a recent photo shoot I worked on (which I will do a proper post on later!).

Bisous bisous xxx