Are you sick of JOVB yet? Fig Date bread, Butterscotch Pudding & Pear Tart

Ok, so it may seem like all I have done the past few weeks is bake from the Joy of Vegan Baking, but it is not true!

I have been working on my (almond) croissant recipe. So far I am nearly there, just a few more technical improvements. It will be a while before I am satisfied though.

So in the meantime....

Fig Date Bread

This went so quickly that I didn't manage to take a picture in time. The Not Chef and I pretty much bought this tasty delight into work everyday as a wonder snack. And I am telling you now, RUN don't walk to your favourite fruit and veg provider to get fresh figs for this one. (To be honest, I had never seen a fresh fig before until I moved over here from the west coast! How embarrassing...)

Recipe notes: I thought the amount of sugar was too much, considering the amount of dates in the recipe. So, I took out my handy-dandy US sized tablespoon (There is a 5mL difference between Aus and US T) and put in about 3-4 T of golden syrup instead.

Review: I used one of those new strange silicone baking pans for this recipe. So I don't know if it was that, my oven, or the much-later head-palm discovery that a huge heavy metal pan thingy may be blocking the essential heat to my baking, but it took almost double time to cook. Regardless, the bread turned out well.

Will I make this again?: Yep. Maybe next time I may be quick enough to include pictures even!


Pear Tart

This was gone in just under 2 days.

Recipe notes: I made this exaclty as-is. No changes at all. Well, I did make this with a springform pan instead of a pie tart. I was worried at first when making the crust, as it contracted a bit during baking, but after adding and cooking the filling, it contracted about the same amount, so all was well.

Review: Yumyumyum.The only downside is that is requires as 'cream cheese' analogue, which depending where you live may be hard to find &/or expensive. To be honest, I was a bit surprised at how delicious this tart was. I didn't think it would turn out special, but it was our favourtie of the lot I made.

Will I make this again?: YES.

Butterscotch Pudding

Recipe notes: Another one I made 'as-is.' The exception is the white chocolate whipped tofu topping. What I did was blend 1/4c soy milk (or non-dairy milk of your choice), 300g firm silken tofu and 200g of melted vegan white chocolate (the only brand I know that is relatively easy to get in Australia is Sweet Williams). I let it set for a few hours, pumped it into a piping bag and added big towering swirls. Then I grated some vegan dark chocolate over the top.

Review: I was worried that it might be too sweet, but as the pudding cools, the butterscotch flavour is more pronounced. And the white choc tofu cream/butterscotch pudding combo was a tasty winner.

Will I make this again?: Maybe. Only because I am not a major pudding person.