Fog City Vegan sympathizes with her sisters and brothers faced with yet another pale fruit platter, uninspiring bowl of oatmeal or some other food afterthought while their dining partners enjoy robust brunch fare. So here she shares one way you can brighten the eyes of a Vegan you care for by creating a fun and memorable morning without all the usual brunch staples such as eggs, milk, cream and cheese. Set an exquisite table and serve what Fog City Vegan calls her Dutch Baby French Toast!
The night before: Champagne and/or juice or French sparkling cider for the non-alcohol-drinking Vegan. Wine glasses in freezer. Slice a loaf of crusty French bread into 1” slices. Leave uncovered overnight to get stale. For the recipe have on hand a nonstick skillet and a fine sieve for sifting powdered sugar.
The day of: Turn your oven on as low as possible and put two big dinner plates in to warm. This is important!
Set the table (dining table, bed tray, picnic in front of the fireplace blanket) with flatware and napkins (big cotton napkins if you’ve got ‘em), coffee cups, soy creamer, sugar and the Sunday paper. Local and New York Times if possible.
Prepare (wash dry and, if necessary, slice into bite size pieces) seasonal fresh fruit such as figs, berries, apricots
Set up the coffee maker, French Press or Bialati
Dutch Baby French Toast recipe for 12 – 15 slices:
Loaf of stale bread slices (sliced the previous night); ½ cup vanilla soy creamer, ½ cup vanilla soy milk, 2 Tablespoons cornstarch; ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract; Pinch of salt; ¼ cup garbanzo bean flour (aka chickpea flour); Vegetable oil
Earth Balance brand buttery spread; powdered sugar; 2 lemons cut into wedges and seeds removed; Seasonal fruit
In a small bowl whisk the cornstarch, vanilla and salt into soy creamer and milk until cornstarch is dissolved. Whisk the chickpea flour into the milk mixture (a little lumpy is okay). Pour the mixture into a flat-bottomed bowl. Lie as many stale bread slices in the milk mixture as will fit comfortably in the nonstick skillet you’ll use to cook them in. Soak 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Heat a couple teaspoons of oil in the nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Transfer the bread slices from the bowl to the skillet. When both sides are golden brown and delicious place on your oven-warmed plates. Spread Dutch Babies with Earth Balance Shake a thick layer of powdered sugar onto them through a fine sieve. Squeeze plenty of lemon juice on top of the sugar. Scatter fresh seasonal fruit over the entire plate. And if you’d prefer to have someone else wash that skillet and keep the coffee coming you can always treat your Vegan to brunch at Herbivore here in San Francisco or Fellini Restaurant in Berkeley. Fellini was voted ‘Best Vegan Brunch in the Bay Area’ by VegOut Guide. You can see their menu at www.FelliniRestaurant.net
