vegans gone wild! contest :: and the winner is....

aTXvegn of Austin, TX, for her Extreme Chocolate and Macadamia Nut Tart with Caramel Sauce.

This bacchanalian concotion expertly combines the richest, deepest elements you can find--a buttery pastry, deep musty chocolate, macadamia nuts (the world's fattiest nut!) and a creamy caramel sauce-- into one sinfully divine vegan dessert. aTXVegan wins a $25 gift certificate to PetaMall. See her recipe below, labor-intensive but so worth it.


Second prize goes to Laura Jesser of Atlanta, GA, for her new take on a classic dessert--Profiteroles. I always thought the phrase "vegan profiteroles" was a contradiction in terms, but Laura proved me wrong with her chocolately balls of creamy decadence. Laura wins a box of my homemade candy. [Guess I better get to work.] See her recipe below.

Choosing just two winners was painfully difficult--just ask Omniman. I was impressed and humbled by the quality and inventiveness of all the entries; my fellow bloggers are kick-ass hedonists and top-notch chefs. Thanks to everyone who contributed. The remaining recipes will be published--in alphabetical order--later this week.

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EXTREME CHOCOLATE & MACADAMIA NUT TART
WITH CARAMEL SAUCE
Ingredients:
Tart Pastry:
1¼ cups unbleached all purpose flour
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons shortening
4 tablespoons Earth Balance margarine, cut up
3 to 5 tablespoons ice water

Filling:
6 tablespoons Earth Balance margarine, cut up
4 ounces Scharffen Berger 99% dark chocolate, broken into small pieces
1 cup ground macadamia nuts
2/3 cup chopped dates
½ cup Florida Crystals powdered sugar
2 teaspoons Mexican vanilla

Caramel Sauce:
¾ cup almond milk, divided
2 tablespoons cornstarch
½ cup Earth Balance margarine
2 cups brown sugar
1 tablespoon Mexican vanilla

Garnish:
¼ cup ground macadamia nuts
¼ cup ground semisweet chocolate chips
Additional caramel sauce

Instructions:
Make pastry: Put flour, salt, shortening, and margarine in a food processor. Pulse a few times until mixture forms fine crumbs. Add 3 T ice water. Pulse a few times. Process just until dough pulls away from the sides. (If dough does not come together, add more ice water 1 T at a time.) Remove dough from bowl and shape into a disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes, while you prepare the filling. Clean the bowl and blade of the food processor to use to make the filling.

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Make Filling: Fill a sauce pan half full with water and bring to a boil. Put margarine and chocolate into a heatproof bowl. Remove sauce pan from heat and set the heatproof bowl with the chocolate and margarine over the saucepan. Stir the chocolate mixture occasionally, until completely melted. Put macadamia nuts, dates, powdered sugar, and vanilla into the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times to combine. Add in the melted chocolate mixture and process until a smooth paste forms. Set aside.

Roll out dough on lightly floured surface and place into tart pan with removable sides. Spoon the filling into the dough and spread evenly. Put into oven and bake for 20 minutes or until crust is golden and begins to pull away from sides. Remove tart to a wire rack and cool completely.

Make Caramel Sauce: Combine ¼ cup almond milk and cornstarch; set aside. Melt Earth Balance in a medium size sauce pan over medium low heat. Stir in the brown sugar, then the remaining ½ cup almond milk, and vanilla. Bring the mixture to a boil and continue to boil over medium heat for 4 minutes, stirring slowly and constantly. Remove the pan from the heat and quickly stir in the cornstarch mixture. Stir until thickened and combined. Transfer to a 2 cup container and refrigerate for about 30 minutes. (You’ll have leftover sauce to use later.)

Assemble: Remove cooled tart to a serving plate. Spoon about ½ cup of caramel sauce on top of tart. Garnish with ground chocolate chips and macadamia nuts. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

To serve, let tart sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes so filling can soften. Serve with extra caramel sauce.

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PROFITEROLES
Almond Whipped Crème (Make this the day before to be sure it will set)
1/2 cup plain soy creamer
1 tablespoon agar flakes
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1/2 block (6 ounces) lite silken tofu
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Combine creamer, agar, and sugar in a saucepan and heat gently until agar dissolves and the mixture becomes translucent and begins to thicken. Remove from heat. In a blender, combine tofu and extracts, and scrape the agar mixture into the blender. Whiz together until well blended and smooth. Chill for several hours. Once set, whiz again in the blender to soften, as it will have become very firm.
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Cream Puff Pastry
3/4 cup unbleached white flour
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Pinch nutmeg
3/4 cup water
6 tablespoons Earth Balance margarine
6 tablespoons mashed potatoes
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch turmeric (for color--may be omitted)

Place flour, salt, and nutmeg in a small bowl and stir through. In a saucepan, bring the margarine and water to a boil, then remove from heat and add the mixture of dry ingredients. With a wooden spoon, stir vigorously for about one minute. Place the saucepan back over low heat and cook the mixture for about two minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

Combine the mashed potatoes, baking powder, and turmeric, and add the mixture gradually to the mixture in the saucepan, mixing well between additions. Form the dough into 12 medium-large balls and drop onto an oiled cookie sheet. Bake at 400 for about 30 minutes, then remove and allow to cool completely on a cooling rack.
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Mocha Sauce

10 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons coffee extract (or more, to taste)
1/4-1/2 cup plain soy milk

Combine the chocolate and water over a double boiler and heat gently, stirring constantly, until melted. Add soy milk as needed to thin the sauce to a pourable consistency. Once the mixture becomes smooth and saucy, remove from heat and stir in the extracts. Use immediately or reheat to serve.

To assemble: Slice the cream puff in half, and place a generous spoonful of well-chilled almond crème on the bottom piece. Top with the other half of the cream puff, and then drizzle the warm sauce over the top and serve immediately.